Mad About Bridget Jones
My urgent thoughts on Renée Zellweger's timeless alter ego and the perks of being socially awkward.
Bridget Jones arrived when we needed her the most.
In the spring of 2001, she stumbled into movie theaters and projected a relatable version of womanhood that felt pretty revolutionary at a time when the beauty standard was basically: Look like Britney Spears. Be sexy! Be flawless! Be confident, but also demure! Laugh at his jokes! But not too hard. Play hard to get. But most of all: Be tan. Unnaturally tan. Orange-tan. Mar-a-Lago tan. Luxurious.
I “went tanning” one time in college and it was hell. A coconut-scented prison; I lasted about 10 minutes. Bridget would likely have reacted the same way — she was, after all, the reigning queen of cringe comedy and social awkwardness. And my friends and I were obsessed with her.
When Bridget Jones’s Diary came out on DVD, we’d huddle together on rainy nights and cackle as our heroine generously revealed her insecurities and flaws, holding up a mirror to our own, and navigated the harsh judgment of London society with her irreverent wit, her supportive “urban family” and an almost audacious level of optimism. Aspects of her Aughts-era quest for love now feel dated, notably her anxiety about being an unmarried thirtysomething and dying alone (eaten by wild dogs), but her endless capacity to find the humor in life — to transform a sad story into a funny one — stands the test of time.
Novelist-turned-screenwriter Helen Fielding had a field day satirizing modern-day yuppies, a.k.a. “smug marrieds,” as she illuminated what was, back then, a stifling pressure among British women like herself to partner up and join society’s honorable ranks. Fielding put Bridget through the wringer, embarrassing her alter ego on repeat, and rewarded her with a trophy: A dashing, do-gooding attorney named Mark Darcy, who just so happened to be the spitting image of Colin Firth, Bridget’s Pride and Prejudice crush. Mark liked Bridget exactly as she was, and told her so in one of the most romantic scenes ever written in the history of cinema:
This gorgeous sequence should come wrapped in a bow. I love that Bridget’s social awkwardness was made to look heroic. She didn’t have to go to the mean couples’ dinner party, but she went squirming, with her head held high — using clever language to defend her singleton status and shut them down. Mark, a man of principle, admired Bridget for maintaining authenticity in a world of fake smiles and cold stares. She was often her own worst enemy, believing that she had to change her appearance in order to improve her lot, but despite her long list of resolutions, she cannot help but be Bridget. Mark, like her, was socially awkward, though in a buttoned-up sort of way. Her infamous verbal diarrhea put him at ease. (If she’s brave enough to confront those Smug Marrieds, well, then he can surely muster the courage to express his feelings for her. Most ardently.)
Renée Zellweger is a brilliant Bridget. I can’t imagine anyone else in the role, which belongs to her and her alone. Years ago, I crashed an SNL season finale party at 30 Rock, and I vividly remember her sitting at a table by herself. Other stars were networking, sucking up to Lorne, working the room, but not Renée. She was eating a steak! She always kind of did her own thing, even if it made her seem a little kooky.
Recently, Renée acknowledged her uncomfortable relationship with fame, explaining that her glamorous premiere getups help boost her confidence in the spotlight.
“I’m not great at the public persona part of being an actor,” she told Vogue’s The Run-Through podcast. “I love going to talk about the work that we’ve done and that I’ve shared with my friends — that’s a real privilege. But I’m really a private person. I’m really awkward. And so, the best acting I ever do is acting like I feel great on a red carpet and not like Bridget Jones. So, I’m always feeling most Bridget in those moments. And it helps when you’re wearing something that you love, that feels great.”
When Renée landed the role of a lifetime, the casting raised eyebrows across the United Kingdom: Who does she think she is? She’s from Texas!
To be fair, there were plenty of English talents who could’ve played the part swimmingly. None, however, captured the peculiar chaotic warmth that it required, that Renée had in spades. She ultimately proved the skeptics wrong, mastering Bridget’s accent, Meryl-style, and earned an unexpected and wildly deserved Oscar nomination in 2002. For playing Bridget Jones. Inconceivable! Renée remains a beloved personality in Britain, where she and Bridget — one real, the other a heightened version of the real — are inextricably linked.
I couldn’t wait to luxuriate in the coziness of the Bridget Jones Cinematic Universe and stream Mad About the Boy, the much-anticipated fourth installment of the film franchise. Warning: A major spoiler ahead.
The movie, which hit Peacock on Thursday, is a bittersweet Valentine to Bridget, to the sardonic, big-hearted characters who populate her universe, and to the fans who’ve stuck with her through the years. We find her mourning the loss of Darcy, the father of her two kids, and struggling to move on four years after his tragic death. We see her besties — Shazzer (now a feminist podcaster), Tom (a life coach) and Jude (a corporate bigwig still prone to crying in the bathroom), and in a welcome surprise: Daniel Cleaver (the inimitable Hugh Grant) — rally around her as she takes off her flannel pajamas, rejoins the workforce and attempts to get her groove back.
Reader, I laughed. I cried. I cringed. I appreciated the Easter Eggs that the filmmakers left for me, including references to Firth’s reindeer jumper and the actor diving into a pond on the BBC. This time, Leo Woodall takes the plunge — and the camera milks every second. Woodall, a mashup of Brad Pitt and Paul Mescal, lathers on the charm as a 29-year-old biochemistry student who comes to the rescue when Bridget gets stuck climbing a tree. He pursues her and a delightful May-December romp begins. Meanwhile, she keeps bumping into her son’s science teacher (Chiwetel Ejiofor); he’s aloof and condescending and dignified and handsome and shocked to his core by his growing affection for her.
Honestly, it’s hard for me to review Bridget through an objective critical lens. Because I like her — exactly as she is.
YOU’VE GOT … A BOOK RECOMMENDATION
On this Valentine’s Day, I present a Q&A with my friend Kirthana Ramisetti, whose latest novel, The Other Lata, is an absorbing hybrid of romantic comedy and thriller. Her leading lady, Lata Murthy, impersonates a New York City socialite with whom she shares a name and falls for Rajeev, an up-and-coming fashion designer. Cue the sparks! The suspense! A morally complex case of stolen identity! You’ll be reading this book, and the next thing you know, it’s 2 a.m. and you’ve lost half a night’s sleep. (It’s that good.) Without further ado:
Hi Kirthana! How did you come up with this concept?
Not long after I moved to New York, another person named Kirthana forwarded me an email that had been meant for me but accidentally sent to her, because we had similar email addresses. I remember thinking this mix-up could be a good premise for a story and mentally filed it away.
When it came time to write my third novel, I really wanted to set it in New York, since I had never set a novel here before. I thought about how so many people move there for the sparkling life promised by Sex and the City and Nora Ephron movies, and it can be crushing when you simply can't afford that lifestyle. (The fantasy of living like Carrie Bradshaw, with the fun dates and fancy parties, often clashes with the reality of meager paychecks and credit card debt.) I realized that my email mix-up could be a fun catalyst for telling a story about identity, imposter syndrome ... and actual imposters.
Before becoming a novelist, you worked as an entertainment journalist and got to attend all kinds of VIP parties in Manhattan — as Lata does in the book!
It’s a situation where you are keenly aware of the wealth disparity and those who are in a much higher income bracket than you. Lata wears chic, expensive clothes to fit the part, but I didn't have the money or energy to fake it! The ballet flats and Old Navy jeans I wore to work is what I wore to the glitzy press events too.
Let’s talk about Lata and Rajeev. New York plays a big part in their courtship. What makes the Big Apple a perfect backdrop for falling in love — both in pop culture and in real life?
A big part of it is all the walking! We walk here so much, and it's not always with a destination in mind, but just for the sake of it. Some of my favorite rom-coms depict how walking and talking can be very romantic, because it allows for the casual intimacy of getting to know someone without the pressures of going on a big date. When Harry Met Sally and You've Got Mail come immediately to mind as two movies that show the pleasures of a city stroll. I'd much rather see two characters bantering while walking around rather than at a restaurant or bar; it’s just more visually interesting to watch too. There’s a reason why Harry and Sally’s fall walk in Central Park is synonymous with the movie.
What’s your all-time favorite romantic comedy?
There is a movie called The Half of It that was such a joyous, moving, mesmerizing experience that I can't rewatch it, because I want to preserve the memory of how that movie affected me. Written and directed by Alice Wu, the movie has a Cyrano de Bergerac premise: a shy, lonely high school student named Ellie agrees to write love letters for a lovelorn jock so he can win over Aster, the most popular girl in school. Ellie has a crush on Aster too, allowing her to channel her feelings for her. But the letters also help Ellie open up her world and forge connections in a really lovely and unexpected way. I tear up just thinking about it.
Last year, you asked me if I wanted to write a rom-com screenplay with you and I said YES. We wrote it together, remotely, in Google Docs and then Celtx screenwriting software. Kirthana, how the heck did we end up with a finished script?!
Honestly? I don't even know! But I do know it was one of the most magical writing experiences I've ever had.
It was my first time co-writing anything, and we're lucky that our vision aligned. I'll never forget us on the phone while revising together in Celtx and figuring out a huge plot point in real time. I remember saying out loud, "We did it!" Writers so rarely get to share eureka moments, and it's a memory I will always treasure.
You can pre-order The Other Lata here and follow Kirthana on Instagram here. Her Substack, Free Happiness, is a ray of sunshine in my inbox every Sunday.
Thanks for reading, friends! See you next time.
Yours in “Come the f--- on, Bridget,”
Erin
This is so heartwarming on so many levels.
Bridget Jones forever, man. And I can’t wait to see your rom-com!!