Charmingly Awkward - BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY First Time Reaction & Commentary #reaction #valentinesday

Bridget Jones's Diary is a 2001 romantic comedy film directed by Sharon Maguire from a screenplay by Helen Fielding, Andrew Davies and Richard Curtis. It is based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Fielding, which was itself a loose adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. The film stars Renée Zellweger as Bridget Jones, a 32-year-old British single woman who writes a diary, which focuses on the things she wishes to happen in her life. However, her life changes when two men vie for her affection, portrayed by Colin Firth and Hugh Grant. Jim Broadbent and Gemma Jones appear in supporting roles. Principal photography began in August 2000 and ended in November, and took place largely on location in London and the home counties. Bridget Jones's Diary premiered at the Empire in London on 10 March 2001 and was released on 13 April simultaneously in the United Kingdom and in the United States. It grossed over $280 million worldwide against a production budget of $25 million and received generally positive reviews from critics, who highlighted Zellweger's titular performance, which garnered her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress at the 74th Academy Awards. Over the years, it has been hailed as part of the English pop culture, with Bridget Jones being cited as a British cultural icon. The success of the film spawned a Bridget Jones film series, with three sequels being released, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004), Bridget Jones's Baby (2016) and Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (2025). Cast Renée Zellweger as Bridget Jones Colin Firth as Mark Darcy Hugh Grant as Daniel Cleaver Jim Broadbent as Colin Jones Gemma Jones as Pamela Jones Celia Imrie as Una Alconbury James Faulkner as 'Uncle' Geoffrey Charmian May as Mrs. Darcy Paul Brooke as Mr. Fitzherbert Felicity Montagu as Perpetua Shirley Henderson as Jude Sally Phillips as Sharon "Shazza" James Callis as Tom Embeth Davidtz as Natasha Glenville Patrick Barlow as Julian Lisa Barbuscia as Lara Neil Pearson as Richard Finch Dolly Wells as Woney Donald Douglas as Admiral Darcy Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "Hugh Grant is charming too, luxuriating in naughtiness, taking a holiday from his usual floppy, velvet romantic image as Bridget's caddish boss, Daniel Cleaver." Hunter praised Firth, writing "He's the complete Darcy, and he never wavers. There's no sentimentality, no flirtation with the audience, no final moment of pandering to the niceness gods; he's a cold geek all the way through."[32] Some critics said that in the book's adaptation to the screen, it loses "much of Fielding's irony, nuance and cynicism". Clinton wrote, "While the writers have captured Fielding's sparkling rhythm with words, they've created a bit of havoc with the plotline." Though she gave a positive review, Schwarzbaum opined, "The mess, though, where's the mess? The hysteria, the middle of the night jitters of loneliness? The mess of Bridget's life [in the book] has been tidied, neatened into little piles of mirth and gaiety...The movie never shows us anything about Bridget that's remotely in need of psychological or physical fixing." Felicia Feaster of Creative Loafing expressed that "Bridget's 'why can't I find a husband?' lament" becomes tiresome and "caters to women's lowest expectations and suggests that even the 'modern' 'liberated' woman is a Doris Day closet-case." In contrast, Stephanie Zacharek of Salon.com said the film is an improvement on the novel. In a 2021 retrospective piece for the New Statesman, Johanna Thomas-Corr discussed the more outdated aspects of the film, but said that the central performances are what makes the movie timeless. Accolades Bridget Jones's Diary was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best British Film, the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, and the Satellite Award for Best Film – Musical or Comedy, while Richard Curtis, Andrew Davies, and Helen Fielding were nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. In 2008, the American Film Institute included the film in its AFI's 10 Top 10 "Nominated Romantic Comedy" listing. Renée Zellweger's performance was nominated for an Academy Award, the BAFTA Award, the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award, the Empire Award, the Golden Globe Award, the Screen Actors Guild Award, and the Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award. Colin Firth was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and the Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, while Hugh Grant won the Evening Standard British Film Awards' Peter Sellers Award for Comedy and was nominated for the Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, and the European Film Award – Jameson People's Choice Award – Best Actor. All information Sourced from Wikipedia