Helen Fielding, novelist and creator of Bridget Jones, will always have my admiration. While I may not be the biggest fan of her books and their film adaptations, I will readily acknowledge how her Bridget Jones’s Diary in 1996 practically invented chick-lit and was a brilliantly conceived comedic novel. The films that began in 2001 were smart enough to retain the tone and language of the books, and despite being an American actress portraying a very English character, gave Renée Zellwegger one of the roles she will be best remembered for. This Mad About the Boy is the fourth time Zellwegger is taking on Bridget Jones. 

What is comforting is how the films have followed the course of Fielding’s novels, which have shown Bridget getting older and facing realistically age-appropriate situations. Career, self-image, family, friends, romance, physical changes, menopause, and children- we’ve all watched Bridget through the years and have welcomed every visit ... so far!

With Mad About the Boy, I will admit that the first 35 minutes tries too hard to be a nostalgic weepie, and if not for the presence of Hugh Grant as Daniel Cleaver, I would have bailed. Remember Pixar’s Up and how the first twenty minutes took us through an emotional wringer? The beautiful thing with Up was how it was so organic and effortless. Here, the more than numerous cameos feel too calculating and manipulative, like everyone from the previous three films have been crammed into this prologue to remind us of how much we love the film franchise. 

Fortunately for us, after this rather tedious opening, the film does find its own footing with a tone that’s a little more serious than the previous three films, but still funny and peppered with wonderful sight gags and genuinely humorous situations. Look out for the dive into a pool to retrieve a pet dog and the sequence about applying a lip filler. 

The novel of the same name and the trailer have us aware that one of the narrative strands here have to do with a May-December romance, with Bridget, now a widow, doing the Mrs. Macron side of the equation, i.e. getting into a relationship with a much younger man, all of 29 years old. This would be Roxster (Leo Woodall), and kudos to the production and Director Michael Morris for handling this with restraint and taste, without jettisoning the comedy.

Chiwetel Ejiofor, as Mr. Wallaker, a teacher at the school that Bridget’s children attend, has the task of playing the more mature and realistic love interest. There is no spoiler here regarding who wins out or if a true winner exists. 

If I have to hand out trophies for scene-stealers, I’d engrave the names of Hugh Grant and Emma Thompson as Dr. Rawlings, Bridget’s gynaecologist. You’ll wish they both had more scenes, as the two genuinely sparkle and make their lines come alive. 

"Mad About the Boy" could be a fitting swansong to this film franchise. There are enough good bits to endear us to this fourth installment, and it’s good memories of where Fielding has taken us on this Bridget journey.