Bridget Jones's Diary (film)
Encyclopedia
Bridget Jones's Diary is a 2001 British romantic comedy film
based on Helen Fielding
's novel of the same name
. The adaptation
stars Renée Zellweger
as Bridget
, Hugh Grant
as the caddish Daniel Cleaver, and Colin Firth
as Bridget's "true love", Mark Darcy. A sequel
, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
, was released in 2004 to mostly negative reviews from critics.
Actresses who were considered for the role of Bridget Jones were Helena Bonham Carter
, Emily Watson
, Rachel Weisz
, and Cameron Diaz
. Toni Collette
declined the role because she was on Broadway starring in The Wild Party
at the time, and Kate Winslet
was considered but the producers decided she was too young.
Before the film was released, a considerable amount of controversy surrounded the casting of the American Zellweger as what some saw as a quintessentially British heroine. However, her performance is widely considered to be of a high standard, including her English accent.
The director of the film, Sharon Maguire
, is one of Fielding's friends whom the character of "Shazzer" was reportedly based on. In the film, "Shazzer" was played by Sally Phillips
.
Zellweger was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress
for her role in the film.
(Renée Zellweger
) is frustrated; she is in her early thirties, still single, very accident prone and worried about her weight. She works in publicity at a book publishing company in London where her main focus is fantasizing about her boss, Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant
). At a New Year party hosted by her parents, she re-meets Mark Darcy (Colin Firth
), the barrister son of her parents' friends. They had known each other as children. After their initial encounter, Mark thinks that Bridget is a fool and Bridget thinks that he is arrogant and rude, this not being helped by his jumper with a huge moose. After a day beset by a series of mishaps, she misplaced her purse, broke her coffee mug and got stuck in a lift. When she returns home that evening, her shopping bags split. She reached to pull the curtains, only for them to fall off the wall; the was the final straw of a stressful day. When she catches sight of her svelte reflection in the window, she decided to turn her life around. She starts her own diary, which covers all her attempts to stop smoking, lose weight, and catch her Mr. Right.
Bridget and Daniel begin to flirt heavily at work, first over e-mail. After a book launch, they start a relationship, despite the fact that he is a notorious womanizer with a questionable personality, of which Bridget is aware, from when stating earlier in the film that she will not form relationships with alcoholics, workaholics, peeping-toms, megalomaniacs, emotional fuckwits or perverts. Bridget learns from Daniel that he and Mark have a history and as a result, hate each other. Daniel informs Bridget of their fallout, telling her that Mark broke their friendship by sleeping with his fiancée.
Daniel's dubious character becomes clearer and clearer to Bridget and eventually she breaks off their relationship when she catches him with another woman, a colleague of his, Lara (Lisa Barbuscia
). After a spectacular departure from the office, in which Daniel's desperate attempts to make Bridget stay sparks the comment "I'd rather have a job wiping Saddam Hussein's arse", she finds a new job in television.
She and Mark have run-ins at a bed-and-breakfast and at a mutual friend's dinner party. During the party, Mark, who has come to the dinner with his colleague, Natasha (Embeth Davidtz
), privately confesses to Bridget that, despite Bridget's faults, he likes her "just the way she is". He later helps Bridget to land a major interview for work, her quirky approach prompting the classic comment "Bridget Jones - already a legend". She begins to develop feelings for Mark. Just as Bridget and Mark's mutual attraction for each other comes together at a birthday dinner party hosted by Bridget, Daniel comes back into the picture temporarily claiming Bridget's attention. Mark originally leaves the party, but comes back to face Daniel. Mark punches Daniel and the two fight, which moves into a nearby restaurant where Mark and Daniel smash through the window, landing on the street. Mark wins the battle and knocks Daniel out. Bridget chides Mark, but afterwards, after an insensitive appeal by Daniel, she says emphatically that she doesn't want to be with him.
Bridget learns the truth about Mark and Daniel's fallout after her mother lets it out in conversation - that it was actually Daniel that had seduced Mark's wife.("It was the other way round - my wife, my heart"). At a dinner party the same day, Bridget confesses her feelings for Mark, only to find out that he and Natasha are both leaving to accept jobs in New York. Bridget interrupts the toast to their pending engagement with a halting but moving speech about England losing one of its finest, which clearly has an effect on Mark, as he realises her real meaning, but he still flies to New York, though with obvious misgivings. Just as Bridget starts to embark on a trip to Paris with her friends to mend her broken heart, Mark returns to stay with Bridget.
As they're about to kiss for the first time, Bridget exits to her bedroom to change her undergarments, remarking that it is "an occasion for genuinely tiny knickers." While Bridget is changing, Mark peeks at her diary, in which she has written many insults about him. Bridget returns to find that he has left. Realizing that he had read her diary and that she might potentially lose him again, Bridget runs outside after him in a thin sweater and leopard skin-print underwear. Unable to find him and disheartened, she is about to return home when Mark appears holding a new diary, "to make a fresh start". They kiss in the snow-covered streets and the film closes.
Also, both Salman Rushdie and Jeffrey Archer have cameo
s in the film. Honor Blackman
also has a cameo as a party guest.
Pride and Prejudice writer Andrew Davies
collaborated on the screenplays for the 2001 and 2004 Bridget Jones films, in which Crispin Bonham-Carter
(Mr. Bingley) and Lucy Robinson
(Mrs. Hurst) appeared in minor roles. The self-referential in-joke between the projects convinced Colin Firth to accept the role of Mark Darcy, as it gave him an opportunity to ridicule and liberate himself from his Pride and Prejudice character.
. Bridget and Daniel ventured to the exclusive Stoke Park Club
in Buckinghamshire for their mini-break, where they went rowing on the lake and stayed in the Pennsylvania Suite. Stansted Airport doubled as JFK Airport in New York, while Syon House in Brentford featured as the venue for the anniversary party. Snowshill in Gloucestershire featured as the home of Bridget Jones' family.
currently gives the film an 80% 'Fresh' rating, with the consensus "Though there was controversy over the choice of casting, Zellweger's Bridget Jones is a sympathetic, likable, funny character, giving this romantic comedy a lot of charm."
Critic Roger Ebert
gave the film 3.5 out of 4 possible stars.
.
It also features two hit songs which were released as singles, "Out of Reach
" by Gabrielle
and "It's Raining Men" by Geri Halliwell
.
Worldwide Edition
U.S. Edition
Soundtrack chart positions
's work Pride and Prejudice
and its popular 1995 BBC adaptation
. This was also reflected in the decision to cast Colin Firth as Darcy, since he played the 'real' Mr. Darcy in the BBC
adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. This is not the film's only connection to that serial – the screenplay was co-written by Andrew Davies
, who had written the adaptation of Austen's novel for the BBC.
, set to hit London's West End
in 2011. British musician Lily Allen
has written the score and lyrics, and Stephen Daldry
, best known for his Tony award-winning work on the West End and Broadway productions of Billy Elliot
, will be directing, joined by his co-worker Peter Darling
, who will serve as choreographer.
An official cast for the production has not yet been announced, but workshops for the show have already begun with television actress and current star of Legally Blonde
, Sheridan Smith
, in the title role.
Romantic comedy film
Romantic comedy films are films with light-hearted, humorous plotlines, centered on romantic ideals such as that true love is able to surmount most obstacles. One dictionary definition is "a funny movie, play, or television program about a love story that ends happily"...
based on Helen Fielding
Helen Fielding
Helen Fielding is an English novelist and screenwriter, best known as the creator of the fictional character Bridget Jones, a sequence of novels and films that chronicle the life of a thirtysomething single woman in London as she tries to make sense of life and love.Her novels Bridget Jones's...
's novel of the same name
Bridget Jones's Diary
Bridget Jones's Diary is a 1996 novel by Helen Fielding. Written in the form of a personal diary, the novel chronicles a year in the life of Bridget Jones, a thirty-something single working woman living in London. She writes about her career, self-image, vices, family, friends, and romantic...
. The adaptation
Film adaptation
Film adaptation is the transfer of a written work to a feature film. It is a type of derivative work.A common form of film adaptation is the use of a novel as the basis of a feature film, but film adaptation includes the use of non-fiction , autobiography, comic book, scripture, plays, and even...
stars Renée Zellweger
Renée Zellweger
Renée Kathleen Zellweger is an American actress and producer. Zellweger first gained widespread attention for her role in the film Jerry Maguire , and subsequently received two nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her roles as Bridget Jones in the comedy Bridget Jones's Diary ...
as Bridget
Bridget Jones
Bridget Jones is a franchise based on the fictional character with the same name. English writer Helen Fielding started her Bridget Jones's Diary column in The Independent in 1995, chronicling the life of Bridget Jones as a thirtysomething single woman in London as she tries to make sense of life...
, Hugh Grant
Hugh Grant
Hugh John Mungo Grant is an English actor and film producer. He has received a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA, and an Honorary César. His films have earned more than $2.4 billion from 25 theatrical releases worldwide. Grant achieved international stardom after appearing in Richard Curtis's...
as the caddish Daniel Cleaver, and Colin Firth
Colin Firth
SirColin Andrew Firth, CBE is a British film, television, and theatre actor. Firth gained wide public attention in the 1990s for his portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the 1995 television adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice...
as Bridget's "true love", Mark Darcy. A sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (film)
# Will Young - "Your Love Is King"# Jamelia - "Stop"# Kylie Minogue - "Can't Get You Out of My Head"# Joss Stone - "Super Duper Love Pt. 1"# Mary J...
, was released in 2004 to mostly negative reviews from critics.
Actresses who were considered for the role of Bridget Jones were Helena Bonham Carter
Helena Bonham Carter
Helena Bonham Carter is an English actress of film, stage, and television. She made her acting debut in a television adaptation of K. M. Peyton's A Pattern of Roses before winning her first film role as the titular character in Lady Jane...
, Emily Watson
Emily Watson
Emily Watson is an English actress. She gave an acclaimed debut film performance in Lars von Trier's Breaking the Waves.- Early life :...
, Rachel Weisz
Rachel Weisz
Rachel Hannah Weisz born 7 March 1970)is an English-American film and theatre actress and former fashion model. She started her acting career at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, where she co-founded the theatrical group Cambridge Talking Tongues...
, and Cameron Diaz
Cameron Diaz
Cameron Michelle Diaz is an American actress and former model. She became famous during the 1990s with roles in the movies The Mask, My Best Friend's Wedding, and There's Something About Mary. Other high-profile credits include the two Charlie's Angels films, voicing the character Princess Fiona...
. Toni Collette
Toni Collette
Antonia "Toni" Collette is an Australian actress and musician, known for her acting work on stage, television and film as well as a secondary career as the lead singer of the band Toni Collette & the Finish....
declined the role because she was on Broadway starring in The Wild Party
The Wild Party (LaChiusa musical)
The Wild Party is a musical with a book by Michael John LaChiusa and George C. Wolfe and music and lyrics by LaChiusa. It is based on the 1928 Joseph Moncure March narrative poem of the same name...
at the time, and Kate Winslet
Kate Winslet
Kate Elizabeth Winslet is an English actress and occasional singer. She has received multiple awards and nominations. She was the youngest person to accrue six Academy Award nominations, and won the Academy Award for Best Actress for The Reader...
was considered but the producers decided she was too young.
Before the film was released, a considerable amount of controversy surrounded the casting of the American Zellweger as what some saw as a quintessentially British heroine. However, her performance is widely considered to be of a high standard, including her English accent.
The director of the film, Sharon Maguire
Sharon Maguire
Sharon Maguire made her name as a film director when she landed the job of directing Bridget Jones's Diary. The film was based on the book by her close friend Helen Fielding, and one of the main characters - Shazzer - is actually based on Maguire.Raised as a Roman Catholic, Maguire studied English...
, is one of Fielding's friends whom the character of "Shazzer" was reportedly based on. In the film, "Shazzer" was played by Sally Phillips
Sally Phillips
-Career:Sally Phillips was the only woman in the 1990 Oxford Revue THRASH which also starred Ed Smith. She did nine consecutive Edinburgh Festivals, appearing in shows such as Ra-Ra-Rasputin, Arthur Smith's version of Hamlet and Cluub Zarathustra with Simon Munnery, Stewart Lee, Richard Thomas,...
.
Zellweger was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress
Academy Award for Best Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
for her role in the film.
Plot
Bridget JonesBridget Jones
Bridget Jones is a franchise based on the fictional character with the same name. English writer Helen Fielding started her Bridget Jones's Diary column in The Independent in 1995, chronicling the life of Bridget Jones as a thirtysomething single woman in London as she tries to make sense of life...
(Renée Zellweger
Renée Zellweger
Renée Kathleen Zellweger is an American actress and producer. Zellweger first gained widespread attention for her role in the film Jerry Maguire , and subsequently received two nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her roles as Bridget Jones in the comedy Bridget Jones's Diary ...
) is frustrated; she is in her early thirties, still single, very accident prone and worried about her weight. She works in publicity at a book publishing company in London where her main focus is fantasizing about her boss, Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant
Hugh Grant
Hugh John Mungo Grant is an English actor and film producer. He has received a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA, and an Honorary César. His films have earned more than $2.4 billion from 25 theatrical releases worldwide. Grant achieved international stardom after appearing in Richard Curtis's...
). At a New Year party hosted by her parents, she re-meets Mark Darcy (Colin Firth
Colin Firth
SirColin Andrew Firth, CBE is a British film, television, and theatre actor. Firth gained wide public attention in the 1990s for his portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the 1995 television adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice...
), the barrister son of her parents' friends. They had known each other as children. After their initial encounter, Mark thinks that Bridget is a fool and Bridget thinks that he is arrogant and rude, this not being helped by his jumper with a huge moose. After a day beset by a series of mishaps, she misplaced her purse, broke her coffee mug and got stuck in a lift. When she returns home that evening, her shopping bags split. She reached to pull the curtains, only for them to fall off the wall; the was the final straw of a stressful day. When she catches sight of her svelte reflection in the window, she decided to turn her life around. She starts her own diary, which covers all her attempts to stop smoking, lose weight, and catch her Mr. Right.
Bridget and Daniel begin to flirt heavily at work, first over e-mail. After a book launch, they start a relationship, despite the fact that he is a notorious womanizer with a questionable personality, of which Bridget is aware, from when stating earlier in the film that she will not form relationships with alcoholics, workaholics, peeping-toms, megalomaniacs, emotional fuckwits or perverts. Bridget learns from Daniel that he and Mark have a history and as a result, hate each other. Daniel informs Bridget of their fallout, telling her that Mark broke their friendship by sleeping with his fiancée.
Daniel's dubious character becomes clearer and clearer to Bridget and eventually she breaks off their relationship when she catches him with another woman, a colleague of his, Lara (Lisa Barbuscia
Lisa Barbuscia
Lisa Barbuscia , also known as Lisa B, is an American model, singer and actress. She is known for small roles in a number of films, including Bridget Jones's Diary, Highlander: Endgame, and Almost Heroes. Her father is of Italian and Irish descent, and her mother is Puerto Rican...
). After a spectacular departure from the office, in which Daniel's desperate attempts to make Bridget stay sparks the comment "I'd rather have a job wiping Saddam Hussein's arse", she finds a new job in television.
She and Mark have run-ins at a bed-and-breakfast and at a mutual friend's dinner party. During the party, Mark, who has come to the dinner with his colleague, Natasha (Embeth Davidtz
Embeth Davidtz
Embeth Jean Davidtz is an American-born actress who spent much of her early life in South Africa.-Early life:Davidtz was born in Lafayette, Indiana, while her father was studying chemical engineering at Purdue University. Her parents, John and Jean, later moved to Trenton, New Jersey, and then...
), privately confesses to Bridget that, despite Bridget's faults, he likes her "just the way she is". He later helps Bridget to land a major interview for work, her quirky approach prompting the classic comment "Bridget Jones - already a legend". She begins to develop feelings for Mark. Just as Bridget and Mark's mutual attraction for each other comes together at a birthday dinner party hosted by Bridget, Daniel comes back into the picture temporarily claiming Bridget's attention. Mark originally leaves the party, but comes back to face Daniel. Mark punches Daniel and the two fight, which moves into a nearby restaurant where Mark and Daniel smash through the window, landing on the street. Mark wins the battle and knocks Daniel out. Bridget chides Mark, but afterwards, after an insensitive appeal by Daniel, she says emphatically that she doesn't want to be with him.
Bridget learns the truth about Mark and Daniel's fallout after her mother lets it out in conversation - that it was actually Daniel that had seduced Mark's wife.("It was the other way round - my wife, my heart"). At a dinner party the same day, Bridget confesses her feelings for Mark, only to find out that he and Natasha are both leaving to accept jobs in New York. Bridget interrupts the toast to their pending engagement with a halting but moving speech about England losing one of its finest, which clearly has an effect on Mark, as he realises her real meaning, but he still flies to New York, though with obvious misgivings. Just as Bridget starts to embark on a trip to Paris with her friends to mend her broken heart, Mark returns to stay with Bridget.
As they're about to kiss for the first time, Bridget exits to her bedroom to change her undergarments, remarking that it is "an occasion for genuinely tiny knickers." While Bridget is changing, Mark peeks at her diary, in which she has written many insults about him. Bridget returns to find that he has left. Realizing that he had read her diary and that she might potentially lose him again, Bridget runs outside after him in a thin sweater and leopard skin-print underwear. Unable to find him and disheartened, she is about to return home when Mark appears holding a new diary, "to make a fresh start". They kiss in the snow-covered streets and the film closes.
Cast
- Renée ZellwegerRenée ZellwegerRenée Kathleen Zellweger is an American actress and producer. Zellweger first gained widespread attention for her role in the film Jerry Maguire , and subsequently received two nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her roles as Bridget Jones in the comedy Bridget Jones's Diary ...
as Bridget JonesBridget JonesBridget Jones is a franchise based on the fictional character with the same name. English writer Helen Fielding started her Bridget Jones's Diary column in The Independent in 1995, chronicling the life of Bridget Jones as a thirtysomething single woman in London as she tries to make sense of life... - Hugh GrantHugh GrantHugh John Mungo Grant is an English actor and film producer. He has received a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA, and an Honorary César. His films have earned more than $2.4 billion from 25 theatrical releases worldwide. Grant achieved international stardom after appearing in Richard Curtis's...
as Daniel Cleaver - Colin FirthColin FirthSirColin Andrew Firth, CBE is a British film, television, and theatre actor. Firth gained wide public attention in the 1990s for his portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the 1995 television adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice...
as Mark Darcy - Jim BroadbentJim BroadbentJames "Jim" Broadbent is an English theatre, film, and television actor. He is known for his roles in Iris, Moulin Rouge!, Topsy-Turvy, Hot Fuzz, and Bridget Jones' Diary...
as Mr. Jones - Gemma JonesGemma JonesGemma Jones is an English character actress on both stage and screen.-Early life:Jones was born in London, England, the daughter of Irene and Griffith Jones, an actor. Her brother, Nicholas Jones, is also an actor...
as Mrs. Jones - Celia ImrieCelia ImrieCelia Diana Savile Imrie is an English actress. In a career starting in the early 1970s, Imrie has played Marianne Bellshade in Bergerac, Philippa Moorcroft in Dinnerladies, Miss Babs in Acorn Antiques, Diana Neal in After You've Gone and Gloria Millington in Kingdom...
as Una Alconbury - James FaulknerJames FaulknerJames Sebastian Faulkner is a British actor, known for his many various appearance on television and in movies, usually in supporting roles.Faulkner made his big screen debut as Josef Strauss in The Great Waltz in 1972...
as Uncle Geoffrey - Shirley HendersonShirley HendersonShirley Henderson is a Scottish actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Moaning Myrtle in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire .-Early life:...
as Jude - James CallisJames CallisJames Callis is a British actor. He is best known for playing Dr. Gaius Baltar in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica miniseries and television series, and Bridget Jones' best friend in Bridget Jones's Diary and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason...
as Tom - Lisa BarbusciaLisa BarbusciaLisa Barbuscia , also known as Lisa B, is an American model, singer and actress. She is known for small roles in a number of films, including Bridget Jones's Diary, Highlander: Endgame, and Almost Heroes. Her father is of Italian and Irish descent, and her mother is Puerto Rican...
as Lara - Charmian MayCharmian MayCharmian May was an English actress who appeared in The Good Life, Keeping Up Appearances and Bridget Jones's Diary....
as Mrs. Darcy - Paul BrookePaul BrookePaul Brooke is an English actor of film, television, and radio. He is the father of actor Tom Brooke.He and Ernie Fosselius played Malakili the Rancor Keeper in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. He played British Conservative politician Ian Gow in the 2004 BBC series The Alan Clark Diaries...
as Mr. Fitzherbert - Sally PhillipsSally Phillips-Career:Sally Phillips was the only woman in the 1990 Oxford Revue THRASH which also starred Ed Smith. She did nine consecutive Edinburgh Festivals, appearing in shows such as Ra-Ra-Rasputin, Arthur Smith's version of Hamlet and Cluub Zarathustra with Simon Munnery, Stewart Lee, Richard Thomas,...
as Shazzer - Embeth DavidtzEmbeth DavidtzEmbeth Jean Davidtz is an American-born actress who spent much of her early life in South Africa.-Early life:Davidtz was born in Lafayette, Indiana, while her father was studying chemical engineering at Purdue University. Her parents, John and Jean, later moved to Trenton, New Jersey, and then...
as Natasha Glenville - Patrick BarlowPatrick BarlowPatrick Barlow is an English actor, comedian and playwright. His comedic alter ego, Desmond Olivier Dingle, is the founder, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of the two-man National Theatre of Brent, which has performed on stage, on television and on radio.-Radio:Barlow is the scriptwriter, as...
as Julian - Felicity MontaguFelicity MontaguFelicity Montagu is an English actress, known for her performances in radio and television comedy series and films.Educated at Loughborough University and the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, Felicity Montagu has played the foil to a series of prominent comedy characters.-Television:Montagu...
as Perpetua
Also, both Salman Rushdie and Jeffrey Archer have cameo
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
s in the film. Honor Blackman
Honor Blackman
Honor Blackman is an English actress, known for the roles of Cathy Gale in The Avengers and Bond girl Pussy Galore in Goldfinger .-Early life:...
also has a cameo as a party guest.
Pride and Prejudice writer Andrew Davies
Andrew Davies (writer)
Andrew Wynford Davies is a British author and screenwriter. He was made a Fellow of BAFTA in 2002.-Education and early career:...
collaborated on the screenplays for the 2001 and 2004 Bridget Jones films, in which Crispin Bonham-Carter
Crispin Bonham-Carter
Crispin Bonham-Carter is an English actor and theatre director.Bonham-Carter is a distant cousin of Helena Bonham Carter. He is the son of Peter Bonham-Carter and Clodagh Greenwood. Educated at Glenalmond College, he graduated from the University of St Andrews, Scotland with a degree in classics...
(Mr. Bingley) and Lucy Robinson
Lucy Robinson (actress)
Lucy Robinson is a British actress working mostly in television. She has had roles as Robyn Duff in the fifth series of Cold Feet, Mayoress Christabel Wickham in season two of The Thin Blue Line and Pam Draper in Suburban Shootout....
(Mrs. Hurst) appeared in minor roles. The self-referential in-joke between the projects convinced Colin Firth to accept the role of Mark Darcy, as it gave him an opportunity to ridicule and liberate himself from his Pride and Prejudice character.
Location
Bridget Jones's Diary was largely shot on location in London and the Home CountiesHome Counties
The home counties is a term which refers to the counties of South East England and the East of England which border London, but do not include the capital city itself...
. Bridget and Daniel ventured to the exclusive Stoke Park Club
Stoke Park Club
Stoke Park is a historic estate in Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire. The Mansion is located amongst of parkland, lakes, historic gardens and monuments. The site is now a hotel, spa and country club....
in Buckinghamshire for their mini-break, where they went rowing on the lake and stayed in the Pennsylvania Suite. Stansted Airport doubled as JFK Airport in New York, while Syon House in Brentford featured as the venue for the anniversary party. Snowshill in Gloucestershire featured as the home of Bridget Jones' family.
Reception
Bridget Jones received mostly positive reviews; review aggregate website Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
currently gives the film an 80% 'Fresh' rating, with the consensus "Though there was controversy over the choice of casting, Zellweger's Bridget Jones is a sympathetic, likable, funny character, giving this romantic comedy a lot of charm."
Critic Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
gave the film 3.5 out of 4 possible stars.
Soundtrack
The film's soundtrack was composed by Patrick DoylePatrick Doyle
Patrick Doyle is a Scottish musician and film score composer. A longtime collaborator of actor/director Kenneth Branagh, Doyle is known for his work scoring such critically acclaimed films as Henry V , Sense and Sensibility , Hamlet , and Gosford Park , as well as noteworthy blockbusters as Harry...
.
It also features two hit songs which were released as singles, "Out of Reach
Out of Reach (song)
"Out of Reach" is 2001 song by singer Gabrielle that featured on the Bridget Jones's Diary soundtrack and her greatest hits compilation Dreams Can Come True, Greatest Hits Vol. 1. It is the main ballad from the movie and was released as a single in 2001...
" by Gabrielle
Gabrielle (singer)
Louisa Gabrielle Bobb is a multi-platinum selling, BRIT Award winning English singer, who records under the name Gabrielle. Gabrielle began her career temping during the day and singing for free in London clubs at night...
and "It's Raining Men" by Geri Halliwell
Geri Halliwell
Geraldine Estelle "Geri" Halliwell is an English pop singer-songwriter, author and actress. After coming to international prominence in the late 1990s as Ginger Spice, a member of the girl group the Spice Girls, Halliwell launched her solo career in 1998 and released her album Schizophonic...
.
Worldwide Edition
- "Out of Reach" by GabrielleGabrielle (singer)Louisa Gabrielle Bobb is a multi-platinum selling, BRIT Award winning English singer, who records under the name Gabrielle. Gabrielle began her career temping during the day and singing for free in London clubs at night...
- "Respect" by Aretha FranklinAretha FranklinAretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
- "It's Raining Men" by Geri HalliwellGeri HalliwellGeraldine Estelle "Geri" Halliwell is an English pop singer-songwriter, author and actress. After coming to international prominence in the late 1990s as Ginger Spice, a member of the girl group the Spice Girls, Halliwell launched her solo career in 1998 and released her album Schizophonic...
- "Have You Met Miss Jones?" by Robbie WilliamsRobbie WilliamsRobert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
- "I'm Every Woman" by Chaka KhanChaka KhanChaka Khan , frequently known as the Queen of Funk, is a 10-time Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter who gained fame in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career...
- "Don't Get Me Wrong" by The PretendersThe PretendersThe Pretenders are an English rock band formed in Hereford, England in March 1978. The original band consisted of initiator and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde , James Honeyman-Scott , Pete Farndon , and Martin Chambers...
(UK bonus track) - "Kiss That Girl" by Sheryl CrowSheryl CrowSheryl Suzanne Crow is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, folk, hip hop, country and pop...
- "Killin' Kind" by Shelby LynneShelby LynneShelby Lynne is an American singer, songwriter and actress. The success of the 1999 album I Am Shelby Lynne led to her winning the Grammy Award for Best New Artist, even though she had been active in the music industry for some time...
- "Someone Like You" by Dina CarrollDina CarrollDina Carroll is an English singer of Scottish and African American descent who had a string of hits from the late 1980s to the early 2000s.-Early career:...
- "Not of This Earth" by Robbie WilliamsRobbie WilliamsRobert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
- "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" by Andy WilliamsAndy WilliamsHoward Andrew "Andy" Williams is an American singer who has recorded 18 Gold- and three Platinum-certified albums. He hosted The Andy Williams Show, a TV variety show, from 1962 to 1971, as well as numerous television specials, and owns his own theater, the Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri,...
(UK bonus track) - "Love" by RoseyRosey-People:* Rosey, diminutive of Rose or Rosemary* Rosey, pseudonym of Matt Anoa'i, professional wrestler* Rosey Brown , American football player* Rosey Edeh , Canadian television personality* Rosey Fletcher -People:* Rosey, diminutive of Rose or Rosemary* Rosey, pseudonym of Matt Anoa'i,...
- "Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)" by Diana RossDiana RossDiana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
& Marvin GayeMarvin GayeMarvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range.... - "Dreamsome" by Shelby LynneShelby LynneShelby Lynne is an American singer, songwriter and actress. The success of the 1999 album I Am Shelby Lynne led to her winning the Grammy Award for Best New Artist, even though she had been active in the music industry for some time...
- "It's Only a Diary" by Patrick DoylePatrick DoylePatrick Doyle is a Scottish musician and film score composer. A longtime collaborator of actor/director Kenneth Branagh, Doyle is known for his work scoring such critically acclaimed films as Henry V , Sense and Sensibility , Hamlet , and Gosford Park , as well as noteworthy blockbusters as Harry...
- "Pretender Got My Heart" by Alisha's AtticAlisha's AtticAlisha's Attic were an English duo of the 1990s and early 2000s. The two members were sisters Shelly McErlaine and Karen Poole, born in Barking and Chadwell Heath respectively. Their father is Brian Poole of 1960s group Brian Poole and the Tremeloes...
- "All by Myself" by Jamie O'NealJamie O'NealJamie O'Neal is a contemporary country singer and songwriter who has had success in the United States. She was born Jamie Murphy in Sydney, Australia, to parents Jimmy and Julie Murphy, who were also professional musicians...
- "Woman Trouble" by Artful Dodger & Robbie Craig featuring Craig DavidCraig DavidCraig Ashley David is an English singer and songwriter. He has released five studio albums: Born to Do It, Slicker Than Your Average, The Story Goes..., Trust Me, Signed Sealed Delivered and a Greatest Hits album...
- "Ring Ring Ring" by Aaron Soul
- "Up, Up and AwayUp, Up and Away (song)"Up, Up and Away" is a 1967 song written by Jimmy Webb and recorded by The 5th Dimension, that became a major pop hit, reaching #7 on the U.S. Pop Singles chart and #18 in Canada...
" by The 5th Dimension
U.S. Edition
- "Killin' Kind" by Shelby LynneShelby LynneShelby Lynne is an American singer, songwriter and actress. The success of the 1999 album I Am Shelby Lynne led to her winning the Grammy Award for Best New Artist, even though she had been active in the music industry for some time...
- "Kiss That Girl" by Sheryl CrowSheryl CrowSheryl Suzanne Crow is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, folk, hip hop, country and pop...
- "Love" by RoseyRosey-People:* Rosey, diminutive of Rose or Rosemary* Rosey, pseudonym of Matt Anoa'i, professional wrestler* Rosey Brown , American football player* Rosey Edeh , Canadian television personality* Rosey Fletcher -People:* Rosey, diminutive of Rose or Rosemary* Rosey, pseudonym of Matt Anoa'i,...
- "Have You Met Miss Jones?" by Robbie WilliamsRobbie WilliamsRobert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
- "All by Myself" by Jamie O'NealJamie O'NealJamie O'Neal is a contemporary country singer and songwriter who has had success in the United States. She was born Jamie Murphy in Sydney, Australia, to parents Jimmy and Julie Murphy, who were also professional musicians...
- "Just Perfect" by Tracy BonhamTracy BonhamTracy Bonham is an American alternative rock musician best known for her 1996 single "Mother Mother".Raised in Eugene, Oregon, Bonham is a classically-trained violinist and pianist...
- "Dreamsome" by Shelby LynneShelby LynneShelby Lynne is an American singer, songwriter and actress. The success of the 1999 album I Am Shelby Lynne led to her winning the Grammy Award for Best New Artist, even though she had been active in the music industry for some time...
- "Not Of This Earth" by Robbie WilliamsRobbie WilliamsRobert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
- "Out of Reach" by GabrielleGabrielle (singer)Louisa Gabrielle Bobb is a multi-platinum selling, BRIT Award winning English singer, who records under the name Gabrielle. Gabrielle began her career temping during the day and singing for free in London clubs at night...
- "Someone Like You" by Dina CarrollDina CarrollDina Carroll is an English singer of Scottish and African American descent who had a string of hits from the late 1980s to the early 2000s.-Early career:...
- "It's Raining Men" by Geri HalliwellGeri HalliwellGeraldine Estelle "Geri" Halliwell is an English pop singer-songwriter, author and actress. After coming to international prominence in the late 1990s as Ginger Spice, a member of the girl group the Spice Girls, Halliwell launched her solo career in 1998 and released her album Schizophonic...
- "Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)" by Diana RossDiana RossDiana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
& Marvin GayeMarvin GayeMarvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range.... - "I'm Every Woman" by Chaka KhanChaka KhanChaka Khan , frequently known as the Queen of Funk, is a 10-time Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter who gained fame in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career...
- "Pretender Got My Heart" by Alisha's AtticAlisha's AtticAlisha's Attic were an English duo of the 1990s and early 2000s. The two members were sisters Shelly McErlaine and Karen Poole, born in Barking and Chadwell Heath respectively. Their father is Brian Poole of 1960s group Brian Poole and the Tremeloes...
- "It's Only a Diary" by Patrick DoylePatrick DoylePatrick Doyle is a Scottish musician and film score composer. A longtime collaborator of actor/director Kenneth Branagh, Doyle is known for his work scoring such critically acclaimed films as Henry V , Sense and Sensibility , Hamlet , and Gosford Park , as well as noteworthy blockbusters as Harry...
Soundtrack chart positions
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Australian ARIA Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... Albums Chart |
1 |
| 2001 | UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
2 |
Connection to Pride and Prejudice
Fielding has stated in many interviews that her novel was based upon both Jane AustenJane Austen
Jane Austen was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature, her realism and biting social commentary cementing her historical importance among scholars and critics.Austen lived...
's work Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice is a novel by Jane Austen, first published in 1813. The story follows the main character Elizabeth Bennet as she deals with issues of manners, upbringing, morality, education and marriage in the society of the landed gentry of early 19th-century England...
and its popular 1995 BBC adaptation
Pride and Prejudice (1995 TV serial)
Pride and Prejudice is a six-episode 1995 British television drama, adapted by Andrew Davies from Jane Austen's 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice. Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth starred as Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. Produced by Sue Birtwistle and directed by Simon Langton, the serial was a BBC...
. This was also reflected in the decision to cast Colin Firth as Darcy, since he played the 'real' Mr. Darcy in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. This is not the film's only connection to that serial – the screenplay was co-written by Andrew Davies
Andrew Davies (writer)
Andrew Wynford Davies is a British author and screenwriter. He was made a Fellow of BAFTA in 2002.-Education and early career:...
, who had written the adaptation of Austen's novel for the BBC.
Musical adaptation
The film version is currently being adapted into a musicalBridget Jones' Diary (musical)
Bridget Jones' Diary is a musical based on the award-winning book and film of the same name. The show is due to open in London's West End in 2012, although no date has been officially confirmed.-Development:...
, set to hit London's West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
in 2011. British musician Lily Allen
Lily Allen
Lily Rose Beatrice Cooper , better known as Lily Allen, is an English recording artist and fashion designer. She is the daughter of actor and musician Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen. In her teenage years, her musical tastes evolved from glam rock to alternative...
has written the score and lyrics, and Stephen Daldry
Stephen Daldry
Stephen David Daldry, CBE is an English theatre and film director and producer, as well as a three-time Academy Award nominated and Tony Award winning director.-Early years:...
, best known for his Tony award-winning work on the West End and Broadway productions of Billy Elliot
Billy Elliot the Musical
Billy Elliot the Musical is a musical based on the 2000 film Billy Elliot. The music is by Sir Elton John, and book and lyrics are by Lee Hall, who wrote the film's screenplay. The plot revolves around motherless Billy, who trades boxing gloves for ballet shoes...
, will be directing, joined by his co-worker Peter Darling
Peter Darling
Peter Darling is an English dancer and choreographer best known for his award-winning work in Billy Elliot the Musical.-External links:...
, who will serve as choreographer.
An official cast for the production has not yet been announced, but workshops for the show have already begun with television actress and current star of Legally Blonde
Legally Blonde (musical)
Legally Blonde is a musical with music and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin and book by Heather Hach. The story is based on the novel Legally Blonde by Amanda Brown and the 2001 film of the same name. It tells the story of Elle Woods, a sorority girl who enrolls at Harvard Law School to...
, Sheridan Smith
Sheridan Smith
Sheridan Smith is an English actress and singer who is best known for her contributions to the British sitcoms Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, Gavin & Stacey and Benidorm. She has also become a recognised face in West End theatre, where she has appeared in Little Shop of Horrors,...
, in the title role.
See also
- Borough marketBorough MarketBorough Market is a wholesale and retail food market in Southwark, London, England. It is one of the largest food markets in London, and sells a large variety of foods from all over the world.-Information and History:...
, the filming location - "My Lovely Sam SoonMy Lovely Sam SoonThe My Lovely Sam Soon soundtrack was released on June 18 2005. A famous Korean electronica band Clazziquai contributed two songs on its soundtrack: "Be My Love" and "She Is", the former of which became the show's theme song...
", a Korean series with some thematic and narrative similarities - Bridget Jones: The Edge of ReasonBridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (film)# Will Young - "Your Love Is King"# Jamelia - "Stop"# Kylie Minogue - "Can't Get You Out of My Head"# Joss Stone - "Super Duper Love Pt. 1"# Mary J...
, the sequel