Harmless chick flick

Rating: 8/10 (5 February 2005)

See this movie if you're female. But make it a girls' night out, and leave him at home. Don't say I didn't warn you.
Bridget Jones is a neurotic, lonely, but ultimately likable character. She is a heavy smoker, a heavy drinker, a few pounds overweight, British, a terrible public speaker, and has terrible judgment when it comes to relationships, but these qualities only help make her human and make it easier for people to identify with her. Of course, the fact that her character is portrayed by the very un-British and un-fat Renee Zellweiger makes some of what she says a little hard to believe. Despite this, Zellweiger pulls off the role with charm and grace - not an easy feat.
The story itself has no surprises. From the first five minutes, everyone in the theatre knew exactly how it would end. There's no exciting revelation or universal truth to this tale. It's a simple romantic story, and it doesn't pretend to be anything else.
Hugh Grant plays a fairly one-dimensional bad guy, and Colin Firth an equally flat good guy. Aside from the lead role, there are no noteworthy acting performances here.
I haven't read the book, but I hear that some of the quirkiness is lost in the movie. In addition, the movie has some issues with the plot that just scream "should have been cut out when adapted from book". After a while, watching Bridget make the same mistakes over and over again gets a little tiresome. But ultimately, the story works.
All in all, she's a likable heroine and we identify with her. The story is realistic and charming and, above all, harmless. It's a chick flick, but go see it if you're looking for a light laugh.