Bridget Jones's Baby Mini Review

Due to overtime at work and other commitments, I was unable to review Bridget Jones's Baby when it came out last weekend.  So, I thought I would write up a mini review in order to express my thoughts.

The third film in the series finds Bridget (Renee Zellweger, in her first big screen role since 2010's Case 39) hitting 43, and generally happy in life, despite her relationship with Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) having ended years ago.  She is now a top TV producer on a morning news show, has many close friends, and generally has things where she wants them to be.  Then she becomes pregnant, with the added factor that she doesn't know who the father is, having had two sexual encounters in recent months.  The first is with nice guy American millionaire, Jack Qwant (Patrick Dempsey), who runs an on line dating site, and whom she had a one-night fling with during a music festival.  The other, and perhaps more complicated possibility, is her former lover Mark, who has recently divorced his wife, and had admitted he still has feelings for Bridget. 

For a romantic comedy, the material can be a bit worn, and sadly teeters into "Idiot Plot" territory, where Bridget intentionally keeps information from the two men simply for the sake of plot contrivance, when if she just spoke up, everything would be solved much faster.  And with a running time of just over two hours, the movie does feel padded at times, and longer than it needs to be.  That being said, it's wonderful seeing Zellweger back on the big screen in probably her most famous role, as well as Colin Firth as her somewhat emotionally cold, but still genuinely caring former lover.  Dempsey is also a wonderful addition to the cast as well, and fits right in.  It's these performances and these likable characters that wind up making the film worth watching.  They are able to breathe life into the somewhat tired material, and make us care about them.  There are also a handful of genuine laugh out loud moments throughout the movie.  Even the tired old "race to the hospital with a pregnant woman" scene that always turns up in these movies gets some big laughs.

Bridget Jones's Baby is filled with on screen chemistry and genuine charm, which is why I am recommending it, even if it's not the freshest of comedies.  You probably already know if you're going to like this movie or not walking in, but it definitely helps that the cast is giving it their all, and this is not just a lazy cash-in sequel.  The movie's not perfect, and you can pretty much predict who the real father is from the word go, but the movie is just so likable, you'll probably still have fun with this.

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