BRIDGET JONES

In 2013 novelist Helen Fielding released the third ‘Bridget Jones’ book; ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’ in which Bridget is now a forty-something widow, meaning the beloved Mark Darcy is dead. Since producing a Mark Darcy-less Bridget Jones film would have been a complete non-starter, the filmmakers have totally (and thankfully) strayed from the novel and created an entirely original story. ‘Baby’ reunites Renée, Colin and ‘Diary’ director Sharon Maguire. But this time there’s no Daniel Cleaver (AKA Hugh Grant), and instead we get McDreamy Patrick Dempsey as the triangle newcomer. Penning the script is the returning Helen Fielding, making sure her creation remains intact, and along for the ride is fellow novelist/screenwriter David Nicholls aaaaand *squeeeee* the incomparable Emma Thompson, who also features in the film as Bridget’s OBGYN.

With the (majority) of the gang all back together, one can’t help but ask where this new sequel sits with fans? It’s not an adaptation of the third novel so we can all breathe a collective sigh of relief. However, we have no Daniel Cleaver, and is a decade enough time to forgive the supreme disappointment that was ‘Edge of Reason’? (I mean come on! Bridget was in a Thai prison for drug trafficking!) Needless to say, ‘Bridget Jones’s Baby’ has a lot of pressure on it. But what about the now 47-year-old Zellweger? We haven’t seen her in six years. We haven’t liked her in 12 years. And Hollywood is notoriously unkind to an ageing woman. Regardless, fans will flock to see their beloved Bridget and all her foibles grace the big screen once again. Lookyloos will pay their hard-earned money so they can engage in nasty gossip regarding Renée’s face over lattes post-screening. And ever since Dempsey’s character bit the big one last year on Grey’s Anatomy, fans will be seriously jonesing for their McDreamy fix. As for Colin Firth - well, he will always be Mr Darcy in that clingy white shirt. Am I right ladies... and certain gentlemen?

So here’s what we know: ‘Bridget Jones’s Baby’ is a sequel, but not just any sequel, the third in a series and 12 years in the making. It will undoubtedly suck, but will we care? Absolutely not. This is our Bridget we’re talking about. You can talk about a bad script, poor casting or sketchy editing all you want, that’s not why we watch it. We watch so we can laugh, swoon and tell each other “Better her than me”, while secretly knowing it is exactly you. So good luck Bridget. Knock em dead Renée. Do it for every woman over 30. Every woman who’s put on a pair of granny panties. Every woman who’s thought they weren’t good enough, pretty enough or thin enough for a man. But most importantly, do it for yourself, because you deserve it.