MOVIE REVIEW: BRIDGET JONES'S BABY (2016)

From IMDB:

Bridget's focus on single life and her career is interrupted when she finds herself pregnant, but with one hitch ... she can only be fifty percent sure of the identity of her baby's father.



59 Metascore From metacritic.com
Reviews 49 user | 115 critic


From Rotten Tomatoes:

Oscar (R) winners Renée Zellweger and Colin Firth are joined by Patrick Dempsey for the next chapter of the world's favorite singleton in Bridget Jones's Baby. Directed by Sharon Maguire (Bridget Jones's Diary), the new film in the beloved comedy series based on creator Helen Fielding's heroine finds Bridget unexpectedly expecting. After breaking up with Mark Darcy (Firth), Bridget Jones's (Zellweger) "happily ever after" hasn't quite gone according to plan. Fortysomething and single again, she decides to focus on her job as top news producer and surround herself with old friends and new. For once, Bridget has everything completely under control. What could possibly go wrong? Then her love life takes a turn and Bridget meets a dashing American named Jack (Dempsey), the suitor who is everything Mr. Darcy is not. In an unlikely twist she finds herself pregnant, but with one hitch...she can only be fifty percent sure of the identity of her baby's father. The much-anticipated third installment of the Bridget Jones's franchise welcomes fellow Academy Award (R) winner Emma Thompson to the cast. Longtime collaborators Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner of Working Title Films produce alongside Debra Hayward. Universal Pictures will distribute Bridget Jones's Baby in North America and select international territories.

Rating: R (for language, sex references and some nudity)

Genre: Comedy , Romance

Directed By: Sharon Maguire

Written By: Emma Thompson , Dan Mazer , Helen Fielding

In Theaters: Sep 15, 2016 Wide

Box Office: $16,594,365.00

Runtime: 122 minutes

Studio: Working Title

TOMATOMETER 78%

Average Rating: 6.3/10

Reviews Counted: 160

Fresh: 124

Rotten: 36

Critics Consensus: Bridget Jones's Baby might be late on arrival, but fans of the series should still find its third installment a bouncing bundle of joy.

AUDIENCE SCORE 79% liked it

Average Rating: 3.9/5

User Ratings: 11,471

BRIDGET JONES'S BABY OPENED IN THE US ON THE 16th OF SEPTEMBER AND IN MALAYSIA ON THE 29th OF SEPTEMBER. FOR EVERYWHERE ELSE FIND OUT HERE. 

The movie starts off like this. ©Universal Pictures

15 years after the first and 12 years after the second one Bridget Jones finally gets what she's been looking for...

So Bridget Jones, a character that started its life in a column titled Bridget Jones's Diary in an online British newspaper called The Independent in 1995 which was so successful they turned it into a novel in 1996 and three years later came the sequel titled Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. Both books were a hit with readers and when a book is a hit they sometimes spawn movies based on it or adapted from it, in this case the first movie Bridget Jones's Diary came out in 2001 and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason was released in 2004. The first movie did better than the second.

Which later bit later ends up with Bridget doing this. ©Universal Pictures

So now more than a dozen years later we get Bridget Jones still going through life as single woman and still being very much herself. She's also still has a crush on her Mr. Darcy. Why did it take so long for a third installment to get made and hit the screen? Well a third installment was announced back in 2009 and Working Title Films did confirm that it wouldn't be based on Helen Fielding's third Bridget Jones novel but between then and 2015 nothing was confirmed other than Renée Zellweger and Colin Firth being interested in participating in it. There were others interested in joining the project too like Hugh Grant and Paul Feig among others but in the end they decided to not be a part of it due to creative differences or something like that. 

She also meets this bloke but thinks he works at her local Starbucks. ©Universal Pictures

Anyway, as mentioned before this installment picks up several years after the second film, Bridget (Renée Zellweger) is still single and is now working as a segment producer in a news floor of a tv station, Darcy (Colin Firth) is still a lawyer and is now married and Daniel (Hugh Grant) is presumed dead after his plane disappears somewhere in the world (which means Hugh Grant isn't in this movie). Her Dad (Jim Broadbent) is still the affable and understanding block and Mom (Gemma Jones) is running for a position in the local county office or something. 

But that weekend of partying also leads her here. ©Universal Pictures

She has a good friend in her colleague Miranda (Sarah Solemani) who is the reason or the cause for part of her problems in this film. And there's also Jack (Patrick Dempsey) an internet start-up millionaire or billionaire who founded a internet dating/matching app/website with some sort of fancy algorithm that does a brilliant job and putting the right people together except himself.

And here. ©Universal Pictures

So here's a few things I like. 

1. The cast. Everyone who matters is back, except for Hugh Grant of course and it's all very familiar and comfortable. Zellweger is back with her adorable awkwardness and her less than believable accent. Firth looks amazing. 
2. The humour. It's been a while since the first film and I don't remember much of it but from what I can remember it seems like it's still intact. It's a little bit more reserved maybe but still there. Lots of wit and puns for sure and some are a little naughty. It isn't laugh out loud from start to finish but the pace is nice and you're not left bored.
3. The story is fun too. It doesn't put Bridget in too extreme a situation to draw out the laughs or play too much with her spinster status. 
4. Emma Thompson who plays Dr Rawlings is brilliant. She also helped write the screenplay.
5. What I didn't like. 
6. Can't think of any actually. 

With two possible fathers for her baby who like to pretend that they're gay and that she's a surrogate. ©Universal Pictures

Overall this third and long awaited installment for some is a fun trip back in time. A nice revisit with a character that was much loved from a while ago as well the actors that played it. I was amazed at how some have aged compared to others. I'm guessing you know who I'm talking about. Seeing Renée Zellweger and Colin Firth standing on screen together now and then watching a short montage from the previous films really was a remarkable thing to see. 

But she still ends up buying her own christmas tree and lugging it back home herself. ©Universal Pictures

If you loved the previous films you'll probably love this one too. If you've never seen them this is still an entertaining and funny film. It's pure British humour and wit this film. I'm going to give it a solid 3 out of 5.

Check out the trailer below.

A BIG THANK YOU TO TGV CINEMAS AND UIP MALAYSIA FOR LETTING ME WATCH BRIDGET JONES'S BABY AHEAD OF MY FELLOW MALAYSIANS!