Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason

Starring:

Renée Zellweger as Bridget Jones

Hugh Grant as Daniel Cleaver

Colin Firth as Mark Darcy

Jacinda Barrett as Rebecca

Gemma Jones as Mum

Jim Broadbent as Dad

Donald Douglas as Admiral Darcy

Shirley Dixon as Mrs. Darcy

Shirley Henderson as Jude

Sally Phillips as Shazzer

Celia Imrie as Una Alconbury

Dominic McHale as Bernard

Neil Pearson as Richard Finch

Special Features:

Commentary by director Beeban Kidron

Deleted Scenes with Introductions

Mark & Bridget: Forever?

Bridget Jones Interviews Colin Firth

Lonely London

The Big Fight

“Who’s Your Man?” Quiz

Cast and Filmmakers

Other Info:

Anamorphic Widescreen (2.40:1)

Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound

French and Spanish Languages

French and Spanish Subtitles

Running Time: 1 Hour 48 Minutes

Synopsis:

This is the sequel to the 2001 film “Bridget Jones’s Diary”. The following is from the DVD cover:

“Renée Zellweger is back as everyone’s favorite witty heroine in Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. Not that Bridget’s counting, but it’s been six wonderful weeks, four fabulous days, and seven precious hours with one flawless boyfriend, Mark Darcy (Colin Firth). But when mischievous and devilishly charming Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) arrives on the scene claiming to be a reformed man, can Bridget find a way to make true love last forever? It’s the “absolutely hilarious” (Jim Ferguson, ABC-TV) romantic comedy that proves there’s nothing like love to send you over the edge.”

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason is rated R for language and some sexual content.

The Movie:

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason is a weak sequel that replaces character development and wit with a barrage of preposterous situations all designed to make Bridget (Renée Zellweger) look ridiculous. It is very often amusing, but never more than that.

Bridget has settled down to a warm and comfortable relationship with the man of her dreams – Mark Darcy (Coin Firth). Naturally, through a concoction of mistaken intents and Bridget’s own tremendous self-doubt, she dumps him and proceeds through a series of increasingly bizarre circumstances (ending in a stint in a Thai jail) before she realizes just how good she had it and what she’d done to mess it up.

Zellweger is still charming and funny as Bridget, trying desperately to maintain a sense of poise and dignity, no matter how undignified a situation she finds herself in. Unfortunately, every other character is also the same as well. Hugh Grant is still a charming rogue, Colin Firth is still the remote and inscrutable perfect man. Everyone is still as they were at the end of the first movie and (except for Bridget-who realizes that she is, more often than not, the cause of her own troubles) they’re still the same way at the end of Edge of Reason as well.

The witty Richard Curtis banter that carried the first Bridget Jones so well is mostly gone, replaced by slapstick and comedy-of-errors type misconceptions, which are funny, but easily forgotten.

By itself, Edge of Reason is a decent but entirely forgettable comedy that could have been more, if it hadn’t decided to play things safe.

The Extras:

The following are highlights of the bonus features of the DVD:

Commentary by director Beeban Kidron – Kidron’s commentary is OK, but it’s a little dry. She focuses a lot on the technical aspects of the shoot and discusses a lot about the deleted scenes. Her discussions should be interesting to Bridget Jones fans, but it would have been better with some of the cast involved.

Deleted Scenes with Introductions – There are several deleted scenes included on the DVD and they are quite funny. One shows Bridget fantasizing about what childbirth would be like. She’s seen doing one little push and out pops a beautiful baby wearing brand new Gap clothing. Bridget goes on to imagine the kid growing up and her becoming a grandparent. Another scene shows Bridget ending up at a christening at the same time as Mark Darcy after they have broken up. It’s entertaining enough, but a scene preceding it showing a frazzled mother trying to corral a toddler made me laugh even more. The final deleted scene is an alternate opening to the film where Bridget and Mark meet at a theater too late to see a movie.

Mark & Bridget: Forever? – This is your standard behind the scenes featurette containing interviews with the cast and crew. Zellweger and Firth discuss their characters and their relationship.

Bridget Jones Interviews Colin Firth – This is probably the highlight of the bonus features. Apparently in the Bridget Jones books, the character at one point interviews Colin Firth, the actor. The scene didn’t make it into the movie, but Zellweger and Firth filmed it anyway one day after shooting and included it on the DVD. Bridget makes a fool of herself, of course, by going on and on about a scene of him wearing a wet shirt in Pride and Prejudice. It’s quite funny and well worth checking out.

Lonely London – This shows how one of the effects shots in the film was made. The scene, showing a camera flying over couples in London, was quite subtle but this featurette shows just how complex the shot was to make.

The Big Fight – This featurette talks about the obligatory fight between Grant and Firth in the film. The actors poke fun at each other and they joke about each other’s manhood.

“Who’s Your Man?” Quiz – This is a game to see who you are most compatible with from the movie – Mark Darcy or Daniel Cleaver.

The Bottom Line:

While Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason lacks the charm and originality of its predecessor, it still has entertaining moments that make it worth checking out. Fans of the original will want to see it.