Film Reviews

Bridget Jones - The Edge of Reason

• Rating:
• Director:
• Starring: Colin Firth
• Details: UK 105 mins/ (12PG).

As is now probably legally required in any review of Bridget Jones, Renee Zellweger piles on the pounds in reprising her most famous role to date. She does another game job with the neurotic spinster, but it's just a shame that the scriptwriters didn't feel the need to bulk up on what is essentially a single idea spun out well beyond its natural conclusion.
Taking up a few weeks after the events of the original, Edge of Reason sees Bridget still involved with Mark Darcy (Firth). Cracks begin to show in their relationship when a foxy co-worker (Barrett, a dead ringer for Keira Knightly) shows Darcy a lot of attention. Further complication comes in the shape of the suave Daniel Cleaver (Grant, having a hoot), who has started working for Bridget's company and claims to have changed his womanising ways.
About as substantial as a marshmallow, Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason doesn't contribute anything fresh to the surprisingly enjoyable 2001 original. Content to riff off familiar sources, any sort of reality or emotional complexity is sidestepped in favour of another broad, recycled gag. Of course, this lack of plausibility and definition wouldn't be so bad if there was any sort of invention when it comes to the humour. That there's not means that Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason is more reflective of its title than its filmmakers would probably like

Review by Garreth Murphy