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LOS ANGELES, Feb. 13 (UPI) -- 24 years after her first movie adaptation, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy finds the heroine at another crossroads in life. The movie, premiering Thursday on Peacock, is a worthy addition to the film series based on Helen Fielding's books. Renee Zellweger returns as Bridget Jones, now a widow whose husband, Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), died four years ago while doing humanitarian work. Firth appears in a few scenes as Bridget imagines him.
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Bridget approaches parenting their children Billy (Casper Knopf) and Mabel (Mila Jankovic) with the same relatable, irreverent attitude she had while dating. As a mom, she'll count to three when her kids act out, but in her head admit she has no plan once she reaches three.
Bridget has modern frustrations like forgetting her Netflix password, but grief and single parenthood are real and relevant issues worthy of another movie. She quite astutely observes that everyone who gives her advice on how to move on says something different and often, contradictory.
The children prove to be remarkably organic vehicles to contribute to Bridget's natural embarrassment. Kids sharing embarrassing things is even more honest than when she showed up to a party in a bunny costume in the first movie.
A single mom needing help with her kids in the park is a realistic situation, and Zellweger plays up the slapstick of it. It becomes a meet-cute with Roxster (Leo Woodall), who comes to the Jones-Darcys' aid and connects with Bridget online.
It is a joy to see Bridget happy with Roxster, a younger man.
Reality eventually sets in, however, as happens with all relationships regardless of age difference. There's no happily ever after, only people trying to make relationships work, so Bridget is back to dealing with frustrations that never go away.
Having children in school also provides more real-life scenarios for Bridget to tackle in her unique way. She attends Career Day, parent-teacher conferences, and a field trip with Mr. Walliker (Chiwetel Ejiofor).
Walliker is a good foil to Bridget, a stickler for rules and a man of empirical science, even though he insists on drilling it into grade school students. Yet he's not so far gone that he's not another potential suitor for Bridget.
Homages to jokes from the first film are funny on their own merit, and only funnier if one remembers the original joke. Zellweger still makes the Bridget faces through all her troubles.
Even romantic-comedy cliches are funnier in the Bridget Jones franchise. She still dances around her house, this time with her kids, and to mimic a microphone she sings into a rolled up towel, a clever twist on the cliched hairbrush prop.
In addition, music choices are as important to Bridget Jones as ever. David Bowie's "Modern Love" and The Clash's "Should I Stay or Should I Go" are standouts in Mad About the Boy.
Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) appears after being presumed dead and then discovered alive in the third film. His appearance isn't much more than a cameo, but he is funny and poignant. It is very nice to see how much affection he still holds for Bridget.
Even though this is the first Bridget Jones film to premiere on a streaming service, the production value is on par with the theatrical films. The movie is still filmed in England and includes many scenes crowded with extras, more than many Netflix films can boast.
It may be sad that a loving husband and father is gone, but it is something most families will have to face. Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy trades "happily ever after" for "we're going to be okay," and is stronger for it.
Fred Topel, who attended film school at Ithaca College, is a UPI entertainment writer based in Los Angeles. He has been a professional film critic since 1999, a Rotten Tomatoes critic since 2001, and a member of the Television Critics Association since 2012 and the Critics Choice Association since 2023. Read more of his work in Entertainment.
