Dan
04-27-2001, 03:26 PM
Bridget Jones (PG) at the Gaslight
By Brent Northup
Stars: 3
Honest depictions of single life are so very rare, that "Bridget
Jones's Diary" is a welcome treat, even despite the onslaught of
formula script writing that we endure.
At its heart, "Bridget Jones," based on the popular British book,
is a sensational performance surrounded by two forgettable
leading men - and disabled by a script that insists that she pick
on of them. Hey, no man is an option, too!
The story is basic: Bridget is 32, overweight and lonely. So she
sets out to eat less and love more. As the story unfolds, she
arrives at two options to end her plight: her boss Daniel (Hugh
Grant) who likes his employees pretty and willing, and Mark
Darcy (Colin Firth), a gentleman with a lady on his arm, but with
wandering eyes. As I noted before, perhaps door number three
would be better!
The tale of Bridget's life is told endearingly, as she bumbles
along making wrong moves that, somehow, turn out right. Renee
Zellweger is absolutely Oscar-perfect in this role. There's not a
trace of "movie star" in her work - this is a humble actress
capturing the essence of a very vulnerable woman. Nominate her
for the Oscar or I boycott the awards show!
The males, however, are predictable. Hugh Grant turns in yet
another smug performance, although this one works pretty well
because his character is smug. Colin Firth, supposedly the gem
that our heroine is supposed to choose, just doesn't seem
appealing. Why would a man who enjoys the company of a
societal pole-climber be a worthy choice for our charming
Bridget? Clearly she should cast her pole in another river.
But, alas, she completes the forced choice, at which point I
guess we're supposed to say ahhhhh. I groaned.
But I still left the theater feeling like I'd had a fine evening at the
movies. The writing is often very realistic, capturing the bumbling
niceness of Bridget.
And there are plenty of laughs. The movie begins with Bridget
singing passionately as a love song blares on the radio. Along the
way we watch her embarrass herself in countless ways -
including an "error in judgment" when she wears tummy-
crunching underwear, expecting no one would see it. And so it
goes.
In fact, many of the women in the audience were howling fairly
regularly. That's not surprising since the female characters have
a realistic edge while the male characters tend to be cast as foils
and stereotypes.
"Bridget Jones's Diary" is a "date movie" of some substance,
and for that we should be grateful.
By Brent Northup
Stars: 3
Honest depictions of single life are so very rare, that "Bridget
Jones's Diary" is a welcome treat, even despite the onslaught of
formula script writing that we endure.
At its heart, "Bridget Jones," based on the popular British book,
is a sensational performance surrounded by two forgettable
leading men - and disabled by a script that insists that she pick
on of them. Hey, no man is an option, too!
The story is basic: Bridget is 32, overweight and lonely. So she
sets out to eat less and love more. As the story unfolds, she
arrives at two options to end her plight: her boss Daniel (Hugh
Grant) who likes his employees pretty and willing, and Mark
Darcy (Colin Firth), a gentleman with a lady on his arm, but with
wandering eyes. As I noted before, perhaps door number three
would be better!
The tale of Bridget's life is told endearingly, as she bumbles
along making wrong moves that, somehow, turn out right. Renee
Zellweger is absolutely Oscar-perfect in this role. There's not a
trace of "movie star" in her work - this is a humble actress
capturing the essence of a very vulnerable woman. Nominate her
for the Oscar or I boycott the awards show!
The males, however, are predictable. Hugh Grant turns in yet
another smug performance, although this one works pretty well
because his character is smug. Colin Firth, supposedly the gem
that our heroine is supposed to choose, just doesn't seem
appealing. Why would a man who enjoys the company of a
societal pole-climber be a worthy choice for our charming
Bridget? Clearly she should cast her pole in another river.
But, alas, she completes the forced choice, at which point I
guess we're supposed to say ahhhhh. I groaned.
But I still left the theater feeling like I'd had a fine evening at the
movies. The writing is often very realistic, capturing the bumbling
niceness of Bridget.
And there are plenty of laughs. The movie begins with Bridget
singing passionately as a love song blares on the radio. Along the
way we watch her embarrass herself in countless ways -
including an "error in judgment" when she wears tummy-
crunching underwear, expecting no one would see it. And so it
goes.
In fact, many of the women in the audience were howling fairly
regularly. That's not surprising since the female characters have
a realistic edge while the male characters tend to be cast as foils
and stereotypes.
"Bridget Jones's Diary" is a "date movie" of some substance,
and for that we should be grateful.