Bridget Jones's Baby

It has not been a kind year to sequels, remakes, and reboots. More than once the films have failed to live up to their franchise name, and are easily seen as just another easy cash grab. On paper, Bridget Jones’s Baby appears to be a sequel that nobody asked for and one that’s years too late. In reality, it’s a surprisingly funny return to a character we didn’t realize how much we’ve missed.

Bridget Jones (Renée Zellweger) has just turned 43, but her romantic life is essentially the same as it was when we were first introduced to her character at the age of 32. As it turns out, things with Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) didn’t exactly go all that well and Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) apparently died in a plane crash. Determined to make a change this year, she decides to go to a music festival with her friend and co-worker, Miranda (Sarah Solemani), where she ends up having a one-night stand with Jack (Patrick Dempsey). Shortly after, she also reconnects with Mark. As the titles states, she ends up getting pregnant and with the possibility of either of them being the father, Bridget tries her best to make it worth with the both of them.

Bridget Jones’s Baby is how I imagine an episode of Maury would play out on the big screen. The film revolves around Bridget not knowing who her baby’s father is and wanting things to work out with both potential dads. Mark is her age old love but can be rather emotionless at times when it matters. Meanwhile, the newly introduced Jack is fun and exciting and really seems like he’s committed to making the relationship work. Both have their pluses and minuses, and both have moments where they each seem like they would be the perfect fit for Bridget. You end up rooting for both of them.

Sure, the movie could be over in the matter of minutes had Bridget decided to get a DNA test from the fetus, but waiting until the birth is much more entertaining. There’s a good amount of humor to the film. There were moments where I found myself genuinely laughing, especially once Mark and Jack find out that either one of them could be the father and basically end up competing over Bridget.

Even if you haven’t watched any of the other films in the series, you’ll quickly catch on. It may be 12 years since the last film, but Bridget Jones’s Baby doesn’t have any difficulty in returning to form. It’s a refreshing sequel that is a vast improvement over the second film and leaves things wide enough for a fourth. Hopefully it won’t take another decade to get made this time around.