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Bridget Jones's Baby (2016)

WendyCR72

By WendyCR72
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WendyCR72

WendyCR72

Didn't see a topic for this and needed to air my thoughts, such as they are, about this upcoming movie...

So, I've been seeing some preview commercials for this. And all I can keep asking myself is...why? (And this comes from someone that really found the first film funny and charming.) I did read the actors playing Bridget's parents are back.

I hope the same actors are playing her friends.

All that said, I don't get why this needed to be made. It's been a decade or so since the last (forgettable) sequel. (Even if Colin Firth ages like a fine wine! Mmmmm.) Is there a point here? (And if it was based on the brief resurrected newspaper columns from about 7 or 8 years ago...UGH!) And maybe Patrick Dempsey's character can be a suitable foil for Mark (and he does look good in the commercials, too!), but Daniel and Mark had the history, and I think Hugh Grant dropping out makes that part disappointing out of the gate.

Or maybe I'm just old and need to chase some kids off my lawn now! Hee. But...it has now been 15 years since the first movie. I think it should have been left there and to our imaginations.

At least Renée Zellweger looks like her old self here...

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Empress1

Empress1

1 hour ago, anna0852 said:

I didn't bother with the second movie and I'm not seeing this. 

Ditto. And I didn't read the last novel in the series. I see no point to this, and it's really not cute to be hapless in your 40s.

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coppersin

coppersin

What I don't get is how we can be expected to care about a love triangle for the third time. The first time it was opposites attract and we all wait for the inevitable happy ending. Fine. Then we get a sequel where (IIRC, it has been so long) the realities of a relationship kick in and they break up, only to reunite. Again, fine. That's the formula of romantic comedies and I too would want to live happily ever after with any character played by Colin-fucking-Firth. But if they broke up yet again and went their separate ways, it seems fair to wonder why the hell we're rooting for them.

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WendyCR72

WendyCR72

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2 hours ago, coppersin said:

and I too would want to live happily ever after with any character played by Colin-fucking-Firth.

Hell yeah.

And I do agree what may be funny even in your 30s is rather sad and pathetic by your 40s. And I just don't find a "Who's The Daddy?" trope all that romantic in the grand scheme of things...

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backgroundnoise

backgroundnoise

(edited)

Given the distain that Bridget previously showed towards parenthood, and the almost fight between Bridget and Mark regarding the education of their possible offspring in round 2, it's hard to really care about this, or even think Bridget should be a mother.  I'll wait for the reviews.  If it sounds more like the second than the first movie, I'll pass.

Edited by backgroundnoise
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WendyCR72

WendyCR72

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1 hour ago, hendersonrocks said:

I keep looking in here for a spoiler about who the daddy is/how the movie ends. I'm embarrassed to admit it, and there's no way I'm shelling out dollars to see it, but it's true.

I find the whole concept rather icky, as I said. But with that out of the way, the kid being anyone other than Mark's is just a huge cheat in my eyes. (And sorta ties in to that resurrected newspaper column 7 or so years ago. But anyway...that's my own opinion.)

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jmls

jmls

(edited)
3 hours ago, hendersonrocks said:

I keep looking in here for a spoiler about who the daddy is/how the movie ends. I'm embarrassed to admit it, and there's no way I'm shelling out dollars to see it, but it's true.

Tell me if you want me to be more specific, but for now I'll just say that the movie is sort of Bridget and Mark's journey to get through their insecurities over their past and future relationship.

What I really liked about the movie is that Bridget isn't pathetic, unlike in BJ2 where I found her obnoxious at times. She is more mature, though she still has her awkward moments.

Spoiler

She's clearly not over Mark, but at the same time, she decides to walk away from him (in the beginning) in order not to get hurt. Mark is in a way the most insecure of the two because of that, Jack (being close to Bridget and making her laugh) and those 8% of compatibility (vs. 97%).

The movie is really funny, moving and genuine. It is nothing like The Edge of Reason, where the humor felt too forced and Bridget was unlikable sometimes (at least, to me).

There are lots of physical comedy although

Spoiler

no physical fight like in the first two.

And outside the triangle, there is still Emma Thompson who really shines. She was a hoot (the promos give most of her scenes away, but there are still funny things they didn't show).

There is also a Pride and Prejudice's egg easter if you're a fan of Mr Darcy/Colin Firth. I don't know if it's mentionned in the books because I have not read them, but I found that really funny.

Edited by jmls
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Irlandesa

Irlandesa

I was sort of in the "why?" camp until I read that Emma Thompson was one of the screen writers. I was still kind of "really?" but a bit more intrigued.

It is currently at 77% fresh at Rotten Tomatoes (the original was 81%) so I am starting to lean towards going to see this movie.  I loved the first movie.  I must have seen the second one but honestly, I don't remember one thing about it so I'll just consider this the sequel.  Instead of "oh does this movie really need a third installment so many years later" for me it'll be "oh a follow up on this relationship."

On 9/8/2016 at 0:40 AM, hendersonrocks said:

I keep looking in here for a spoiler about who the daddy is/how the movie ends. I'm embarrassed to admit it, and there's no way I'm shelling out dollars to see it, but it's true.

Oh I totally get that.  As soon as it came out in England, I looked for spoilers.  For thsoe who care--

Spoiler

She ends up with Mark and it's his baby. 

 

On 9/6/2016 at 6:10 PM, Spartan Girl said:

I find it unrealistic that neither guy is angry at Bridget for two-timing them.

What do you mean "two timing?"  I haven't seen the movie yet but from what I understand from the previews, she's not in a committed relationship with either of them when she sleeps with them.

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Winter Rose

Winter Rose

After how awful Edge of Reason was, and having an idea of what would happen in a potential third movie, I'll admit to having really hoped this movie wouldn't get made, so I'm pleasantly surprised to hear good things about it. Still though, the more times Bridget and Mark have to break up to have material for another movie, I can't helping thinking it puts a damper on them as a couple. So no matter how good this movie is, I'm skeptical it could recapture the magic of the first one. I'll give it a chance though, probably not in theaters, but I'll keep an eye out for it when it comes on TV.

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Proclone

Proclone

I saw it yesterday, and I have to say it's actually quite good.  My initial reaction to seeing the first trailer was, "Oh dear God, why?!" Because the second film was so dreadful, but after hearing it got good reviews and that Emma Thompson had a hand in the script I thought what the heck I'll give it a shot.  I have fondness for British comedies.  They tend to let adults both act and speak like adults without pushing the R rating and being being over the top (I tend to think most R rated American comedies get so giddy that they're allowed to curse that the stuff as much profanity and gross out comedy as they possible can into the movie, just because they can).  So having nothing else to do on a Sunday afternoon, I saw it and was pleasantly surprised.

I wouldn't say it's as good as the original, but it's certainly a worthy follow up, unlike Edge of Reason.  Obviously Mark is still Colin Firth and unbelievably charming, but Patrick Dempsey's Jack is also quite charming and you can see why Bridget might choose him. The reasons that Mark and Bridget broke up are realistic and aren't contrived nor do they seem in insurmountable.  Neither of the guys are really the bad boy that Daniel Cheaver was in the first or the second. And Daniel's reason for not being in the film is addressed early in a both funny and surprisingly touching way.  Actually the entire film is both funny and quite often touching.  Emma Thompson is a hoot as the trailers show.  There are also a couple really funny bits with her that aren't in the trailer.  

I'm glad I went.  My knee jerk reaction was that it was going to be terrible, but it's one of the better rom-coms I've seen probably over the last few years.  It's funny, the characters are likable and there are sweet moments.  You can see what Bridget sees in both guys and what they might see in her.  If you liked the original, I'd say you'll probably enjoy this one too.

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lilabennet

lilabennet

I hate the entire Bridget Jones franchise with the fire of a thousand suns.  For all the actually good Pride and Prejudice fanfiction out there, why, why, why was that Bridget Jones trash ever made into a movie?  And now why is there a third iteration of the same foul universe?

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vavera4ka

vavera4ka

just saw it for $5 lol

it was cute and actually funny. nothing too special, but OMG Collin Firth is still a GOD of face acting! every little change in emotions was clear and energy palpable. He was the perfect Mr Darcy in abc series and he still is the only Mr Darcy for me, even in silly adaptation like this franchise.

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ribboninthesky1

ribboninthesky1

I lasted about 7 minutes, and stopped. I never recovered from Zellweger's awful...whatever that was to House of Pain in the first few minutes. By the time I got to Daniel's funeral, I was over it.  Maybe it gets better further into the film, and maybe one day I'll watch the rest of it.  Today was not that day. 

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hendersonrocks

hendersonrocks

I finally watched this on a flight last week - it's a perfect plane movie: free, light in subject matter, two hours in length, and did I mention free? I'd say the movie increases rapidly after the first 7 minutes, for what it's worth. (That opening House of Pain sequence was TRULY cringeworthy, I agree.)

Emma Thompson was movie stealing, per usual, and Patrick Dempsey was cute but I really didn't buy his character & Bridge together. I thought the storyline between she and Mark was believable, however, and I appreciated where they ended up pre-birth. Would definitely recommend for international flights, if nothing else!

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paramitch

paramitch

(edited)

I wasn't sure how to feel about this when it was first advertised, as "Edge of Reason" (the first sequel) was just horrible, and took the sweet haplessness of Bridget from the first film and made both her and her body into a kind of joke.

However, I was really happy to watch this when I learned the original filmmaker Sharon Maguire was involved (fun trivia note -- she is the actual real inspiration for the character of "Shazzer" by Fielding in the books. So "Shazzer" actually ended up directing two movies she helped to inspire! I think that's really cool). I also thought Maguire did a lovely job on the first movie so it's great that she returned here.

Ultimately, I liked it. I liked that it included all the friends (although I admit I wish it had included more), and that it was a return to the spirit of the first film.

My only single complaint is that Bridget is now Zellwegger-tiny, her newfound skinnyness waved aside with a single comment. And while I get while Zellwegger shouldn't have had to regain the weight, I wish they'd done a bit more with padding. Just so she wasn't SO thin.

Even in the books, Bridget's softness around the edges is important and even part of her attractiveness. (For instance, in the first book, she loses a bunch of weight but everyone worries that she's sick, and her friends tell her gently, "You looked better before.")

On 9/5/2016 at 0:25 PM, WendyCR72 said:

And I do agree what may be funny even in your 30s is rather sad and pathetic by your 40s. And I just don't find a "Who's The Daddy?" trope all that romantic in the grand scheme of things...

"Sad and pathetic?" I don't understand or agree with this. Not everyone grows perfectly into their 40s (or 50s or 60s etc.) with anymore grace than any other age.

I would simply argue against the idea that it's somehow cute to be a misfit in your 30s but you must then somehow either hide it or grow out of it. Speaking as a misfit, I love characters like Bridget, who remind us that we can at least pretend our quirks are charming.

On 9/7/2016 at 11:49 PM, WendyCR72 said:

I find the whole concept rather icky, as I said. But with that out of the way, the kid being anyone other than Mark's is just a huge cheat in my eyes. (And sorta ties in to that resurrected newspaper column 7 or so years ago. But anyway...that's my own opinion.)

But it's not a cheat in the film. It's actually arguably empowering. Bridget owes neither man anything and is able therefore to pick who she wants to be in her life. And the nice part is, she ends up with lasting relationships with both (just to keep it vague).

I'm honestly really mystified at so many reactions here and elsewhere that condemn Bridget for having to navigate an uncertain paternity issue. Bridget has always been a happily (and refreshingly) sexual character, she's not involved with anyone when she gets pregnant, and she's undeniably free, responsible and careful in both cases. The pregnancy isn't something she could have foreseen. As a fortysomething woman, she simply has two consensual sexual encounters within a 10-day period. It's not exactly the orgy in "Eyes Wide Shut."

So all the pearl-clutching over this is weird to me. It's practically puritanical compared to most male relationship movie storylines. I liked the movie's frankness and I liked that Bridget appealed openly to both men, her past love and potential future one.

On 9/8/2016 at 2:22 AM, jmls said:

What I really liked about the movie is that Bridget isn't pathetic, unlike in BJ2 where I found her obnoxious at times. She is more mature, though she still has her awkward moments.

I felt exactly the same way. I hated "Edge of Reason," which I thought went out of its way to make Bridget into an ugly, unfunny clown. She was so beautiful in the first film, yet she also had edges that really made her feel real and flawed and lovable. The second film I felt was, on the other hand, simply laughing at her the whole time. This one was a definite return to the first film and was really charming.

On 9/15/2016 at 10:35 PM, methodwriter85 said:

As a guy who went to a music festival for three straight years, I laughed my ass off at that sequence. Oh my god, it nailed what it was like.

I really enjoyed this one. What a great way to send off the series.

I loved that part of it too, and also thought the movie was ultimately really sweet, smart and charming.

I also appreciated the many female bonding moments, and that both of the men in question were such supportive, nice people. And Emma Thompson was her usual brilliant, tart self as the doctor.

Edited by paramitch
missing words in the final post, darn it
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roseslg

roseslg

On 1/23/2017 at 3:20 PM, hendersonrocks said:

I finally watched this on a flight last week - it's a perfect plane movie: free, light in subject matter, two hours in length, and did I mention free? I'd say the movie increases rapidly after the first 7 minutes, for what it's worth. (That opening House of Pain sequence was TRULY cringeworthy, I agree.)

Emma Thompson was movie stealing, per usual, and Patrick Dempsey was cute but I really didn't buy his character & Bridge together. I thought the storyline between she and Mark was believable, however, and I appreciated where they ended up pre-birth. Would definitely recommend for international flights, if nothing else!

That’s where I watched it.  Well, that’s where I watch most of my movies.  It was light and fluffy and perfect for a 12 hour flight.   

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ribboninthesky1

ribboninthesky1

On 1/22/2017 at 8:52 PM, ribboninthesky1 said:

I lasted about 7 minutes, and stopped. I never recovered from Zellweger's awful...whatever that was to House of Pain in the first few minutes. By the time I got to Daniel's funeral, I was over it.  Maybe it gets better further into the film, and maybe one day I'll watch the rest of it.  Today was not that day. 

Quoting myself because, thanks to a Netflix free trial and 18 months later, I watched beyond 7 minutes.  It got better.  However...

On 2/23/2017 at 9:57 AM, paramitch said:

I'm honestly really mystified at so many reactions here and elsewhere that condemn Bridget for having to navigate an uncertain paternity issue. Bridget has always been a happily (and refreshingly) sexual character, she's not involved with anyone when she gets pregnant, and she's undeniably free, responsible and careful in both cases. The pregnancy isn't something she could have foreseen. As a fortysomething woman, she simply has two consensual sexual encounters within a 10-day period. It's not exactly the orgy in "Eyes Wide Shut."

I'm gonna have to disagree with the bolded.  For one thing, pregnancy is always a possibility when a fertile woman has unprotected sexual intercourse with a fertile man.  This is a modern film, so a woman getting pregnant in her 40s is hardly unheard of.  So yeah, it IS something she could have foreseen, though I understand why she assumed pregnancy wouldn't be an issue.  Being responsible and careful is using recently acquired condoms, not "vegan" condoms apparently several years beyond the expiration date. Even the way she gets Jack into the studio for his DNA was immature, as was how she tells the men either of them could be the father. 

I mean, Bridget is who she has always been, and one can find it endearing or not.  But being sexually active as a woman has unique consequences, and she didn't handle them particularly well.  It's not being sexually active that's the problem. 

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Amethyst

Amethyst

On 9/19/2016 at 3:19 PM, Proclone said:

I wouldn't say it's as good as the original, but it's certainly a worthy follow up, unlike Edge of Reason.  Obviously Mark is still Colin Firth and unbelievably charming, but Patrick Dempsey's Jack is also quite charming and you can see why Bridget might choose him. The reasons that Mark and Bridget broke up are realistic and aren't contrived nor do they seem in insurmountable.  Neither of the guys are really the bad boy that Daniel Cheaver was in the first or the second. And Daniel's reason for not being in the film is addressed early in a both funny and surprisingly touching way.  Actually the entire film is both funny and quite often touching.  Emma Thompson is a hoot as the trailers show.  There are also a couple really funny bits with her that aren't in the trailer.  

ITA with all this.  Edge of Reason was garbage, which is why I avoided this one so long.  But after seeing it, I consider this the real sequel to the first, unlike EoR.  It's not perfect, but it's a vast improvement.  Knowing their personalities, I can see why Mark and Bridget broke up.  Mark is an excellent lawyer, but the downside to that is that he's incredibly devoted to his job.  Bridget would understandably get tired of coming in second to Mark's career.  

I like the social changes, too.  Bridget's friends have all settled down, so it makes sense that she's not hanging with them like she used to.  But Miranda was a great addition, another singleton who would help Bridget get out of the funk she was in.  And Jack ended up being a decent guy, especially being at Mark and Bridget's wedding.  I like to think Jack met a nice woman at the reception and settled down.

Although she was supposed to be a bitch, I couldn't blame Bridget's new boss for firing her.  Well meaning or not, Bridget did some really stupid things at work that would get anyone fired, so she didn't deserve a pass.

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voiceover

voiceover

Seems like the right moment to note that, while I enjoyed the first film, I always found Zellweger horribly miscast.  The accent was affected and grating.  From the early days when Fielding introduced her in those newspaper columns, I always saw Kate Winslet as Bridget: right body type, right accent (if you've seen The Holiday (ugh!) you've seen her basically play the character).  

It's not that an actor of a different nationality *can't successfully take on an iconic character of another nationality (Vivien Leigh's Scarlett, obviously), but I was always disappointed in the choice.  And I like Renee.

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Affogato

Affogato

(edited)
On 4/10/2024 at 9:18 AM, JustHereForFood said:

I just read that. I had to double-check that it wasn't posted on the 1st of April, because the description sounds like something I could see posted on April Fool's. Like, WTF?

Following someone’s life over time is an reasonable idea. “The Before Trilogy” is an example a d a rimance, too.  If they have an actually thought it could be interesting. 

Edited by Affogato
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EtheltoTillie

EtheltoTillie

On 9/8/2016 at 5:22 AM, jmls said:

Tell me if you want me to be more specific, but for now I'll just say that the movie is sort of Bridget and Mark's journey to get through their insecurities).

There is also a Pride and Prejudice's egg easter if you're a fan of Mr Darcy/Colin Firth. I don't know if it's mentionned in the books because I have not read them, but I found that really funny.

What is the Easter Egg?  Because he’s called Mark Fitzwilliam Darcy at the end?  I watched just now without paying close attention. 

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