unlikeable

Rating: Null/10 (26 October 2001)

I think anyone who watches this movie will be very surprised at how utterly unlikeable the three main characters are. They are all kind of miserable people who really lack any desirable features. Bridget is supposed to be this woman that you secretly root for and hope she finds happiness but instead I found her to be selfish, petty and without any kind of concern for others at all really.
As for Firth's character, there were two main problems. One, he just has a very constipated demeanor throughout the whole movie. As the movie went on, I began to find it very frustrating to watch him. I understand he is supposed to be a sort of constricted fellow, but he took this to the point of not acting at all.
Secondly, his transformation is totally unbelievable. For the first part of the movie, he criticizes Bridget. But then suddenly at a party he just blurts out that he likes her. When did this transformation take place? We never see him showing any kind of interest at all and then this suddenly happens. This is just very ham-handed directing and I was not surprised to see this was this director's first movie.
Additionally, Hugh Grant's character was supposed to be the cad. He was supposed to be shown as being a jerk because he slept with another woman. Well, Bridget is the one who falls far too quickly for him, mentions love very suddenly in the relationship. AFAIK, Grant never said anything to lead her on that this was an exclusive relationship. Again, we are supposed to feel for her, but she shows absolutely no intelligence whatsoever in this process.
In the end, everyone just wanted something from someone else. I found myself not really caring about who ended up with whom.
I know some people will say that you have to be a 30-something single woman to enjoy this movie, that you see something of your own life in it, but I have to say that if you must be somewhat like the main character in a movie to like it, then that movie has failed.