DVD Review: Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason

By Patrick Luce Mar 25, 2005, 18:38 GMT

The movie picks up right where the first one left off and Zellweger again shows a woman can be charming and beautiful without being skinny as a pole or being the image of perfection.

Now in the “perfect” relationship with lawyer boyfriend Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), Jones finds life finally turning her way with nothing but a bright future on the horizon. Like many people, Jones finds that she is her worse enemy when faced with happiness and cannot stop herself from constantly screwing it up.

One disaster after another finds Jones fighting her own doubt about her worth and body. She can’t stop herself from questioning whether Darcy could really be interested in her or simply passing time until the perfect woman comes along. Her doubt causes her to spin out of control leading to more and more embarrassing moments that leaves you laughing at poor Jones’ expense.

Whether it is falling off Darcy’s roof after spying on him or skiing down the slopes in a freefall, Bridget Jones proves there is no limits to the way she will throw caution to the wind in an attempt to completely embarrass herself for our enjoyment.

Again, the movie relies on the charm of Zellweger who is able to keep you laughing and feeling sorry for Jones without losing any interest in the character or writing her off as a complete loser. I don’t think there is any other actress that could capture the character in the way that Zellweger seems to portray her.

When ex-boyfriend Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) re-enters Jones’ life, you find yourself just waiting for her to screw up yet again, and wondering if this woman will ever learn from her mistakes.

As he did in the first one, Grant manages to capture the sleaze of his character, and give the audience no choice but to root for the boring Darcy to somehow save the day and get the girl. Grant shows there is no new low he won’t cross to try and seduce Jones once again, and creates a movie villain whose charms make you hate him even more.

The end fight between Grant and Firth is one of the funniest scenes filmed and adds some good humor to the movie when it was starting to drag. The two start on the steps of a museum slapping and pulling at each other like a pair of five-year-olds and end up in a fountain looking like a pair of drowned rats. It is truly funny.

Overall, the film seemed to have more slapstick comedy to it than the first one, and I thought it added to the film. The first one was funny, but the added slapstick made the film seem something that men could enjoy as well as women.

Several premises also add to the humor of the film. You can’t help but laugh when Jones’ bumbling ends in her being placed in a Thai prison. Again, her natural charm makes even the most depressing premise funny and you will laugh out loud when she leads fellow female inmates in a rousing rendition of Madonna’s “Like a Virgin.”

The sequel also continues to be a no holds look at the dating world and how desperate it can become - which once again reminded me why I am grateful to be married.

The film has several special features including a quiz based on the characters and the ends and outs of dating, deleted scenes and commentary. The quiz is geared towards women, but amusing nonetheless. The deleted scenes, including a scene where Jones’ dreams of being pregnant, are funny, but not needed to make the film better.

Through a perfect smile and a “there is always a silver lining to every cloud” attitude, Bridget Jones makes it through all the curves her zany life throws her and the audience never stops rooting that in the end she will win.

The DVD is out now in both the US and UK, available via Amazon and Amazon UK.

You can read more about the release in our database.