Happy for now: Renee Zellweger and Leo Woodall in ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’.
BRIDGET JONES: MAD ABOUT THE BOY ***1/2 (125 minutes) M
All fears regarding the prospect of being reacquainted with everybody’s favourite romantic stumblebum a decade after her previous film are mercifully dashed by Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.
Beautifully done and featuring a full-bodied story rich with themes about love, lust and loss, we find Bridget (Renee Zellweger, of course) as a despondent middle-aged woman stuck in the doldrums of raising two children in the absence of their father (Colin Firth), who was killed on an aid mission.
She’s faced with the choice of remaining in her rut or getting back out there, which she does with the aid of a dating app.
With the Rom Com Movie God clearly looking over her, Bridget crosses the orbit of Roxster (Leo Woodall), an improbably attractive science student who happens to have a penchant for women about three times his age.
Zellweger – also a producer on the film, along with Bridget Jones author Helen Fielding – is now 55 and, to her credit, leans into her age as Bridget embarks on an emotional and sexual rollercoaster ride in her quest for personal renewal.
Along with her young stud, she also feels a buzz with Mr Wallaker (Chiwetel Ejiofor), the phys-ed teacher at her kids’ school.
Extremely well-directed by Michael Morris, this fourth – and, we are promised, final – chapter in the Bridget Jones saga is blessed with a terrific laugh quotient that sits comfortably alongside the film’s more dramatic story threads about coping with grief.
One of the best lines in the film acknowledges how there’s no word that adequately describes the depths one can sink to when someone you were sharing your life with is suddenly gone. It’s a touching moment.
Still, the film does not renege on its obligations to provide a satisfying feel-good vibe, addressing all its mature-aged themes – including the reality that can undercut fantasy sex scenarios – with humour and honesty to make this a fine, fond and fitting farewell.
The film is set to go gangbusters over the Valentine’s weekend and do well in subsequent frames to the droves of Bridget fans who will appreciate the uplift delivered by its finale.
Zellweger puts in another winning performance – it’s sobering that the first film came out in 2001 – with Hugh Grant popping up as her old beau to steal his fair share of scenes. Gratefully, his cad of a character has not been politically corrected.
Thank you again, Rom Com Movie God.
HEART EYES *** (97 minutes) MA
In this tongue-in-cheek, Valentine’s Day themed slasher jaunt, failing ad designer Ally (Olivia Holt) teams up with colleague Jay (Mason Gooding) as they try to survive as the titular serial killer goes on a slice’n’dice spree.
The film dutifully serves up the spades of cartoony violence the genre demands, but the real kicker is just how damned funny it all is, especially in the first hour or so.
What a delight. Perfect for a Valentine’s date night.
CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD *** (118 minutes) M
Given some of the barely watchable slop the studio has churned out of late, this VFX-driven soiree – the 35th Marvel movie in the current MCU run – is refreshingly good.
With Anthony Mackie taking over as the Captain to deal with a super-brained super villain (Tim Blake Nelson) who wants the new US president (Harrison Ford) to go to war with Japan, Captain America: Brave New World turns out to be a perfectly fine superhero franchise extender.
The adventure is graced with some big dollops of quality action – including a ripper aerial battle and a lovely fight with a new critter called Red Hulk – and a topical plot line involving mind control via smartphones. Nice.
KINDA PREGNANT *** (98 minutes) MA
Amy Schumer shines in a salty comedy about a suddenly single New York teacher who is prompted by her strong desire to be a mother to fake being pregnant, a move that sees her being instantly treated with courtesy and reverence.
Never mind the pummelling the film has inexplicably been getting from critics, Kinda Pregnant is a wily satire with heart and bite from the Adam Sandler studio that boasts a very high laugh-per-minute ratio.
Bearing Schumer’s signature, non-PC style – there are still few things funnier than women with foul mouths – the film toys with the travails of motherhood, sending up mindfulness classes and yoga as it builds to the inevitable point where the pregnancy ruse is must come undone.
The top ensemble cast includes Jillian Bell (Workaholics), Will Forte as Schumer’s romantic interest and Kiwi comedian Urzila Carlson, who lets rip as a school counsellor. (Where’s her movie?)
A crackling comedy.
On Netflix