Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004)
The Cast
Renée Zellweger .... Bridget Jones
Gemma Jones .... Mum
Jim Broadbent .... Dad
Colin Firth .... Mark Darcy
Hugh Grant .... Daniel Cleaver
Jacinda Barrett .... Rebecca
Two women are arrested for smuggling while vacationing in Thailand. Quick! Which movie am I referring to here? If you said Brokedown Palace, you would get some kippers for breakfast. I think that's a good thing. However, if you change "two women" to "A British woman," you'd have one of the plotlines in the sequel to Bridget Jones's Diary, as directed by Beeban Kidron, whomever that is.
That's just one of the more zanier plotlines present in this movie, at best a lacklustre sequel, at worst an embarassment to British people. Well, that might be a bit harsh, but it didn't seem to have as much heart or humour as the first one. & the characters seemed much more formulaic, less interesting. I tell ya what, this movie needed more Hugh Grant.
The dashing rappscallion that has won our hearts in so many movies is severely limited in screen time. However, everytime Colin Firth & him are onscreen I get a bit more interested in the proceedings. I mean, really, how many Bridget Jones' cock-ups are we supposed to sit through believing she's somehow managed to not get herself killed? Three, tops.
When I say this movie is a disappointment, it's not just 'cause I'm a dude & this is like Uberchick Movie 5000. I can appreciate a good chick movie as much as the next confident-in-his-heterosexuality dude can. It's just a bit of a letdown after the excellence of the first one. A Colin Firth - Hugh Grant slapfest saved it from being terrible, so with that I bestow upon this movie a grade of 3 outta 5.
Brodie 808's review
Roger Ebert's review