Bridget's the comeback kid. And she's not the only kid here...

15 years after she first won the hearts of audiences from all around the world, Bridget Jones returned over the weekend for her eagerly awaited comeback. But this time there's a slight dilemma in the form of a baby bump and the question:Who is the father!? Also returning are pretty much the rest of the cast sans Hugh Grant's Daniel Cleaver (the explanation will have you crying and laughing at the same time). The role of "second man to fight with Mark Darcy over Bridget" has been awarded to the ever charming Patrick Dempsey and his new character Jack Qwant. No matter how long it has been, there's been no love lost for our favourite unlucky-in-love diary keeper and it's a very welcome, triumphant return. Spoiler alert: She has a baby!
With Sharon Maguire back in the director's seat, with writing credits including author Helen Fielding and Emma Thompson, it's no surprise we've had high hopes for this. In a summer of film comebacks (a la Brent, Ab Fab, Dory and Bourne), there's been varying success. Bridget Jones's Baby treads a fine line of staying close to its roots and bringing in something new. It is a film well aware that Bridget herself may not be as relevant these days, and she has grown up with the times too, leading to so many opportunities to poke fun. She is a top TV news producer, but with the likes of Buzzfeed, virals and insta-everything taking over the way news is consumed, it's used as fantastic, over-the-top comic relief. Cue millennials taking over, man-buns and all. The film has also taken a masterclass in how to make this a truly updated film, with the use of glamping at festivals, parental FaceTime, and an iPad diary (it's not even a MacBook Air these days), and an Ed Sheeran cameo. The glimpse in the trailer had us scratching our heads for clues, and Ed certainly doesn't disappoint.


Well what else is new? Emma Thompson is a fantastically funny addition as a doctor filled with sarcastic one-liners. There's also news anchor Miranda (Sarah Solemani) as a slightly younger friend who's not married with kids unlike the still-hilarious Shazza and Jude, sharing some outstanding live TV gaffes that resonate a bit with me and my live radio days! More obviously, and in case you hadn't guessed, Darcy and Bridge broke up several years earlier. The news itself is enough to break hearts if it weren't for being slathered all over trailers and posters months in advance to prepare us. A lot has changed, and the adjustment starts in the opening credits which will definitely make you want to Jump Around. But then, she gets pregnant and without spoiling too much, it's either the result of a brush with the past, and a random uncharacteristic encounter. Both with much longer-term implications than any of them could imagine.

Despite all this, Bridget is still Bridget, so we can breathe a sigh of relief. She is still accident prone (prone to being linked to public humiliation), kooky, constantly unlucky, and yes, single. It's not really a 'finding yourself' plot, but things are definitely intensified with brand new life on the scene. The problem is no longer about losing weight (did you know she goes spinning!?) or cutting down on wine or cigarettes, so it's Bridget in a new era too (the focus instead shifts to her age, 43, and state of singleness - or as she likes to call it, "Spinsterhood"). Lots of people have been concerned about Renee Zellweger's changed face, and the film flashbacks will surely add fuel to the fire, but she delivers such a confident, stellar performance that the character is most wonderfully reflected through her overall portrayal...and not what her face looks like. From the spot on accent to the body language, Zellweger's nailed it again.

Onto the new main character, one of the potential baby-daddies and potential loves. Patrick Dempsey has had a lot of rom-com practice over the years and he slips into fine McDreamy-like form. It's good that Jack is the new boy on the block, because I'm not sure how I would have felt about deja vu for the second time. There are lots of similarities to the previous offerings, but the new baby element keeps it feeling relatively fresh. We don't actually find out that much about Jack Qwant's mathematician and match-making character - he's charming but borderline generic. In a similar way, it feels like there's something missing from Mark Darcy (his lack of some social awareness still exists, particularly in his interpretation of Gangnam Style.) Perhaps it's the changed chemistry between a pair now lacking a Hugh Grant. I found myself rooting for both men at certain points...and not just because it's ya'know, Colin Firth and Patrick Dempsey. With Mamma Mia daddy-issue parallels, I kind of half expect Firth to burst into song at any moment too. Maybe that would get my vote.

Another, different question alongside "who is the father?" is "who will Bridget end up with?", which emerges simultaneously. It's this point of having a man as your end goal (or ending up with a man) that has created slight divide and prompted my own post-cinema discussion of Hollywood's portrayal of needing a man to be happy. It's 2016 and although Bridget is still every woman's woman, this is still not the most feminist film. Is it so wrong to be single? Having said that, Bridget herself realises midway that the most important thing is the baby, and that the baby is loved. That's the most important relationship.


Bridget Jones's Baby is just as warm and witty as those that came before it (better than Edge of Reason!), with a script that will surely make you laugh. It's like a sitcom and can play for obvious laughs, but it's the opportunistic moments of genius comedy that shine through. There's sufficient chaos, plenty of laugh-out-loud scenes like in the news studio, maternity group, hospital, and group gatherings. It satisfactorily provides the on-screen Bridget magic we've been missing for the past decade, and provides it in buckets. We still feel like we know this Bridge. The carefully-picked soundtrack is good, as is Ellie Goulding's lead track, and yes Celine Dion's All By Myself does make a cameo too. However, for a film that relies a lot on relatability, it is a little stretched at times. It also gets rather cheesy, particularly towards the end. Also also, it can be predictable even if you're not 100% on your guess (you're probably right). The final third is undeniably not as strong as the rest; it's a bit of a muddle but at least it will get audiences talking as soon as you leave the cinema, and its understandable given everything else that happens in the lead up to it.

The third installment is a whole lot of fresh - and familiar and formulaic - fun, and a welcome next stage in the Bridget Jones series. I was stuck between 3 1/2 and 4 stars, but the fun factor won in the end. Bridget's the comeback kid in more ways than one - she is more mature and professional these days but you'll never get bored of her bumbling her way through things and making a success of things that go wrong. Cos there are a lot. You have to applaud Zellweger and the writing team. Thank goodness they didn't base it on Helen Fielding's third novel, where plot spoiler, Mark Darcy dies! (There's a question I'd like to ask Fielding - why she ever thought that would be a good idea?!)

The next question is: will there be a sequel?*