Very very funny

Rating: Null/10 (4 May 2001)

Lighten up, people! I'm very surprised that this movie has got so many negative reactions. It's not meant to be a piece of feminist doctrine, or a heavyweight meditation on the nature of womanhood. It is a romantic comedy. As such I don't think it has an obligation to be either utterly realistic or deeply meaningful. I think it is what it tries to be: a very very funny movie with a heart. And no, it never snows in London at Christmas. But frankly, it looks better that way and it doesn't really matter. ;) *spoiler*And I have to say, I just don't understand the people who would rather Bridget stayed with the slimy, floppy-haired bounder whose idea of a crawling-back line is If I can't make it with you I can't make it with anyone' rather than the gorgeous, understated, quietly caring nice guy who also has a few life issues that he needs help with (see reindeer jumper and penguin (?) tie). Anyway, what is especially good about this movie is the wonderful script. There were few moments where I was not laughing out loud or rolling on the floor. Worth special mention is the fight scene, which is so gloriously haphazard, unchoreographed and generally hilarious that it is almost impossible to watch without bursting a major artery. Apart from set pieces like this, the one-liners come thick and fast and after seeing the film once you immediately want to watch it again, afraid you've missed some good lines. The actors have all proven themselves to be very able in other productions, and here they all get to exercise their comic timing  very successfully. Renée Zellweger makes a wonderful Bridget  I'm just sorry that the hype about her accent (almost flawless) and weight gain (not as noticeable as you would think) has distracted attention from her endearing and very funny performance. Hugh Grant was magnificently smarmy and insincere as Daniel  it was nice to see him in a role where he didn't have to stutter and hide under his hair. A cheeky, if fairly contrived, piece of casting was the role of Mark haven't-we-seen-you-somewhere-before' Darcy, taken by Colin Firth, who, as many have already said, even makes a reindeer jumper look good (and seems to enjoy sending up his wonderful performance as Fitzwilliam D. in the excellent '95 adaptation of Pride & Prejudice). I'm just sorry that we didn't get any naked/wet Darcy scenes, unlike in P & P where we got, respectively, 1 and 3. They could at least have done a spoof of the lake scene While on the subject, you will probably enjoy this movie marginally more if you have read P & P or seen the aforementioned adaptation, because as well as the fact that much of the plot and many of the characters are taken from that book, there are also a few sly little in-jokes: Pemberley Publishing Co., Darcy's P&P-esque comment that he has been labouring under a misapprehension', and Bridget's It is a truth universally acknowledged, that the moment one area of your life starts going OK, another will turn into total disaster...' Summing up  great movie. See it now.