Bridget Jones- the modern Cinderella

Rating: Null/10 (3 April 2004)

Bridget Jones (Renee Zellweger) is 32, overweight, working at a book publishing company, always embarrasses herself in public AND single. She decides to do something with her life, starting with keeping a diary, in which she candidly tells what she observes in her daily life. She also makes plan for herself- stop smoking, stop drinking, go to the gym, eat less, find a man...when her boss, Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) begins flirting with her, she joins the game all at once. Meanwhile, she seems always unable to avoid the annoying presence of Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), a renowned barrister who saw Bridget running around naked when she was 4 in a paddling pool- and they just hate each other. In the meantime, Bridget also has to deal with the breakdown of her parents' marriage (which is portrayed in a rather comic way).
Eventually, Bridget painfully realises that Daniel is nothing but a j*rk, and gradually she and Mark become more and more attracted to each other, surprisingly. They both confess to each other that they 'like' each other. Bridget ends up kind of like a modern day Cinderella.
'Bridget Jones's Diary' is a finely-made romantic comedy, and Renee Zellweger's English accent is quite consistent and convincing (although still not as good as Gwyneth Paltrow's), unlike some other American actors. Hugh Grant is nice playing a different (from most other characters he had played) type of role this time, and Colin Firth is simply graceful and charming as Mark Darcy. The soundtrack is fantastic, and there are many memorable scenes and quotes, among them the very sweet cooking scene and the ultra-hilarious fighting scene. This is worth watching (and even owning!) for its hilarity and sweetness. 7/10