The last time we saw Bridget Jones (Renee Zellweger) she was in her underwear, braving the cold London air as she and Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) had a romantic moment. It was a fitting end to Jones’ love story, which has always been more about the girl coming of age than it has the men whom she seeks out (or stumbles into). As with any story, the happy ending isn’t always the end, and that brings us to Bridget Jones’s Baby. This time around, Jones is older, wiser, successful, and managing just fine on her own — she has finally realized that a man is not required to live a full life. As for Darcy, well, he was not the perfect match for Jones after all (or was he?).
The Jones in Bridget Jones’s Baby will surprise audiences. She’s still a klutz, and can still be quite clueless when it comes to managing personal matters (some things never change), but there is a clear sense of maturity that exudes from her now. She has a confidence never seen before in prior films of the series, and it is incredibly refreshing. She does manage to get herself knocked up and doesn’t know who the father is, but that’s an easy mistake to make, right? In Jones’s world, it is now. And that is how she finds herself with Darcy once again, and an American who thinks he’s got love figured out thanks to science, Jack (Patrick Dempsey). It wouldn’t be a Bridget Jones’s movie if there weren’t a love traingle, and throwing in a baby doesn’t hurt the series one bit; it just gives it an entirely new way to fall in love with Jones all over again.
Bridget Jones’s Baby invites a viewer to embark on a comedic journey with Jones, Darcy, and newcomer Jack. It is transparent in how it develops, never shy to tackle the inappropriate and taboo, and overall manages to charm you even during its rough patches. The circumstances are ripe for humor, and every character nails it time and again. Jones may not be running around in her underwear, but she’s still finding herself in predicaments that sometimes lead one to question her ability to care for a child. But that’s the key here, Jones has grown up and she’s ready to take on motherhood all on her own–finding out who’s the daddy could very well just be paperwork. Love, determination, and a healthy sense of humor are what Jones has to make her strong, the romance in her story is a welcome bonus.