The first time around, the balance of romance and jokes, not to mention the quality of the jokes, was spot on. In this sequel, there’s a fourth credited screenwriter and a change in directors, neither change to the good. There are jokes this time, of course though too many are obvious set ups rather than flowing organically from the story, Zellweger’s chubbiness seems too substantial for the four weeks the movie claims have passed since the first, and, worst of all, there is a completely needless heavy dramatic turn about two thirds in that brings all good cheer to a thudding halt.
All in all, Bridget Jones – The Edge of Reason, is a pretty good example of why you shouldn’t make sequels to romantic movies. Action films can be just as formulaic with them but in those films the audience is looking for more big booms, some high speed chases, a good villain and the hero saving everything in the last few minutes having nearly avoided losing everything. In movies where the lead character is looking for love and ends up finding it, a sequel has a lot of trouble because right off the story must account believably for why the relationship is off.
Let me tell you, using an airport drug bust with a half dozen cops pointing loaded AK-47s at Bridget as the external event that everntually brings the two lovers back together–but not before all humor and romance is lost as she faces 10-15 years in a Thai prison–is so over the top in the wrong direction that I cannot imagine how not one of the writers, producers, lead actors, nor studio executives stopped it. And while I applaud three major studios for making a film with a pleasantly plump over 30 actress as the star, shoving this factor constantly to the front of the screen gives it the weight of a gimick where subtlety would have been much better.
not recommended
PS: This wasn’t my conscious choice for it but I will note that this write up is the 300th such post I’ve made to the blog in just a bit over 3.5 years. Nice to reach milestones and fun to continue the effort.
BillSaysThis 