FILM REVIEW: Final movie in the Bridget Jones series is strictly for die-hard fans

RENÉE ZELLWEGER returns to her iconic role as the hapless heroine for one final outing in Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.

Based on the 2013 novel by Helen Fielding, this fourth instalment in the film series sees Bridget struggle to balance life as a single mother with her professional, social and love life. As you might expect, the usual chaos and hilarity ensues, making this balancing-act anything but easy for accident-prone Bridget.

Does this latest film reach the same heights as previous entries in the series? Almost. While it may fall short of Bridget Jones Diary, it certainly surpasses the two sequels and serves as a fitting and moving conclusion to this 24-year cinematic diary.

Four years after the death of Mark Darcy, a broken Bridget spends her days making sure lunches are packed and uniforms are ready for her two cherished children. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Bridget Jones film if our protagonist wasn’t down in the dumps as something of an underdog. Life as a widow has left the ever-tragic Bridget feeling aimless and lost in the world. However, a fortunate turn of events sees her return to work as a television producer and spark up a new relationship with a younger man … a much younger man! Could things finally be looking up for poor Bridget? Of course not.

I have to admit I was not immediately won over by this film. Having great fondness for the original, I found this latest sequel to feel a bit forced and tired. Initially, that is. While not every joke lands, I did find myself joining the audience in their laughter on more than one occasion. On that note, Hugh Grant is criminally underused as eternal womaniser Daniel Cleaver. He is easily the best part of this film and brings his trademark wit and humour to every line.

However, it soon became apparent that Mad About the Boy was never trying to be as laugh-out-loud funny as its predecessors. Instead, this film strives for more emotional depth as it takes time to contemplate grief and the importance of moving on in life. This unexpected element proves to be the film’s greatest strength, raising it above a predictable comedy to a more heart-warming tear-jerker.

So should you go see Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy If you are already a fan of the series, of course you will have to watch this final instalment. While I may have found the jokes a bit lazy, the audience around me did not share the same sentiment, as they erupted into laughter throughout. It may not win over newcomers, but I’m sure fans of Bridget Jones will not be disappointed.