Blockbuster.co.uk - DVD - Rent 'Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason'

"I truly believe that happiness is possible... even when you're thirty-three and have a bottom the size of two bowling balls."

Renee Zellweger piles on the pounds for a second round of cheeky romantic comedy as British icon Bridget Jones, as clumsy and indiscreet as anyone alive but that’s all part of her charm. Not to mention a major asset, if you’re trying to make people laugh. Besides Renee, returning familiar faces of note include those belonging to Colin Firth and Hugh Grant. Together the trio have loads of fun flirting and fighting with one another, endlessly chatting about giant sexy pants and getting into all sorts of wacky scrapes. Like when Bridget ends up in an Asian prison. That’s good for a laugh.

Although we’ve had to wait three years for this sequel to arrive, it’s been worth the wait. Renee explains why it took so long.

"The first film meant so much to me and I have so much respect for Bridget and what she represents that I didn't want to compromise that by following it with a film that meant nothing. I wanted to be certain that the motivation for making this film came from a creative place. I also wanted to be certain that it was a film that was substantial enough that it could stand on its own. Regardless of what had happened with the first picture, I wanted to be sure that it was a necessary film and that Bridget had more stories to tell." Rest assured she has.

Set just a few short weeks after the end of the first flick, at which time Bridget and the dashing Mark Darcy (Firth) were finally an item, The Edge Of Reason sees Jones up to her old tricks, thinking too much, talking too candidly, and ruining her relationship as a result. "You think you’ve found the right man," she reads from her famous diary, "but there’s so much wrong with him. And then he finds there’s so much wrong with you. And then it all just falls apart." He is incredibly uptight though, and a terrible snob to boot. Could it be that Bridget is destined to marry another? Maybe even ultimate cad Daniel Cleaver (Grant), back to woo our Bridget with champagne dreams and caviar fantasies. It’s good to see Grant back, even though his character barely makes an appearance in the novel. It would have been a shame to make this movie without him.

Ultimately though, it’s all about Bridget. "I think women love her because of her humanity," says Zellweger. "Because she’s so honest about how she feels. I don’t think she’s needy or desperate at all. See, you’re privy to her inner dialogue as an audience member, you know what she’s most afraid of, what she anticipates might be her greatest failure or what her own shortcomings are, but she never fails to trudge forward and believe that she’s gonna be fine. She always moves on."

Sweet and funny with an upbeat pop soundtrack, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason was rightly voted the Evening Standard Readers’ Film of 2004. Besides a trio of charming central performances and assured direction from Kidron, there’s a terrific supporting cast firmly committed to keeping you amused, a role call of British talent including Jim Broadbent, Celia Imrie, Sally Phillips, Shirley Henderson, Jessica Stevenson and even Paul "Mad Joe" Nicholls. Not bad. Not bad at all.

Enjoy! And don’t forget to add it to your list.

(c) Bridget Jones:Edge Of Reason (c) 2004 Universal Studios and Studio Canal and Miramax Film Corp. All Rights Reserved. Artwork (c) 2005 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.