Bridget Jones's Diary

Being a long time fan of the BJD books (three years and counting), I had nothing but high hopes for the movie version. I was lucky enough to get into a sneak preview last night, and I was not disappointed. The movie, like the book, has the most hilarious lines and moments, and each of the actors portrayed their characters so well you couldn't imagine anyone else in that part. Renee Zellweger IS Bridget, there is just no arguing it. No other actress could have pulled off what Renee did in this movie. Hugh Grant makes for an excellent Daniel, who is completely two faced and has a smarmy sort of charm that makes you want him just as badly as Bridget does. Colin Firth is a superb Mark Darcy, but that was a given because the character was practically written with him in mind - as all avid BJD readers know, Mark Darcy's character is a play on the Mr. Darcy Firth portrayed in Pride and Prejudice.

Some of the more hardcore fans of the book may be disappointed with all the missing jokes and scenes, but to film the entire book would have left us with a 10 hour movie. The writers did an excellent job distilling the essence of the novel, and the finished product has all the charm and wit of the original. The audience, many of whom I'm sure have never read the book (and many of whom, surprisingly, were male), laughed nonstop throughout the film, and everyone seemed to enjoy it thoroughly. As for those of us who have read it, I do believe that this is one of those rare book-to-movie jobs that was really spot-on, and everything that was noticeably changed in the process only makes the movie better. So go see it, it's hands-down one of the best movies of 2001 so far.

What made this film work? What made this film break the usual British romantic conventional route? One actress! Her name is Renee Zellwegger, seriously, if the actress was British, this film would've been -'been there, done that'. Instead, this clever casting has made Bridget Jones a wonderful little picture.

Renee Zellwegger is an actress who changed to suit the screenplay, now that is ACTING! Her mannerisms, her weight, her enthusiasm and cutesy style are a wonder to behold.

Colin Firth does a great job, he plays his role well, a future James Bond perhaps? Hugh Grant finally gives us something different, he was actually quite funny at times.

Maguire as the director handles the proceedings extremely well, this is her debut and I think she will become quite successful with small films. The Super35 wide-screen frame is used well, bravo! The screenplay is lightweight, but written well, plenty of ad-lib and spontaneity transcend the script.

As a male, sit back and have a laugh. Quality!

This film I only discovered fairly recently, and just absolutely fell in love with it. It sure seemed familiar and lo and behold then I read about the Pride and Prejudice connection and then it all made complete sense.

This is such a charming, lovely homage to Pride and Prejudice. The three lead characters are just perfect. It is funny, sweet at times, sad at others, and just wonderfully sexy and v. romantic (especially the last 1/4th of it).

Renee is so extraordinary as Bridget Jones, who would have ever thought she could play so believable a modern Brit woman so well. Her accent seems flawless to me. Hugh Grant is hilarious and a charming Lothario throughout. But Colin Firth is who really sold me on this film. His ability to play a guy that you start out not liking but drooling over by the end of the movie is sublime.

I am a big fan of the less is more style of acting that Mr. Firth puts forth in this film...much of his performance is in his eyes and his facial expressions. While Daniel (Mr. Grant's character) chatters on and on and tries to charm with his wit and words, Mark Darcy (Mr. Firth's character) just has a strong and rather silent presence along with an integrity of character that is revealed and he wins us over (as well as Bridget).

This movie has a lot going on outside of the wonderful romance as well. Contemporary events, gender inequities, social differences, work place decorum, fashion, self-image, sex, family, and friendship all come under the scrutiny of Bridget Jones and her diary.

This is a very good adaptation of a beloved novel. The tone, scene selection, dialogue and characters capture the essence of what fans of the book love about it. I cannot imagine it any better cast or written.

I can remember when this came out and a girl that I was dating at the time suggested I watch it. Me?? A die-hard horror geek!! Nah!! Fast forward 18 years and last night me and my girlfriend sat down together and watched it. And it was really good. Granted, I wouldn't have chosen to watch this by myself, but if you're looking for a charming, date movie then look no further. Predictable and basic but it does have a nice plot none the less, and many times we were laughing out loud. Very well acted and produced. I would, however, like to point out that very few Brits speak posh like they do here, and that snow is quite rare in England at Xmas (unless you're on top of a mountain!) Looking forward to seeing the sequel

Bridget Jones's Diary is a surprisingly good movie. Detractors who deride it for its admittedly minimalist plot miss the point - this is a film that shows life without the layers of artificiality favoured by directors (resulting in movies somehow removed from the realm of the everyday in which us mere mortals dwell). Life is frequently aimless and trivial; and therein lies the movie's attraction. Notwithstanding of course that this is a very funny and highly original comedy.

Bridget (played with considerable aplomb by Renee Zellweger) belongs to the ranks of that modern phenomenon - the over-30, unmarried career woman. Just when it seems Bridget may be destined for terminal spinster-hood, two opposing forces enter her life - charming cad Daniel, and uptight (but very sexy) lawyer Mark. Which of the two is her Mr. Right? And why does everyone insist on asking that question detested by all singletons - "How's your love life going?" The movie's conclusion is predictable, and although any other ending would leave the audience feeling cheated, it does seem somewhat tame and ultimately unsatisfying.

The film encourages the viewer both to get involved with Bridget emotionally and to laugh at her at the same time. Perhaps the best joke is the milieu inhabited by her parents - where the mini-gherkin is the height of sophistication, and 60-year-olds throw garden parties with such alarming themes as 'tarts and vicars'. Bridget is certainly no social butterfly, and whilst we cringe at her public embarrassments (notably her TV report involving a fireman's pole and a bottom the size of Brazil), we triumph with her when she manages to turn a bad situation to her advantage. Maybe we can recognise a little bit of Bridget Jones in all of us.