Bridget Jones’s Baby

Twelve years after last gracing our screens (and fifteen since her debut), Bridget Jones (Renée Zellweger) is back for more awkward antics, and brings with her a number of friendly faces to celebrate the latest change in her life – she’s pregnant. But of course, Bridget can’t catch a break, so this joyous news comes with the unfortunate hiccup in the small matter of not knowing who the father is, whether it’s the returning Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), or the overly friendly American, Jack (Patrick Dempsey).

After the disappointing and repetitive sequel, Bridget Jones’s Baby is thankfully a wonderful return to form for the series, offering plenty of laughs, cringes and swoons. While it does feature a similar conundrum of males, it crafts a superior story giving both friendly and unfamiliar faces time to shine.

Zellweger jumps perfectly back into playing the hapless Bridget, determined to improve her life while keeping everyone else happy, alongside Firth’s stoic but ever-so-slightly more relaxed Mark, who gets to flex his comedic chops a bit more this time round. Patrick Dempsey is the main newcomer, replacing previous regular Hugh Grant with some American swagger and a rather concerning eagerness that flips between creepy and sweet.

As usual with romcoms, a number of side characters almost steal the show, from Jim Broadbent as Bridget’s loving dad, Emma Thompson (who also co-wrote) as her doctor, to a certain British pop star cameo. Bridget’s old trio of friends are back too and, along with her new work colleagues, continue to be fairly terrible influences.

Essentially, Bridget Jones’s Baby is a joy from start to finish, so if you’re wanting something different from the usual superheroes and gritty dramas and just fancy a fun time at the cinema, this is definitely worth a watch.

– Richard
Richard E. is a writer who loves nothing better than a good story, whether it’s a film, book, song or video game, preferably with a discussion afterward over a nice red wine and something terribly unhealthy.

Bridget Jones’s Baby is in cinemas from 15 September.

Disclosure: The Plus Ones were invited guests of Universal Pictures.