Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)

A British woman is determined to improve herself while she looks for love in a year in which she keeps a personal diary.

Director:

Sharon Maguire

Writers:

Helen Fielding (novel), Helen Fielding (screenplay),

Stars:

Renée Zellweger, Gemma Jones, Colin Firth

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 8 wins & 30 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Renée Zellweger	...	Bridget Jones
Gemma Jones	...	Bridget's Mum
Celia Imrie	...	Una Alconbury
James Faulkner	...	Uncle Geoffrey
Jim Broadbent	...	Bridget's Dad
Colin Firth	...	Mark Darcy
Charmian May	...	Mrs. Darcy
Hugh Grant	...	Daniel Cleaver
Paul Brooke	...	Mr. Fitzherbert
Felicity Montagu	...	Perpetua
Shirley Henderson	...	Jude
Sally Phillips	...	Shazza
James Callis	...	Tom
Charlie Caine	...	Handsome Stranger
Gareth Marks	...	Simon in Marketing

Storyline

Bridget Jones is an average woman struggling against her age, her weight, her job, her lack of a man, and her many imperfections. As a New Year's Resolution, Bridget decides to take control of her life, starting by keeping a diary in which she will always tell the complete truth. The fireworks begin when her charming though disreputable boss takes an interest in the quirky Miss Jones. Thrown into the mix are Bridget's band of slightly eccentric friends and a rather disagreeable acquaintance who Bridget cannot seem to stop running into or help finding quietly attractive.

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Plot Keywords:

boss | diary | love | single | friend | 

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Taglines:

Health Warning: Adopting Bridget's lifestyle could seriously damage your health.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some strong sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA UK Ireland France

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 April 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

El diario de Bridget Jones

Filming Locations:

Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$26,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$2,140,040 (Italy) (19 October 2001)

Gross:

$149,761,366 (Europe) (30 November 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax Films, Universal Pictures, StudioCanal

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Salman Rushdie's cameo came about by total fluke. Old friend (the movie's author) Helen Fielding called him up and asked, "How would you like to make a fool of yourself?"

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Goofs

While in the restaurant with friends, a brand new cell phone comes out of its cellophane bag twice. The first time, the bag is held upside down and the phone slides out into a waiting hand, immediately after, it is pulled out of the bag.

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Quotes

Natasha: So how autobiographical is your work, Salman?
Salman Rushdie: You know, its an amazing thing, nobody has ever asked me that question.

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Crazy Credits

The European and Australian version of Bridget Jones's Diary does not contain footage of the birthday party during the credits. Instead, it has interviews with Daniel Cleaver (twice), Mark Darcy's parents, and the boss at 'Sit up Britain'.

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Connections

Referenced in More All My Children: Episode #1.1 (2013)

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Soundtracks

"All by Myself"
Written by Eric Carmen (as Carmen) and Sergei Rachmaninoff (as Rachmaninoff)
Performed by Jamie O'Neal
Licensed courtesy of Mercury Records
A division of UMG Records Inc.

User Reviews

My favorite Romantic Comedy

This film I only discovered fairly recently, and just absolutely fell in love with it. It sure seemed familiar and lo and behold then I read about the Pride and Prejudice connection and then it all made complete sense.

This is such a charming, lovely homage to Pride and Prejudice. The three lead characters are just perfect. It is funny, sweet at times, sad at others, and just wonderfully sexy and v. romantic (especially the last 1/4th of it).

Renee is so extraordinary as Bridget Jones, who would have ever thought she could play so believable a modern Brit woman so well. Her accent seems flawless to me. Hugh Grant is hilarious and a charming Lothario throughout. But Colin Firth is who really sold me on this film. His ability to play a guy that you start out not liking but drooling over by the end of the movie is sublime.

I am a big fan of the less is more style of acting that Mr. Firth puts forth in this film...much of his performance is in his eyes and his facial expressions. While Daniel (Mr. Grant's character) chatters on and on and tries to charm with his wit and words, Mark Darcy (Mr. Firth's character) just has a strong and rather silent presence along with an integrity of character that is revealed and he wins us over (as well as Bridget).

This movie has a lot going on outside of the wonderful romance as well. Contemporary events, gender inequities, social differences, work place decorum, fashion, self-image, sex, family, and friendship all come under the scrutiny of Bridget Jones and her diary.

This is a very good adaptation of a beloved novel. The tone, scene selection, dialogue and characters capture the essence of what fans of the book love about it. I cannot imagine it any better cast or written.