Lots of fun

Rating: 7/10 (24 March 2002)

The story is predictable and contains the usual romantic-comedy cliches--especially towards the end--but the movie is so sweet, funny and charming that I had a smile on my face throughout. Renee Zelwegger was perfect in the lead role, and perfected the English accent, never making it seem forced. Hugh Grant, for once, gets to play a sleazy, womanizing, villainous character and it was a nice change of pace. I've always liked Hugh, he's a terrific comic actor with great timing (and I love his uncomfortable facial expressions during comic scenes), and he was just as much fun to watch in this movie as he was in "Notting Hill" and "Mickey Blue Eyes." There are a lot of big laughs, and the film has a great message about accepting others for who they are, Bridget herself being a slightly overweight woman who's overly jolly and seems to never come up with the right thing to say. This is a fun-filled, upbeat comedy that lures you in all the way from the opening credit sequence in which Bridget bounces off her couch and lip-syncs to "All By Myself." Bridget Jones gets my vote!
My score: 7 (out of 10)