Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (2025)

Bridget Jones has now been in our lives for over two decades, a testament to the success of the series and-more importantly- proof that the characters within this fictional world appeal to the masses. This latter attestation is the driving force behind a fourth installment of the Renée Zellweger fronted franchise, or rather, it should be.

Nearly a quarter of a century ago Bridget appeared on our screens as a granny pants-wearing, accident prone single lady who appealed to various single thirty-something women out there who related to Bridget's struggles, trying to juggle potential relationships with a serious career. And what made it so solid was that it also appealed to the masses as well, people like me who just enjoyed spending time with these characters: Bridget, Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant), Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) and latterly Jack (Patrick Dempsey) and Doctor Rawlings (Emma Thompson).

These are the characters I cared about and what made the franchise tick, held together with the glue of Bridget herself, and the addition of Dempsey and Thompson in Bridget Jones's Baby (2016) brought a surprisingly touching and seemingly happy ending to what had become a trilogy. After the inevitable sequel to the original in Edge of Reason (2004), a third part came somewhat out of the blue but was such a surprising joy that almost a decade on, the news of a fourth part didn't make my heart completely sink.

Mark Darcy has tragically died working abroad, and we join Bridget four years on, raising their two children on her own and understandably having no time for relationships or one-night stands and the like. She hasn't returned to work either and spends her time running around after her kids, the eldest of which is clearly still struggling with the loss of a father figure in his life. Bridget has embraced the chaos of single parenthood; it's an outlet for her that provides a welcome distraction from mourning her late husband. But as artistic license- and Bridget's group of friends- insist, it's been too long since Bridget has enjoyed herself, and she's unceremoniously thrown into the world of dating apps by her colleague Miranda (a once more brilliant Sarah Solemani) eventually meeting Roxster (Leo Woodall) who is several years her junior.

He's not the only new man on the scene. Bridget also meets (in more organic fashion) Mr Wallaker (Chiwetel Ejiofor) a new Science teacher at her kid's school who is chalk and cheese in comparison to Roxster, and if by this point you don't know how it's all going to end, you're not trying.

Mad About The Boy has been served extremely well by critics and fans alike, most of which have jumped on the emotional pull that the characters still have on the audience and in this they're absolutely right. The film's best moments include Grant's Cleaver who is known as Uncle Daniel by Bridget's kids, and it's Bridget and Daniel's entire dynamic that makes up the pull of the film. The problem is these moments are so fleeting; as are the highly amusing appointments Bridget has with Thompson's Doctor Rawlings.

Jack was a great addition to the franchise in 2016, fully ingratiating himself into the world of Bridget and co. meaning that his complete absence here leaves a unexpectedly gaping hole, one that simply isn't filled by Roxster whose exit stage right in this film is as baffling as his behaviour leading up to it. Mr Wallaker fares better; Ejiofor is such a fine actor that he'd be welcome back in any further outings for this franchise- the problem is that the franchise itself is no longer welcome.

The emotional core of Bridget Jones is as much about the characters around her as it is herself, and we've been sharing their lives for almost a quarter of a century. Unfortunately, the addition of her children, who are clearly the beating heart here, are lost because we have no background with them whatsoever. Darcy's absence isn't filled by his children as horrible as that may sound; they're thrust upon us whilst we yearn to spend time with the nostalgia of other characters, leading to a muddled tone and ultimately unsatisfying fourth (and surely final) Jones outing.

The film does end on a lovely note; another snow filled street chase and an epilogue that will leave many in tears proving that it really doesn't matter a jot what I think. But considering my exuberant surprise at the validity of the third film (minus the utterly unwanted Ed Sheeran cameo) this was a real disappointment. Tonally all over the place with the pull of nostalgia all too brief, Mad About the Boy far outstays its welcome by at least half an hour, sacrificing our time with the characters we love in favour of an inevitable yet unneeded story-line.

Dare I say it, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy could have learned a lot from American Reunion (2012), although once again Renée Zellweger runs the show, almost making it worth the entrance fee- she has made this character her own, and once again makes us completely believe in Bridget Jones. The problem is I just don't care about the rest of it anymore. 5.9/10