Bridget Jones Mad About the Boy review: Rollercoaster of emotions makes for a triumphant finale of iconic rom-coms

Film review: Bridget Jones, Mad About the Boy (15)

Starring: Renée Zellweger, Leo Woodall, Chiwtel Ejiofor, Hugh Grant

Director: Michael Morris Run time: Two hours, four minutes

Where do we start with Bridget Jones? She’s funny, relatable and has a certain charm about her.

I was excited to see her return to the big screen with the final film in the series, Mad About the Boy. This was done almost perfectly.

There was an enormous sense of nostalgia watching this. From iconic lines from the first and second films to some costumes even making a return.

But what made this film so utterly brilliant was the death of Mark Darcy (Colin Firth). I never thought I’d say that, but it made the film tear at your heartstrings throughout.

Mad About the Boy starts off with Bridget (Renée Zellweger) settled into a widowed life after losing her husband Mark four years previous. After being fatally killed, he left behind Bridget and their two young children, Billy and Mabel. We were first introduced to Billy in the third Bridget Jones film released in 2016 and centred around his birth.

However, she decides, with the help of some friends, to potentially date again. She is put off by the idea but eventually meets the stunning toyboy Roxster (Leo Woodall).

Woodall, a fairly new actor on the block, impressed me in TV series One Day. In Mad About the Boy, he certainly does charm with his puppy dog eyes and sweet nature.

But does his relationship with Bridget work out with such a huge age gap? Well, you will have to watch and see. I would have liked to see more chemistry between these two - it was lacking in places.

The theme of grief is heavy throughout the film. One moment you are laughing out loud, the next you’re welling up.

I couldn’t finish this review without mentioning Hugh Grant, who was hilarious throughout and brought some much-needed laughter after some tear-jerking moments.

His character, Daniel Cleaver, remains just the same witty and overly flirtatious man as before, but just funnier due to his age.

It was also welcome to see the return of many standout characters including Bridget’s parents Colin (Jim Broadbent) and Mrs Jones (Gemma Jones).

Broadbent’s performance was just as heartbreaking too. His and Renée’s on-screen chemistry as father and daughter just works so well.

Rating: 8/10

By Lucy Carter