BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY: Blu-ray re-issue (Miramax, 2001) Paramount Home Video

Whoever said being a wallflower was easy ought to first consult Bridget Jones. Dear Bridget. Poor Bridget, chronically at the bottom most rung of life, love and career. But with a little help from her friends, hopefully to improve her prospects where love is concerned. Based on Helen Fielding’s 1996 novelized exploits of a chain-smoking, moderately alcoholic, slightly overweight and thoroughly unhappy British frump, director, Sharon Macguire’s Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001) is a riotous, often introspective, and, thoroughly perceptive glimpse into a young woman’s introverted fears, neuroses and sexual frustrations. Perhaps because much of Fielding’s book was based on serialized articles written for the newspaper, this epic search for Mr. Right remains somewhat episodic. The screenplay, by Fielding, Richard Curtis and Andrew Davies, never entirely brings anything but a passing continuity to Fielding’s own exorcism, touching bases with thoughts on her own career, vices, family/friends and other natural disasters. Fielding divides her world into ‘singletons’ (unmarried people) and smug marrieds (those who look down on singletons for all the wrong reasons), and, with special attention paid to ‘fuckwittage’ – a euphemism Fielding uses to explain all the emotional angst and confusion men inflict on the women in their lives, apparently, without reserve or remorse. Aside: it should be noted women are not exactly immune to such similarly occupied criticisms where their menfolk are concerned. But I digress.

Overall, Bridget Jones’s Diary is a far more satisfying journey into self-discovery, the gradual evolution of the ‘wallflower’ into a woman able, ready and willing to take charge of her life, leading to a fairly rewarding dénouement for Fieldings’ doppelgänger.  Starring Renee Zellweger as the withdrawn and easily humiliated Bridget Jones, we begin our journey with a main title sequence that leaves little to the imagination – Jones, feeling sorry for herself, lying on a sofa with her favorite ice cream and singing along with Jamie O’Neal’s ‘All By Myself’. Lord, have mercy on the lovelorn!  Living alone in her London flat, our Bridget is prone to overeating, drinking too much, and, musing willy-nilly/pie-in-the-sky about the perfect man who seems to be nowhere in sight. Reluctantly attending her parent’s annual New Year’s Eve party, Bridget meets Human Rights attorney, Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) whom she instantly dislikes. And why not? He’s arrogant, boring and egotistical – at least, on the surface. Mark looks down on Bridget – or so she believes. At work, Bridget has more success seducing her boss, Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) who wastes no time corrupting and indulging Bridget’s vices. For Bridget, Daniel’s aiding and abetting translates to true love, though in actuality he is merely passing his time with her until he can pursue another, more physically attractive woman on the side.

Bridget’s perennially loyal friends include ardent – foul-mouthed – feminist, Shazzer (Sally Philips), no nonsense businesswoman, Jude (Shirley Henderson) and gay songwriter about town, Tom (James Callis). Each advises more caution from Bridget in her relationship with Daniel. All are head over heels in love with Mark from the onset – particularly when he unexpectedly turns up to comfort Bridget after she has learned Daniel has been cheating on her for some time. Arriving at Bridget’s flat to apologize (well…not really) Daniel is physically assaulted by Mark in an all-out brawl at the Greek restaurant just across the street. In essence, Shazzer, Jude and Tom are variations of the hot mess that is our Bridget Jones, her compatriots and real family – their thoughts and emotions perfectly in sync with her own. By contrast, Bridget’s biological family is hampered by a rather domineering mother (Gemma Jones), emasculated father (Jim Broadbent) and perverted Uncle (James Faulkner) who enjoys copping a feel from Bridget whenever he can. Ultimately, true love triumphs between Bridget and Mark, and this, in spite of Bridget’s half-ass and misguided misfires that never fail to suggest she is anything but a scatterbrain screw-up, quite unworthy of his time and affections. In fact, throughout most of the story, Bridget’s lack of tact and the good sense God gave a lemon causes her to say and do practically everything she can to sabotage her own happiness with Mark. However, what makes Bridget Jones so endearing, not only to Mark, but also, the audience, is her inability to stop from derailing her own happiness.

In this tradition, our Bridget very much harks back to the best of Jane Austen’s flawed heroines of yore – more brutally crass, perhaps, as the age in which Bridget resides is graceless to a fault – but otherwise immeasurably blessed by Zellwegger’s unrelenting empathetic performance. In her idiocy and fumbling, Zellwegger’s Bridget brings a genuine note of lost innocence to a part that never sacrifices our ability to relate to Bridget’s inner unhappiness or strong desire to rise above it, despite her jaded miscalculations and obvious folly. Hugh Grant and Colin Firth appear as two sides of the coin of masculinity; Grant, the disreputably unsavory ‘player’ – not particularly interested in anyone but himself, and, Firth, hopelessly devoted to playing the part of the chivalrous knight on a white charger. It’s fairly obvious which man Bridget should find the more attractive. And indeed, after some conflicted emotions, a lot of tears, and more than ample bits of comedy to reveal the winner in her mind, Bridget re-channels her misguided love and affections, accepting of that panacea of pleasure she desperately hoped to find. Bridget Jones’s Diary may not have a lot to say about where a woman’s head is at – indeed, Bridget’s biggest concern is finding a man – but it definitely tells us where her heart is, situating the soft-candied center of this joyous rom/com smack in the middle of diverting and unconventional misdirection, eventually – predictably – leading to the inevitable ‘happily ever after’. Like a car crash one is privy to, but mercifully not a part of – observing Bridget Jones’ derailments through life and love proves unbelievably compelling.

Another Paramount/Miramax acquisition from the now defunct Alliance Home Video library, this reissue of Bridget Jones’s Diary Blu-ray is virtually identical. Colors are not nearly as rich, bold or vibrant as they ought to be. Predictably, contrast tightens up and image detail is consistent. But colors remain wan and washed out at best. The audio is 5.1 DTS. As this is primarily a dialogue-driven movie, the only real sonic kick to your speakers derives from the film’s pop tune infusion of songs. Extras include brief featurettes, retrospective ‘look back’ at the movie’s success, and, other nuggets of press and promotional stuff – some vintage, some new. Director Maguire provides an audio commentary that fails to be as informative as one would hope. There are also more than 100 individual columns to read by author, Helen Fielding and some very funny deleted scenes – not remastered, but nevertheless good for a chuckle. Bottom line: Bridget Jones’s Diary is a winning comedy of the ‘little gem’ class that is still given short shrift in hi-def. Note to Paramount – remaster your acquisitions. Don’t just reissue them to disc. Recommended for content, not quality. Regrets.

FILM RATING (out of 5 - 5 being the best)

4

VIDEO/AUDIO

3

EXTRAS

3.5