BRIDGET JONES: MAD ABOUT THE BOY premieres on Peacock Feb 13th

I hope it's good.

As the Oscars loom, cinemas are bracing themselves for a particular surge of interest in one hotly anticipated title. Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, the fourth instalment in the misadventures of Helen Fielding’s hapless romantic, may be unlikely to dominate the Academy Awards, but it is set to clean up at screens across the country over the Valentine’s Day period – and beyond.

“We’re anticipating it to be one of the biggest titles of the year in the UK, the biggest British film of the year, and the biggest box office for the first half of 2025,” says Robert Mitchell, director of theatrical insights at Gower Street Analytics.

“Pre-sales are even higher than for blockbusters like Barbie,” said Eduardo Leal, group Regional director of screen content for the Vue cinema chain. “It is tracking to be the biggest ever Bridget Jones film.”

Watched on Peacock first thing this morning. I'm a huge Bridget Jones fan and I was not disappointed. A beautiful mixture of comedy and genuine sadness. I don't think Renee has ever been better and Hugh Grant is wonderful as the aging playboy Daniel. Leo Woodall is sex on a stick and quite charming even when he's being an asshole. I laughed out loud in some spots and teared up in a few others. Loved it.

R3. Oh, and I'm OP

Just finished it and although I haven’t seen any of the prior movies, I still cried like 5 times. Yes I’m a Mary.

Aren't these movies only for mug-cradlers?

R6. Yes

It was entertaining and fun to see a lot of the characters from the first movie again, but Renee’s plastic surgery face is hard to look at.

R8 = Nicole Kidman

We had to turn it off. It was a poor shadow of the previous funny Bridget movies. Juvenile, predictable and a waste of the great cast.

I loved it. I had avoided spoilers and the teasers so the reveal that a character had died succeeded in being a surprisingly heartbreaking moment. I was not prepared for how the audience finds out. The whole movie was really great. It's a shame it's being used to float Peacock here in the US. I'd rather have seen it in a theater with an audience.

I'm surprised this went straight to Peacock. It's mug cradling frau shit but that shit sells.

Does Leo Woodall have sex with that old lady?

I had no expectations and ended up loving it. Not as good as the first but better than the 2nd and 3rd. I think Renee looked really pretty in this-she looked like a normal lady in her 50s. I'm a Mary as well, R5 cuz I cried a few times, too. I'm not usual one for conventional pretty boys but DAMN! Leo Woodall is fine! Weird jump in the 3rd act to the finale but otherwise no real complaints. Love the nod to all her previous costumes-very cute. With it had played in theaters in the US.

*wish

WARNING: THE OPENING OF THIS MOVIE IS UNBELIEVABLY DEPRESSING. I didn't even watch the rest. This post contains "spoilers" although I'm not sure you could spoil something this bad.

The movie opens in Bridget's home where she has two grade school children as a chaotic single mother. The Bridget Jones series is supposed to interesting and enjoyable. Bridget wasn't mom material, and this is well-worn territory. It cuts to Hugh Grant, looking really bad and old. His character is still evil, and still a womanizer. What a treat. He appears to be involved with Bridget. No. Just no

He goes to Bridget's house but, surprise, to babysit. Bridget heads out to meet Mark Darcy (played by Colin Firth). They walk to his mansion. Bridget heads into the mansion but Mark doesn't. Cause he was imaginary. A voiceover tells us he died years ago on this day. While on a humanitarian mission.

At this point I'm gone. What a piece of dog shit.

R16 Life happens, people die, and lots of women are not cut out to be mothers but they make it work. I love the woman and mother Bridget has become. It's a very funny, honest film. Renee is wonderful in it.

R16 good god it sounds awful. BasicFrau catnip

[R17]

It's a made up story; a popcorn movie for a largely female audience. It didn't have to go there.

Helen Fielding, author of the Bridget Jones novels, made her a widow in "Mad About the Boy," which was published 12 years ago. The movie had no choice but to go there.

R19 But it did. Grow a pair.

The first movie is based on Pride and Prejudice which is the prototypical fairy tale rom-com. Tragedy doesn’t fit the brand at all.

R20 the third movie was different to the book, they could have done whatever they wanted in the fourth

Shouldn't OPs post links when starting these threads? Photos, at least?

R24. What kind of photos would you like to see, dear? Do pictures help you understand better? If you need a visual you can always google.

Newsflash, bad OP, but visuals help everyone understand everything better. It's how learning works.

She looks kind of like herself again. Did she reverse the procedures?

I tried to watch this thinking it would be funny. It isn’t. I made it 15 minutes. The Daniel Cleaver character is repulsive. Bridget is supposed to be 47 but doesn’t look a day under 57. She’s very haggard now. I wasn’t about to stick around to see some gorgeous 20 something guy lusting after her. Complete ugly frau fantasy dreck.

R27, plastic surgery cannot be reversed.

I’m still bitter that Fielding allowed the U.S. publisher of the first sequel to excise the truly wonderful subplot about Princess Diana’s death, played for both laughs and tears.

Snore.

I'd suck that beautiful Leo's Woody from now til Christmas

Treacle, but that would be expected.

I was taken by Zellweger's hair. It was thin and messy... which I guess was consistent with the 50+ year old character. But then as "she gets back out there in the world" occasionally it looked like they were trying to make her hair more attractive... but it was still just a mess.

Also, a 50 year old woman attracting a young man who eventually ghosted her before he didn't... nothing about her seemed ready to attract the love and desire of so young a guy, even if he had a thing for milfs. It was borderline creepy.