Jon Monsarrat review: safe for non-romance types, funny & original

Rating: 10/10 (5 May 2002)

I'm an action movie guy. I like it when stuff blows up. So it's awkward for me to rent movies with my SO, who likes dramas. We often choose a comedy / romance, and some are pretty bad. Fortunately, "Bridget Jones's Diary" is the best of the lot, along with "High Fidelity", and best of all in a refreshing break from tradition, it comes with a female protagonist. Hey, I'm a guy, and even I get tired of every damn movie starring a male in the primary role, even the romantic comedies, which cater of course to an audience of women.
The film is genuinely hilarious and quite original, unlike the generic films "Serendipity" and "Pretty Woman". And like "High Fidelity", it has something real to say about life without being so arty that the pace drags or only a film school type could appreciate it. In fact, apparently it's based on the classic book "Pride and Prejudice", but the deep thinking remains while the hard-to-identify-with British Victorian stuff is all gone, replaced with the hip modern stuff you'd see in "Sex and the City".
The acting is good, and since I liked this film even better than "Jerry Maguire", I'm really starting to respect Renee Zellweger, who got an Academy Award nomination for her role.
Who should see this film:
-- romance types: a must-see
-- comedy-lovers: dare this one even if romances scare you
-- women in their 30s thinking way too much about dating
I'll give "Bridget Jones's Diary" a 10 out of 10.