Bridget Jones's Baby (2016) User Reviews

Not that much of an improvement

[TheLittleSongbird · 5/10 · 16 July 2017]

'Bridget Jones's Diary' was an immensely enjoyable film. It had a lot going for it, and succeeded on almost every level. It didn't cover much new ground and didn't break any conventions, but it was warm, charming, hugely funny and sometimes poignant, with a great cast. 'Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason' was however a big step down, despite being adeptly played it lost a lot of what made 'Bridget Jones's' Diary so good.

Heard a lot of different opinions on 'Bridget Jones's' Baby. Some people said that it was a return to form and a huge improvement over 'Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason'. Others said that it was worse and had no point to it. Having seen it myself, initially worried but really wanting to like it and judge it as mindless entertainment, to me it was an improvement but not by much. Not a return to form and nowhere near as good as 'Bridget Jones's Diary'. There are things that are done better here, but there are also the same mistakes and also a few different ones.

It has its good points certainly. 'Bridget Jones's Baby' looks good, being mostly attractive visually in a film that doesn't require epic sweeping cinematography or opulence while still being beautifully shot and with striking locations.

Again, like the previous two films, 'Bridget Jones's' Baby' is adeptly played. Renee Zellwegger, whose Bridget is nowhere near as much a parody or the butt of the joke like in 'Edge of Reason', overdoes it in the facial expressions (on a side note, and no shallowness intended, the Botox does not help), but really attempts and succeeds at bringing out the great qualities of her acting in the previous two films, trying to bring out the funny, adorably awkward and sympathetic sides of her character when the material allows it and her accent more than game.

Colin Firth is sophisticated, understated and charmingly stoic. Gemma Jones and Jim Broadbent seem incapable of giving bad performances, though they did deserve more to do, while Sarah Solemani brings an enjoyable amount of sauciness. The casting highlight however is Emma Thompson, who is a hoot and is a breath of fresh air with the funniest material. On that note, there are more amusing moments here than there were in 'Edge of Reason', Thompson's material mostly but also the reason for Hugh Grant's absence and Ed Sheeran. The soundtrack is more appealing this time round with better choice of songs.

For all those good things, the story is even more contrived and predictable than 'Edge of Reason', and, apart from a few good moments, too much of the writing and gags are tired, recycled and even more stale, freshness was sorely lacking here. The romantic elements are lacking in heart and warmth and, despite a subject that so many people would relate to, 'Bridget Jones's Baby' does little with the subject and offers nothing illuminating.

Some of the subplots are strange and clumsily used, especially the one dealing with the punk rock, which didn't seem to fit. Patrick Dempsey is a comparatively fairly weak and mediocre at best substitute for the much missed Hugh Grant (who excelled so well at playing against type previously), having much less of his charm and charisma and instead coming off as both bland and annoying.

While the songs themselves are good, the placement for some isn't, with some misplaced randomness going on. Sharon Maguire's direction is more competent here but is still uninspired, while there is some amateurish editing and obvious, cheap use of green screen.

Overall, not awful but a disappointment and should have been so much better. Instead of laughing consistently, being touched or oohing and ahhing, found myself questioning 'Bridget Jones's Baby's' necessity and thinking "so what?". 5/10 Bethany Cox

some good Bridget Jones fun

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 3 July 2017]

Bridget Jones (Renée Zellweger) comes to terms with her 43rd birthday and her permanent childless single status. Bridget attends Daniel Cleaver's funeral after his disappearance. Surprisingly, Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) shows up with his wife. Everybody is married with children, even the gays. Bridget is dragged to a music festival by best friend Miranda (Sarah Solemani). She sleeps with Jack Qwant (Patrick Dempsey), the first guy she meets, who turns out to be an internet dating billionaire. Later at a christening, she hooks up with fellow godparent Mark Darcy who claims to be getting a divorce. She has a surprise pregnancy and the father could be either man.

This has plenty of single Bridget Jones fun. I'm glad that Zellweger gave up getting bigger to do a bunch of fat jokes. It's not breaking any new grounds but it is fun for fans. Emma Thompson has fun being the doctor. It's a comedy and I laughed a couple of times.

Funny, but too long and very hard to relate to

[AlienByChoice · 6/10 · 14 October 2016]

I am not sure what to make of Bridget Jones's Baby.

On the one hand, it has undeniably funny moments. On the other hand, many of the gags fall flat. This didn't stop many others in the theater from laughing their heads of, but it did leave me wondering what I was missing that made it so funny.

And considering that I'm almost in the right demographic for this film (almost, because I'm male), I found the characters very hard to relate to. I'd say both the characters and the portrayals are to blame. Zellweger does a good job, but that's easy. Colin Firth is the quintessential Mr.Darcy, but this is also the problem, because by now his Mark is boring to death. We know what Mark is like, and it would be great to see him do something, anything, besides being Mr.Darcy. But he never does. Patrick Dempsey's portrayal of Jack was simply lackluster. It was a role that someone like George Clooney would've probably nailed, but Dempsey was really struggling to look and act the part. At times he looked like he really really didn't want to be there. Sloppy script doesn't help either - at times I really struggled to understand why his character would be there at all. On the bright side, Emma Thompson is a standout - she manages the steal every scene she's in, and adds the wit and the sarcasm that BJB is so desperately lacking.

Finally, the movie is too long. The gags are overdrawn, punchlines are spoon-fed, and the story just drags on and on. Time and time again I almost found myself screaming at the screen "fine, I get it, move on!"

Anyway, 6/10 for the laughs. And please don't make another one.

Okay Romcom

[aheaven2005 · 6/10 · 2 January 2022]

An okay romantic comedy that just doesn't have the charm of the initial movie. Dempsey offers a good performance, but Hugh Grant's shoes are haes to fill. Some good moments, some more clichés.

Great fun! Lots of giggles

[RomanceNovelist · 7/10 · 29 March 2017]

I read the first two Bridget Jones books and found they were a lot of fun. I liked the first movie, the second was just "okay", but Bridget Jones' baby is back to form, finding Bridget a bit older, skinnier, and no less the bumbling awkward mess she always was. I enjoyed this movie for what it was, a romantic comedy that uses established or wealthy men as romantic leads. And a strong case of opposites attract. This is standard romance fare for women, and if you can't accept that, don't watch romantic comedies.

I was disappointed about Daniel's fate, and then disappointed about his reversed fate at the end (but intrigued nonetheless). I dislike tricks in movies and books, as it leads me to feel like I can't trust what I see or read. There was another trick, I won't mention as it would spoil the entire movie.

Overall, this was a fun, energetic, female romance fantasy with a less than PERFECT heroine which makes her all the more endearing, and Renee Zellwegger who plays our Bridget with aplomb! I've always liked her, so it was great to see her again. And of course, Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy, the stoic misunderstood male lead, and his handsome less-than-honorable billionaire rival played by Patrick Dempsey.

Leave your thinking cap at home, and bring your silly pants.

Delightful cast

[n-kefala · 6/10 · 16 September 2016]

Renée Zellweger and a delightful cast, especially Emma Thompson, add some weight to the light simplistic plot of this movie. Dempsey and Firth contrast beautifully, and each has a different kind of chemistry with Zellweger. It's funny and engaging and the lead character, it feels current because they've allowed it to grow. But there isn't much that feels fresh in movie. The one exception is Emma Thompson. In spite of the mess, Zellweger remains winsome and charming as Bridget, enough so that one wishes the movie had done better by her. In short, Bridget Jones's Baby is not a great Bridget Jones movie, but it is a Bridget Jones movie, and maybe that's all people need.

Light Romantic Comedy that works

[KathleenK22 · 9/10 · 5 November 2016]

First of all, this is not supposed to be a heavy, meaningful, deep film. People are judging it on what it is not supposed to be. It is light, funny, romantic and the name Darcy hints on what it is more about. It is about love and finally getting with the person you are meant to be with. It is a modern day Jane Austin story of love and tanglements. The actors are lovely and their characters are credible and sweet. My usual genre is crime so for me to enjoy something as light as this it has to be good. If you like these actors and feel like something romantic and light then you will enjoy this film. If you want to judge it by a criteria that it is not pretending to be then you will be disappointed. It entertains as a romance and comedy. Nothing heavy or earth shattering but it is a good movie.

This is a two-man job!

[Reno-Rangan · 7/10 · 14 December 2016]

Unlike the first two films, this was not based on the book. Instead, it is an original screenplay that fills the gap between the second and the third book. So reading the third book before watching this film is a spoiler. Most importantly the fourth film is on, only officially have to be announced.

The original director returned to this, but I appreciate the story and the screenplay and people behind it. I did not think this sequel would work, but it exceeded my expectation. A simple story and very familiar settings, but developed so well. There's no Bridget's diary in this, instead an iPad.

Renee Zellweger was totally unrecognisable. Actually, I said that in my 'The Whole Truth' review. But she was good to return as Bridget. Colin Firth looks too older than his actual age, but was great in his part. No Hugh Grant, but a new competitor was introduced which is none other than Patrick Dempsey.

This is not the same kind of narration that we saw a decade ago. Because all the characters are aged, so according to the situation this story takes place. It's a two hour long film, but it had some good jokes. Those who enjoyed the first two would surely enjoy it as well. So choosing it to watch is not a bad idea.

7/10

Bridget Jones herself is an overgrown child!

[Howlin Wolf · 5/10 · 15 September 2017]

People who think 'use-by-dates' on condoms don't mean anything are why we have a population problem!

In the past, it was easy enough to cheer for Bridget, because she was positioned as the 'plucky underdog' - but I don't ever remember her being as dumb as in her first visit to the doctor's office... If you're 43 and you don't understand the finer points of conception (or how foetal alcohol syndrome works, for that matter), you're less of an underdog, and more of a simpleton! No wonder the biggest comedic weapon that Emma Thompson employs here is to roll her eyes... she's mirroring what the reaction of every right-thinking audience member should be.

It's strange when Richard Curtis writes Bridget better for the screen than her own creator does!

Having said all of this in criticism, if you treasure Bridget Jones as a character, then I don't think any of this will bother you. She has to work harder to win my sympathy, though, and this time - in contrast to the previous two films - she didn't get much of it.

Loved It!

[sullydo · 10/10 · 10 January 2017]

I absolutely loved Bridget Jones's Baby! I was afraid that after all this time, the humor of the previous films (especially the first one) would be lost. I was very pleasantly surprised! My husband, who never cared for romantic comedies, actually watched the entire movie and laughed most of the way through. It is great to see Bridget at a later stage of her life. ( as well as the other characters... Mark Darcy,Jade, etc.) I would highly recommend it to any "true" Bridget fan. I also agree with some others that Emma Thompson was a great addition to the cast. I just bought the DVD and have already watched it again. It is great to see a sequel and not be disappointed!

What A Dreadful Film!

[brdlybaum · 23 June 2017]

The first was good, thoroughly enjoyable, even with her dreadful English accent! the second was OK, her dreadful English accent never improved and this the third film? This the third film is really bad on a par with how awful her English accent is! I will say this for it though, for all of the foreigners (mainly Americans) that have attempted an English accent it is better than a lot of others. Better than a lot of others does not mean good and it is not good! the film is about as boring and unfunny as it can possibly get. It is so bad that I am typing this while it is playing on my TV! The whole as-thin-as-it-can-be who's-the-father storyline is preposterous and guess who she ends up marrying?! oh, and you never do find out who the baby's father is but then as she ends up marrying the obvious I guess you are supposed to think he is the father but you never know!

Don't trust the bad reviews.

[emavroyanni · 7/10 · 24 November 2016]

Reading movie reviews before actually watching a movie can be so misleading. So many overrated movies turn out to be rubbish and movies like this one turn out to be almost a surprise. I went to see the movie with very low expectations as I've read reviews saying this is a bad sequel full of cliché etc. Well, first of all you are going to see a rom- com movie of a chick-lit book so I guess you already know where this is going. I didn't really love the first bridget jones movies. The first one was good because it was relatable and funny but a bit boring and slow in some parts. The second one, eh I couldn't say the same. This movie though was maybe the best of all of them. Because it was actually entertaining from the beginning to the end. We seriously couldn't stop laughing. And of course it did have some scenes and songs that are going to bring a happy melancholic feeling to the fans of the first bridget jones movies and I really appreciated that. The acting was okay, the scenario a bit flawed in some parts, however the movie is definitely worth a watch(a must- see for the fans!) The ending though-I don't want to spoil anything here, had a part that was a bit unnecessary for me. Anyway, I overall enjoyed this movie so I give it a 7/10.

Looks Like It's Over...

[vip-danii · 4/10 · 26 September 2016]

Contains major spoilers. Don't read if you haven't yet seen the movie.

Well... I can't say it was a bad movie, but I still felt a bit disappointed. First of all, Bridget no longer looks like Bridget. What happened to "I will always be a little bit fat"? Being chubby was the character's trademark. Now that she's skinny, she's a lot less likable (in my opinion at least). And what's with her face? Botox overload?

A lot of the time I noticed that bits from other movies were used, particularly "Sex and the City". And, as another reviewer here mentioned, - the excessive product placement is kind of annoying at times.

And, of course, I don't understand the need for constant use of the F-word. It is said in every other sentence throughout the movie. They even have a child say it. Uncalled for.

In order to take the Jack story seriously, one will have to suspend disbelief entirely. Do you really think that a millionaire celebrity will have unprotected sex with a random not-particularly-attractive 40-something broad? And then chase her around begging to be her child's father (when he's not even sure it's his)? And to top it off, he sticks around after she marries Darcy and becomes best mates with him. Would something like this happen in real life? I think not.

Plus, what was the point in all of this? We all knew right from the start that she was going to end up with Mark Darcy whatever the case might have been with the baby.

Another thing that bothered me, was when Bridget asked her father if he thought she belonged on Jerry Springer. It's an American show that isn't broadcast on British television. The Brits have the Jeremy Kyle show, so I'm not sure where the Jerry Springer reference came from.

Also, it's just not the same without Hugh Grant. With two male protagonists, it gets kind of boring.

The lame ending was probably the most offensive thing about this movie. How banal. So, after all, Bridget concludes that the only way for a woman to find fulfilment in life, is to get hitched and punch out a rugrat. Yawn.

The good thing is that we get to see a lot of familiar faces, and some of the jokes are actually chuckle-worthy.

So, like I said, it's not a bad movie, but I expected... something different. There's nothing really wrong with it - the cast is good and so is the acting, the script is engaging, the dialogue is fine (except for the constant cursing, of course). I guess it just doesn't have the same "spunk" anymore. It just feels "tired" and... "over".

Makes you wonder if they will make another movie after this. If so, what's it going to be? "Bridget Jones the desperate housewife" or "Bridget Jones's adventures in the retirement home"?

Well made third installment

[jtindahouse · 6/10 · 18 September 2016]

Admittedly, 'Bridget Jones' isn't really made for me. It's a chick-flick - I'm a man, it's British humour - I prefer American, it's based around romance - I enjoy action in my movies. Taking all that into consideration, the fact that I didn't mind 'Bridget Jones's Baby' is really a big endorsement for it. Generally I'm a fan of action driving the comedy in films, however the simplicity in 'Bridget Jones' is probably its biggest strength. The characters are meant to be what you come to see and a platform for their interactions is all that is necessary. As far as a platform goes I thought the baby thing worked quite well. It gave everyone a genuine reason to be in interested in 'Bridget' and lead itself to enough humorous situations to be a wise decision.

I won't lie, it took a bit of getting used to the new-look Renee Zellweger. I had to keep reminding myself that this was indeed the same actress from the first two films. It doesn't really detract from her performance, it's simply a distraction. Emma Thompson was the stand-out performer for me. Her dry humour played off perfectly against Zellweger and every scene she was in she stole. If this is where they choose to wrap up the series, I think they'd be making a wise decision. I can't see any more stories worth being told with these characters and 'Bridget Jones's Baby' would be an ideal way to go out on a high.

Bridget goes pear-shaped

[davidgee · 7/10 · 11 October 2016]

This is only Bridget's third appearance on the big screen but already she and her chums - all back except Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) - have the pleasing familiarity of the CARRY ON cast from an earlier era. The story begins, shockingly, at Daniel's funeral where Bridget has an embarrassing encounter with her Lost Great Love, Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), now married to somebody else. To get over her grief Bridget goes to the Glastonbury music fest where she falls in the mud and is rescued by dating-site billionaire Jack Qwant (Patrick Dempsey), the New Stud On The Block. Unfortunately only days after bestowing her favours on Jack, Bridget also bestows them on old flame Mark. So when she finds out she's pregnant, she doesn't know who the father is; the plot, heavily recycled, requires her to be scared of allowing the fetus to be DNA-tested.

The rest of the movie goes down familiar rom-com territory as the two men compete to be The Man and Bridget's career in a TV newsroom goes, like her, pear-shaped. It's all extremely predictable but again, as with the CARRY-ONs, familiarity doesn't have to breed contempt and the sheer pace of this frantic comedy helps make it seem fresher and more fragrant than it actually is; there are several gags which seem not so much borrowed as stolen. The ending manages to deliver a small surprise which allows us to look forward to BRIDGET IV.

Renee Zellweger slips effortlessly back into the role of Bridget, perilously poised between very annoying and rather endearing. Emma Thompson and Patrick Dempsey are welcome additions to the cast. There's a great soundtrack and a pleasing cameo from Ed Sheeran. This has better performances and a better script than the big screen version of ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS - and is a lot more fun.

Exactly what I expected

[endorbase · 7/10 · 5 July 2017]

I've had a rough few days and wanted mindless entertainment. This movie was cute, entertaining AND predictable. I have always enjoyed the 'Bridget' movies. There were NO surprises. And that was just fine. I feel like, if I had gone to the theater to see this and been disappointed it would have been my own fault because this movie was very similar to earlier movies. I wasn't sure who to route for - American Jack or Mark Darcy. I thought either would have made a good dad. I think Renee (as Bridget) looks better as she has aged (Thank you LORD - often men age well in movies and women don't by design it seems like!). In one review the writer was appalled that they didn't make Bridget have amnio. Let me just put a plug out there for the opposite point of view! They offered it to her, told her the risks and she didn't do it! I didn't either! This is a matter of personal preference. There is a risk with this procedure! All in all, an enjoyable movie!

I will admit I didn't think it was terrible at all but those that liked the first two will like this much more than I did

[cosmo_tiger · 7/10 · 12 December 2016]

"I'm now the Mary Magdalene of middle England." Bridget (Zellweger) is back to her single life and is trying to figure out what to do with her life. She attends a music festival with her friend and meets a man. A week later she runs into her old love Mark (Firth) and rekindles something. After the excitement dies down she discovers she is pregnant, but can't be 100% sure who the father is. When she tells both of them a rivalry ensues between the two men, and Bridget has to figure who and what she wants. I remember seeing the first one in this series when it first came out, and have never seen the second one. That being said I didn't really feel lost while I was watching this. The movie was actually a little better than I expected it to be and did hold my attention. On the other hand the movie was a little too predictable for me to get fully invested in. I have said that before with movies like this and I realize that the target audience for rom-coms' like this don't really care about that aspect. For that reason I can't really discredit the movie for being that way. As for me I will admit I didn't think it was terrible at all but those that liked the first two will like this much more than I did. Overall, a decent movie and fans of the series will love it. I give this a B.

Surprisingly Funny and Sharp

[Danusha_Goska · 8/10 · 18 September 2016]

"Bridget Jones' Baby" is a surprisingly funny, smart, adorable romantic comedy. Yes, really.

When I heard that there was going to be another Bridget Jones movie I thought, wow, that is going to be the worst film of the year. The previous two Bridget Jones movies combined comedic and romantic highpoints and low points.

In the first film, "Bridget Jones' Diary," there is the legendary "I like you just as you are" staircase scene, where the impeccable and quite possibly inhumanly perfect Colin Firth (as Mark Darcy) walks down a staircase that showcases his luscious long legs and tells plump, goofy, perpetually self-sabotaging Bridget Jones (Renee Zellweger) that he likes her just as she is.

If you've never seen the film, you can watch that scene – over and over – on youtube, where fans have posted multiple copies of it, and watched and re-watched it hundreds of thousands of times. How to find it? Just start typing "I like you just as…" and Google will finish the sentence for you. There's also a scene where Mark Darcy cooks dinner with Bridget Jones. If I die watching that scene, I will die happy.

The Bridget Jones movies also include hysterically funny fistfights between Colin Firth and Hugh Grant as the two men vying for Bridget's affections.

But for all their perfect moments, the Bridget Jones movies also included cringe-worthy, masochist, misogynist scenes where Bridget is made out to be the butt of highly humiliating jokes.

And "Bridget Jones Diary" was released *fifteen years ago.* Renee Zellweger was already in her thirties. Part of the point of the film was that she was a spinster who had not found a man and was desperate to do so. Fifteen years later, Renee Zellweger is 47, subject of a tsunami of articles and internet posts arguing that she has committed the unforgivable sin, in a woman, of aging. She is too damn old, fanboys and girls stamp and shout. She should be retired to a remote, cloistered nunnery; if she must venture out, it is only with a bag firmly affixed over her old-lady face.

Zellweger had plastic surgery and it ruined her, some allege. Others are enraged that she didn't have enough plastic surgery. Everyone is ready with pitchforks and torches to burn the lady for surviving past age 25.

And, finally, a romantic comedy about a woman in her forties who gets pregnant and does not know who the father is? Yuck.

In spite of all my misgivings, I went to the theater anyway, and "Bridget Jones' Baby" rapidly eliminated all my resistance. I laughed out loud throughout this movie, and I can't remember the last time I laughed so much during a first run Hollywood comedy. In "Bridget Jones' Baby," the emphasis is much more on comedy than it is on romance. Everything is played for laughs. The jokes are broad, low-brow, and slapstick. Don't expect sophisticated wit. Think nekkid bums and b00bs.

Bridget Jones is a TV producer. She is single. She and Mark made a go of it, but separated. He is now married to someone else. Bridget has a couple of one-night stands and relies on outdated, ecologically friendly prophylactics. Emma Thompson is her gynecologist. Go see this movie for Thompson's performance alone. If you don't laugh at her, I don't want to know you.

Patrick Dempsey is the other potential father. During every scene he's in, all I could think was, did his mother dip him in a magical river shortly after he was born? Dempsey is so obscenely handsome. He also comes across as being such a nice guy. He's just pure pleasure. His fireplace-warm and crackly good humor keeps the potentially awkward plot bouncing along, never getting too serious or painful.

I really think it's a human rights abuse that not every woman is issued her very own Colin Firth. He is arguably the perfect man. He may be the last living actor who can convincingly play a gentleman. Again, the film is played for laughs, but there is one scene that is heartbreakingly real. Firth is informed that Bridget is pregnant. He is so overwhelmed with emotion that he must leave the room. It's a small moment, but a poignant one, amidst the rest of the bedroom farce.

Renee Zellweger has aged, as have we all. But she's great. She inhabits Bridget, and steals our hearts.

The rest of the cast includes Bridget's funny, wacky mom, who is involved in an election meant to mirror current politics. Those brief scenes are as funny as the rest of the movie. Bridget's gang of friends are onhand, and seeing them feels as good as a reunion with your own old gang with whom you raised heck when you were young. As for the Hugh Grant character … go see the film. I don't want to spoil it for you.

Funny like Bridget

[sergelamarche · 6/10 · 18 June 2018]

I did like many gags that were hilarious, some less so. I found the film storyline rather predictable but tagged along for the good jokes. The last third was getting much less funny, more predictable but it needed to wrap up somehow.

Couldn't Even Finish It

[jfgibson73 · 3/10 · 25 February 2017]

The first Bridget Jones was a cultural event, one of the movies that defined the times it was released in. The second one was uneven, but had its moments. With this installment, I just didn't care about anything that happened. They lost my interest from the opening moments by having Bridget in the exact same situation we see her in the beginning of the first movie. I would have liked this story to cover some new ground, because I do like the character. Unfortunately, it's just another 90 minutes of keeping Mark Darcy just out of reach until they predictably end up together for the THIRD time.

A witty return to form

[ReganRebecca · 8/10 · 3 January 2017]

Like many I was very happy but skeptical when I heard the news of a third entry in the Bridget Jones series. It had been 12 years since the last film, The Edge of Reason, which deviated severely from its source material in the worst way possible and Helen Fielding had put out an awful third book Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, which seemed to destroy everything I loved about the series.

First off: Bridget Jones's Baby is NOT an adaptation of Mad About the Boy, but its own zany creation. Second of all it's actually surprisingly good. Despite a 12 year gap Renee Zellweger slips into her Bridget persona flawlessly. She's able to anchor the film so that it still feels like a Bridget Jones film while introducing new characters like Jack Quant, a man Bridget instantly has a spark with at a music festival, and Sarah Solemani as Bridget's colleague and single friend, Miranda. Sharon Maguire (who directed the first Bridget film and was the inspiration for Shazzer), returns and seems able to get the best out of her cast.

The film sees Bridget, now turning 43, as a successful news producer who is still single and childless. Deciding to embrace her state as a single spinster she goes to a music festival where she meets a handsome man about her age, and sleeps with him. A little while later, when at her godchild's christening, she runs into Mark Darcy, new divorced from the wife he married after they split up, and as sparks fly, she sleeps with him too, only to remember in the morning all the reasons they split up as he never had time with her and was always focused on work. Soon after she discovers she's pregnant with the titular baby.

A huge part of the success of the film is down to the script which holds contributions from notorious wit Emma Thompson. It's really quite funny, but also has a lot of character bits so we believe in these characters and their decisions. The explanation for why Bridget and Darcy aren't together feels organic and real. Similarly the movie does a great job of showing who these characters would be 12 years on. Bridget has grown and figures out things in life while still keeping sense of humour and being a clumsy mess in certain situations. Rather than appearing haughty, Mark comes across as painfully shy, a careful man who now has many regrets from all the chances he didn't take.

It's a wonderful, sweet movie, and a wonderful end to the Bridget Jones series.

An undemanding bit of fun

[michael-kerrigan-526-124974 · 6/10 · 21 October 2018]

Bridget Jones's Baby. Ridiculous, at times annoying, some chuckles but few laugh out loud moments. An undemanding watch though and was never bored. Not a touch on the original but far better than the debacle that was edge of reason. 6 out of ten

For the fans, if they'll have it

[pauhaa · 4/10 · 14 December 2016]

Why did I watch this? I can't say I was ever a fan, I never read the books, but I have seen the original film many times. I re-watched it not long ago, and had to admit it had worn out for me, but that's probably my own fault. It's not meant to be seen every holiday season. Still, it has very good timing and it's bittersweet. Bridget Jones' Baby doesn't and isn't. It's dragging and it would make absolutely no sense to anyone not familiar with the first ones. The millennial characters are unfunny and implausible, the writing there is both patronizing and eager to please, like me following my friend's teenage son on Instagram and commenting YOLO. Pussy Riot and cats that look like Hitler... and the next minute jokes about human rights violations... So, I actually watched for the experience of a 40+ pregnant woman, of any glimpses of successfully acted emotions. And for Colin Firth, and possibly Emma Thompson, although I think I'd now like to forget she has screenplay credit in this. But still, what happened? Was everyone an amateur? It was like the characters from earlier films were all doing cameos. Renee Zellweger was playing herself playing her character 12 years later. No, she was standing in for herself in that role. Her voice was often barely audible, like she was really, really tired.

Waited too long

[c_bourbeau · 7/10 · 26 December 2019]

It would have been better if they made this sooner. Some funny moments but sometimes jarring to watch.

Interesting continuation of the Bridget franchise

[tonypeacock-1 · 6/10 · 30 April 2020]

Quite entertaining rom-com, third instalment in the Bridget Jones Diary franchise with a few twists that make it a better film than the second really.

The odious Hugh Grant character, Daniel 'Vivian' Cleaver (Yes you read that right) does not appear in this instalment and his disappearance from this film is explained away pretty well. An apparent death although a body has not been recovered. Is he dead?

Bridget Jones (Rene Zellwegger) is still a single, forty something (43 To be precise) who somehow falls pregnant with two possible fathers. (New character, US dating algorithm billionaire guru Jack Quant (Patrick Dempsey) and series regular Mark Darcy (Colin Firth)).

The film follows the pregnancy from the first scan to the waters breaking with some hilarious scenes. Jones (as Daniel Cleaver would say) eventually marries but to whom? I won't give that away.

There's also a twist towards the end of the film. Is Cleaver still alive? Open for a continuation of the series perhaps. All in all an entertaining, comedic film.