Though many anticipated 2016’s ‘Bridget Jones’s Baby’ to be the final installment into this sweet and hilarious little franchise, Bridget is back for one final round, as the team closes off her story for good. After the tragic loss of Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), Bridget (Renee Zellweger) navigates life as a single mother to two young children, balancing work, family, and a surprising new romance. Though this movie may not be entirely necessary, the bundles of laughs, terrific performances, expert exploration of grief and motherhood and many nods to its three predecessors not only prove that Mad About the Boy is a worthy entry into the franchise, but one that completes this story perfectly.
We pick up with Bridget and her two children, Mabel and Billy, just four years after the death of their husband and father Mark Darcy. Billy has fond memories of his father, whilst Mabel is near enough too young to remember him; this gorgeous, lovable family is held together by Bridget, who misses Mark not just sometimes, but ‘all of the times’. This topic, despite jarring fans when the trailer taught us the final installment would be Darcy-less, allows for a beautiful, heartfelt and incredibly thorough exploration of grief, that does more of an excellent job than most will expect. Through Bridget, we understand grief through single motherhood, as she navigates raising her children alone whilst those around her constantly offer differing advice. Should she go back to work, or dedicate all of her time to bringing up her children? Does she need to hire a Nanny? Is she ready for a new love in her life, or does she just need to have some great sex to get her spark back? Her story is very relatable to many out there watching, and these ideas are all developed with serious care. Through Billy and Mabel, grief is explored in terms of what it’s like to grow up without a father. Whether they’ll cope without a male figure in their lives and will they continue to remember him as they grow are just a couple of questions this script asks. Mark Darcy is paid tribute to in an extraordinary way, and Mad About the Boy surprisingly has much to say on the matter of grief and loss.
Whilst this sounds heavy, and it’s best to keep tissues at the ready whilst watching, Mad About the Boy is as sidesplittingly hilarious as the previous three installments. It manages to find an equal balance of heart and humour, offering up many chaotic hijinks alongside the tear-jerking moments. Bridget is up to her usual clumsy tricks, and just about anything that could go wrong somehow manages to. Burning her kids dinner, getting stuck up a tree in front of two handsome men and buying ten packs of condoms in front of her kids teacher are just a handful of the embarrassingly awkward moments she faces, and each comedic sequence never fails to put a smile on your face at the very least. Favourite of the franchise Daniel Cleaver, played expertly by Hugh Grant (Love Actually), doesn’t have as much screen-time here as one might hope, but he steals the show every time he is present and offers some of the best one-liners of the movie. It may be his fourth go-around in this character shoes, but he is undeniably good at making this sleazy ladykiller as charming and funny as possible. Don’t fret over the tough topics, as Mad About the Boy still has plenty of gas in the tank when it comes to comedy.
The main thing this script understands, which is especially important when seeing out a franchise, is how important the cast is. We likely wouldn’t be here 24 years on if it wasn’t for the efforts of this cast, and Mad About the Boy ensures to see out each character as successfully as it can. Renee Zellweger deserves one final pat on the back for her portrayal of this titular character – she just is Bridget Jones, and everybody knows it. Ditsy, lovable and entirely relatable with her struggles, viewers will miss this character and Zellweger’s exceptional turn. Making Bridget’s journey as believable and entertaining as possible, her performance here is as much of a triumph as her prior three. As mentioned, Daniel Cleaver is as head-shakingly a ladies man as ever, and Grant emits just the right amount of charm for us to give his behavior a pass – it’s hard not to love him. Although it rightly puts much of its focus on existing characters, including not only Bridget and Daniel but her parents, friendship group and work colleagues, it also does a great job with the new characters. Chiwetel Ejiofor (Doctor Strange) and Leo Woodall (One Day) star as Bridget’s two love interests, and both deliver fantastic performances and utilise their ample screen-time perfectly. Woodall plays a charming, swoon-worthy 29-year-old that navigates dating an older women, whilst Ejiofor plays a science teacher who is very caught up in the facts and struggles to show a softer side. The cast are excellent, both old and new.
Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy isn’t a perfect watch, as the run-time is a little over-inflated for the story being told and the third act could’ve been tighter. However, it works well as a strong ending to the franchise, a poignant exploration of grief and a funny, charming way to spend two hours. Perfectly written for the target audience, it may not reach the heights of its predecessors but it certainly complements them well. A hilarious and heartfelt romp helmed beautifully by Zellweger, Mad About the Boy is great.
