Bridget Jones - The Edge of Reason (2004)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Candy R

  
  Warning spoilers! Second part, she gets her man, ends up in a Thai prison, loses her man, gets him back again. Fave scene - fighting in the fountain. Hilarious! Great cast.

• Bethany M

  
  I love Bridget Jones. As good as the first one, I would even say better. An exceptional sequel. Extremely hilarious! She never fails to impress. Renee Zelwegger plays her perfectly. The skiing scene is my favourite. So funny!

• Nicki M

  
  Funnily enough, I have marked this up half a star from my original rating. I remembered this as being a lot worse than it actually was. Oh, it had it's moments, alright, don't get me wrong. The skiing trip and the spell in prison come to mind quite quickly, but it had… More
  Funnily enough, I have marked this up half a star from my original rating. I remembered this as being a lot worse than it actually was. Oh, it had it's moments, alright, don't get me wrong. The skiing trip and the spell in prison come to mind quite quickly, but it had it's funny moments and the familiarity of the characters help to excuse a lot. Renee Zellweger, again, does a great job as Bridget, and though a lot of the jokes are rehashed from the first one, they still work. Colin Frith is less stuffy here, as his character seems to have loosened up a little, and Hugh Grant plays the same old sleaze, actually less charismatic here, which I guess was the idea. Lesser than the first one for sure, but still entertaining enough to waste a few hours.

• Spencer S

  
  I never really believed I would like a chick flick, but it felt like I was jumping into a Marian Keyes or a Madeleine Wickham, and I do love chick lit. Now I just have to read the book.

• Dean !

  
  A decent follow up that blends seamlessly from the first. Much more of the same really, with all the same main characters from the first. It has the same type of humour as the first to, maybe not quite as good as the original but not that far off. If you like the first one give this a… More
  A decent follow up that blends seamlessly from the first. Much more of the same really, with all the same main characters from the first. It has the same type of humour as the first to, maybe not quite as good as the original but not that far off. If you like the first one give this a go.

• Anthony L

  
  Much like the first film, absolute rubbish!

• Lanning :

  
  I liked the first and was skeptical about the second. Sequels -- you all know how that turns out most of the time. And my fears were realized to some extent. Not as good, but decent enough for a viewing. The original I'd watch again. Not so this one.

• Dean M

  
  This sequel to <i>Bridget Jones's Diary</i> isn't as funny, but Renee Zellwegger is aborable and Colin Firth is a quietly charming love interest. Hugh Grant, at his most interestingly ambiguous, adds unexpected edginess.

• Jose Z

  
  totally a chick flick, men avoid this for all reasons

• Sophie B

  
  She is so unlucky its unbelieveable!

• Leigh R

  
  Good.

• Sanjaya &

  
  Renee is really awesome! I love the soundtracks too...

• Nate Z

  
  [center][font=Arial][color=darkred][img]http://img315.imageshack.us/img315/9198/photo225dy.jpg[/img][/color][/font][/center] [font=Arial][color=darkred][/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]You don?t see too many sequels to romantic comedies, and that?s practically by design.… More
  [center][font=Arial][color=darkred][img]http://img315.imageshack.us/img315/9198/photo225dy.jpg[/img][/color][/font][/center] [font=Arial][color=darkred][/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]You don?t see too many sequels to romantic comedies, and that?s practically by design. Most romantic comedies consist of keeping the leads apart as long as possible, and then in that final climactic moment they connect, embrace, kiss, usually while a camera pans around them and some up-tempo Top 40 songs swells on the soundtrack. Then we end, our story finished. You see, romantic comedies are essentially modern fairy tales, and they end on the ?happily ever after? moment, the most joyous moment. We don?t think about what their lives could be afterwards. I doubt few in the audience are biting their nails to know who does the dishes or if their sex life diminishes.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]So for all of these stated reasons, sequels to romantic comedies are rare, unless, of course, they?re based on a book series that?s a cash cow of chick lit. Thus, America, we are given Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, the sequel to the smash 2001 film Bridget Jones?s Diary.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]The movie takes place four weeks after Bridget (Renee Zellweger) and Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) cuddling in the falling snow. Their relationship is all lovey-dovey, until Bridget starts reconsidering if she made the right choice of men. Her former boss, Daniel (Hugh Grant) has gone on to fame as a travel correspondent for TV news. He?s a bad boy, for sure, but sparks flew with him. Bridget also suspects Mark of cheating on her with a leggy colleague (whose final plot revelation is quite dumb). Bridget tries her best to fit in with Mark?s upper crust society, but is starting to feel unaccepted. Then she becomes a partner to Daniel on his travel reports, and the two visit exotic locales and sparks begin once more.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]Edge of Reason feels like a poor slapdash grab at money. The film lifts entire scenes from the first Bridget Jones movie and tries reworking them for similar effect. Watching Firth and Grant sissy fight each other is amusing ... the first time I saw it in 2001. For the most part, it seems like the filmmakers behind Edge of Reason were straining to come up with things after that ?happily ever after? moment. What other reason can there be for some of the disastrous plot turns in Edge of Reason? The revolving door of writers (including author Helen Fielding herself) manufacture petty and foolish nitpicks for Bridget that she treats as life or death. It?s hard to feel concern for her. When you strand your main character ?in a romantic comedy, no less? in a Thailand prison because she was caught smuggling drugs ?in a romantic comedy, remember? then you have some giant plot issues.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]The wit and biting commentary from Bridget seem to be stripped away. She only makes two journal entries, which open and close the film, and they were responsible for some of the greatest comedy bits in the original movie. She no longer comes across as a snappy, ordinary girl with a big heart and some big neuroses (did I mention the Thailand prison?). The Bridget of Edge of Reason seems a bit obnoxious at times. The comedy of Edge of Reason doesn?t generally rise above slapstick. Watch Bridget parachute into a dung field (Ha!), watch Bridget ski backwards down a slalom (Hilarious!), watch Bridget get stoned from magic mushrooms (You?re killing me!), and don?t forget to watch her fall down, like, a lot (R.I.P. Nate; cause of death: laughing too hard). The makers of Edge of Reason are just trying too damn hard.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]It?s a wonder that Edge of Reason does work at times, and that reason is because of the acting of our romantic trio. Zellweger is still incredibly charming despite some of the things she?s forced to do. She?s never looked better than when she has her Bridget Jones physique; she's practically glowing. Grant is at his best when he?s a cad, and once again he gets the best lines, especially when he?s undressing Bridget during a work trip. The movie comes alive when he and Zellweger start their flirtatious battle. Firth adds shades of humanity and adoration to his fuddy-duddy role. He?s got a great everyman appeal, even when he?s being a twit.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]Edge of Reason also seems to flog whatever it feels is funny. If Bridget saying something inappropriate in front of a group of dignitaries and ambassadors is funny, then expect it to happen again five or six times. And it does, sadly. Edge of Reason is almost a wall-to-wall torture chamber of public embarrassment for Bridget, and if the filmmakers thought that would endear her to audiences they were wrong. We were endeared already by her wit and charm, but I guess the people behind Edge of Reason thought we didn?t want more of that. I miss you old Bridget Jones, wherever you are.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]The first Bridget Jones movie was directed by Sharon Maguire, a personal friend of Fielding. Maguire was close enough to know how to adapt the story and retain the elements that made Bridget Jones entertaining. Edge of Reason?s director Beeban Kidron seems to be assembling a Bridget Jones movie for a focus group. We lose the personality of Bridget and get an accident-prone buffoon. All that?s missing are the banana peels.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]Everything about Edge of Reason screams laziness. A great example of this is the film?s choice for music. The songs are so obvious, from ?All By Myself? to ?I?m Not in Love? to songs that simply have ?love? in their title, like ?I Believe in a Thing Called Love? to Beyonce?s ?Crazy in Love.? Chances are, if your band ever released a song with ?love? in the title, the music director of Edge of Reason considered using it.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason will likely entertain its core audience (there were very few men unaccompanied by women in my theater). The cast makes this stilted sequel worth watching. If you really liked Bridget Jones?s Diary, you?ll probably be intermittingly amused with Edge of Reason, because it?s the same meal, only reheated with a bit of a chill. Let this be an example of why Hollywood doesn?t make sequels to romantic comedies. We?re happy enough with ?happily ever after.?[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]Nate's Grade: C+[/color][/font]

• Andrew F

  
  Though I think this sequel was unneeded, it is still entertaining enough to recommend.

• Jason S

  
  More of the same in this uninspired sequel. More situation based than the first time around, there are a couple of laughs but Bridget is just too moronic to gain any real laughs. Fans of the first only apply.

• Erin C

  
  Continuation of the first one with just as many laughs and painfully awkward Bridget moments as before. I love these movies!

• Jonny C

  
  Good sequel with equally as many laughs as the first.

• Marcus W

  
  There I am, busy, while this is on in the background. It repeats all the decent jokes from the first film such as "the fight" and her giant pants. She also spends time in a Thai prison and teaches the girls there about Madonna. She think's she's fat, and she tries… More
  There I am, busy, while this is on in the background. It repeats all the decent jokes from the first film such as "the fight" and her giant pants. She also spends time in a Thai prison and teaches the girls there about Madonna. She think's she's fat, and she tries to iron her hair - which is what gave this review an extra half star. Anyway, ten mintues before the end, I see what else is on only to learn that while watching this I've missed the first hour and a half of Terminator 2. To this day, the neighbours have never known what caused the intensely, agonising scream of '09.

• Jason R

  
  Picked up right were the first film left off, but didn't really bring anything new to the table. They managed to make Hugh Grant's character rather dull and flat, which was disappointing. While it did have a bit of the charm from the first it was lacking something that just… More
  Picked up right were the first film left off, but didn't really bring anything new to the table. They managed to make Hugh Grant's character rather dull and flat, which was disappointing. While it did have a bit of the charm from the first it was lacking something that just didn't make this an all to great sequel.

• Sunil J

  
  The first movie may have been a lot better than this but there is no excuse for such a lame plot. The Edge of Reason was a hilarious book that was much more clever than the first. How did we get this?

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