You can overlook the obvious all you want, but self-delusion leads to
unacceptance and the basis of this romantic comedy is unacceptable. It wants
you to believe that there are good looking guys around who will overlook
clumsy awkwardness and nagging persistence in their supposed adoration for
their woman. What it does is make them look like fatuous dummies who are
role-playing to make a buck.
If there had to be a sequel to the successful story of an overweight gal
overcoming her identity crisis, why couldn't she have slimmed down and
gathered some respectable self-control? Can't spoil it for the demographic
that flooded the boxoffice for "Bridget Jones Diary", the original, eh? The result is a
zanier piece of slapshtick that tends to fall flatter than the proverbial
pancake makeup.
Starting out, TV journalist Bridget (Renee Zellwegger) is happily secure in
the affections of handsome lawyer Mark (Colin Firth) who seems unabashedly in
love with the slightly outsized diarist. But when she notices the time he
spends with gorgeous colleague (Jacinda Barrett), alarm signals go off and
she reverts to the insecure mess she is at the core.
Her control becomes weaker than ever as she tries to keep her guy and, even,
get him to commit himself to her in marriage. We're left with a less and
less appealing heroine with diminishing charm, oafish behavior, clinging
desperation, and a one-track personality. It's as though director Beeban
Kidron and her four credited writers (including Helen Fielding, the
novelist!) think comedy is derived from a heaping up of embarrassments.
Instead, it caused me to check for the quickest exit from the theatre but not
before heartthrob Hugh Grant is reprised from his role in the earlier film
and somehow pasted into this clumsy scenario which goes from bad to
ridiculous.
You've heard of a bad hair day? This is a bad hair movie.
Zellwegger may have comedic gifts, but they don't add enough positive
ingredients to salvage this poorly balanced recipe. Its desperate and
ineffective reach for humor is as unappetizing as it is unreasonable.
~~ Jules Brenner