Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)

Bridget Jones 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, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 8 wins & 31 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 (Renée Zellweger) 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 into whom Bridget cannot seem to stop running or help finding quietly attractive.

---

Plot Keywords:

unfaithfulness | employer employee relationship | opposites attract | love triangle | book publishing | 

---

Taglines:

It's Monday morning, Bridget has woken up with a headache, a hangover and her boss.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some strong sexuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

Colin Firth and Hugh Grant are mentioned in the book. The first on "Tuesday 24 October" and the second on "Wednesday 16 August". Colin Firth is a featured character in the book's sequel, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004). While audiences were eager to see Hugh Grant play a character opposite to his usual typecast, it is ironic that original author Helen Fielding described him, in real life, as being more like Daniel Cleaver than any of his "normal" roles.

---

Goofs

(at around 51 mins) When Bridget slides down the fireman's pole in Lewisham, a safety line is visible for a few frames.

---

Quotes

Bridget: The only thing worse than smug married couple; lots of smug married couples.

---

Crazy Credits

After "The End" appears, it's crossed out and "The Beginning" added.

---

Alternate Versions

The UK version had the word "Careful, you ham-fisted c*nt" re-voiced as "Careful, you ham-fisted cow", to avoid an 18 certificate. However, oddly enough, the original line can clearly be heard on the director's audio commentary track of the UK DVD.

---

Connections

Referenced in There's Something About Movies: Episode #2.3 (2019)

---

Soundtracks

Have You Met Miss Jones
Written by Richard Rodgers (as Rodgers) and Lorenz Hart (as Hart)
Performed by Robbie Williams
Licensed courtesy of EMI Records, UK Limited

User Reviews

Colin Firth is magical! It is a pity that most Americans don't know who he is.

Bridget Jones's Diary is full of lighthearted fun. The cast is wonderful - especially true for Colin Firth. His performance is magical. Being given such a thin material to work with, playing a `dreadful cold fish', he has artfully shown Mark Darcy's kindness and charm that gradually wins everyone's heart. This would be an impossible mission for actors other than Colin Firth. I enjoy every minute of his performance. In my opinion, they should give this nice boy more camera times - that's the only complain I have about this movie. Besides this complain, I have to congratulate the whole production team for successfully creating a movie of such weightless fun, and at the same time being honest and sincere to the human emotions. It is very hard to believe that this movie is Sharon Maguire's first one. I never read the book. So, you can trust my observation to be totally independent of the book. If you wish to have some fun and also like to dream a little bit, this is definitely the movie for you. BTW. If you enjoy watching drama and haven't seen Colin Firth's "Pride And Prejudice" (BBC), do yourself a favor and rent it. He is *really* a great "Character Actor" - one of the most talented alive.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

UK France USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 April 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bridget Jones's Diary

Filming Locations:

Shepperton Studios, Studios Road, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,733,933, 15 April 2001

Gross USA:

$71,543,427

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$281,995,610

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax, Universal Pictures, StudioCanal

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1