Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason

(2004, Beeban Kidron, UK)

rating = 35

When I saw the first Bridget Jones' Diary, back in 2001, I was nearly embarrassed to admit that I enjoyed it - but I couldn't help it.   Both Renee Zellweger (surprisingly) and Hugh Grant (not so surprisingly) were amusing and sometimes hilarious - even if the film itself was rather lightweight fluff.

After seeing its sequel, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, I no longer have to admit my enjoyment for Miss Jones - and not just out of embarassment.   BJ:2 is a decidedly inferior film to the original.   Zellweger is more gratingly annoying here than her first time around (or at least tiredly the same), but hey, at least this isn't as horrible as her inexplicable excruciatingly obnoxious Academy Award winning role in Cold Mountain - and at least Grant is just as much the charming creep as he was the first time round, even in a much truncated role (relugated to mere supporting status, even though he still manages billing over so-called leading man, Colin Firth - one of the least interesting Actors around).

Full of tired cliche after even more tired cliche, BJ:2 plays out like a how-not-to-make-a-witty-movie lecture.   I can't recall even one moment of originality throughout this entire film - the only enjoyable parts belong to the too few scenes involving Hugh Grant as the one and only interesting character in the bunch.   There is even one elongated segment of the movie, where poor ever-so-hapless Bridget lands in a Thai prison for drug possession (???) and what happens to her in there ? - She teaches all her prostitute cell-mates to sing Like A Virgin (???).   If this were a real Thai prison, poor ever-so-hapless Bridget would have been brutally and repeatedly beaten and raped - but we can't have reality break into our insipid little tale, can we?

The first Bridget Jones had some wit and humour (and even a touch of creativity), even for its lightweight manner, but what we get here is a lackluster parody of itself in cutsey little sheep's clothing - and the wolf is left out in the cold.