Bridget Jones's Diary

Each of has had a moment so awkward we wished we could fall into a hole in the Earth. Everyone at one time or another has made a total fool of themselves in public. And who among us has not knowingly entered a romance destined to end in pain and humiliation? It's that kind of collective woe that makes Bridget Jones's Diary so endearing.

Based loosely on Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice", Diary follows the romantic misadventures of a single, neurotic British thirty-two year old who drinks, smokes, and weighs too much. After overhearing someone's highly unflattering opinion of her at her parents' New Year's party, Bridget vows to clean up her life and to keep a diary tracking her progress (or lack thereof).

Fans of the book will be happy to hear that although not naturally British or overweight, Renee Zellweger brings Bridget to an empathetic life onscreen. Her round, girlish face conveys every emotion going through her mind, and she's at ease with abandoning her dignity without reservation. To be a proper Bridget Jones is to be a total mess, after all. If she were to lose those twenty pounds or self-destructing in public, she wouldn't be the Bridget that millions have grown to love.

It's no wonder that the integrity of the novel is kept - one of the book's supporting characters is the director. Sharon Maguire, in her first time helming a major motion picture, is actually the basis for one of Bridget's close friends and fellow screw-ups, the foul-mouthed Shazzer. Watching scenes with Bridget and pals onscreen, it's easy to see how camaraderie can be formed over failure - so long as you are able to have a hearty laugh at your own expense.

Speaking of, Hugh Grant gets to give one of the best performances of his career in Bridget. His role as the womanizing Daniel Cleaver seems to suit his off screen persona (at least according to certain scandals) better than his foppish, stammering characters in Notting Hill and Four Weddings and a Funeral. As Bridget's bad boy boss, Grant makes Cleaver the perfect Mr. Wrong. Wickedly funny and irresistibly charming, Daniel Cleaver is the perfect evidence of why women waste their time on the wrong men. They are so much fun before the romance implodes!

As Daniel Cleaver's total opposite, Mark Darcy, Colin Firth gamely takes on a character based on Mr. Darcy in "Pride and Prejudice" - a role Firth played on British television, which also made him a source of much adoration from Bridget in the book. (Confused yet?) Dour, dependable, and disapproving, it is no wonder that Darcy draws more of Bridget's ire than admiration. After his snide comments at the aforementioned party, he has a lot of ground to cover before he can win Bridget over. Fortunately, Firth is able to look quite handsome when he frowns with disdain.

Like its heroine, Bridget Jones's Diary has its forgivable imperfections. A side story about the marriage of Bridget's parents is somewhat uninvolving, and some of the supporting characters seem tacked on to satisfy loyal readers of the novel. For the most part, however, Maguire realizes that the audience is there to see Bridget, flaws and all, and by the end of the film, it's hard not to love Bridget just the way she is.