Bridget Jones has now become a classic film series, but how do they compare to each other? Here are all the movies ranked from worst to best!
With the recent release of a new Bridget Jones film, what better time to look back at the iconic series than now? The franchise focuses on its titular character Bridget Jones (Renée Zellweger), a thirty-something woman who is attempting to navigate life, work, and her love life with the latter presenting her with a choice between two possible suitors. While each film may be unique and successful in its own way, we attempted the nearly impossible task of ranking all the Bridget Jones movies from worst to best: which one came out on top? Read our ranked list to find out!
4. Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason
The second film of the series, Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason, picks up right after the events of the first film. Bridget Jones (Renée Zellweger) is now in a relationship with Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) and she couldn’t be happier; what could go wrong? As it turns out, a lot. Mark and Bridget’s relationship is tested by Bridget’s insecurities towards Mark’s beautiful and smart assistant Rebecca Gillies (Jacinda Barrett) and her reunion with her ex Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) when the two start working together once again and even travel to Thailand together.
While it is undoubtedly an enjoyable film, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason feels quite repetitive in terms of its narrative compared to the first movie. In terms of setting, this film does make things interesting by changing its location, as the plot takes us away from London, and from the United Kingdom in general. When it comes to the romantic plotline, however, the second installment only repurposes the dynamic and conflict between Daniel and Mark, which we have already seen and explored. After all, most of the audience will already have made up their mind on who they want to see with Bridget from the previous film.
3. Bridget Jones’s Baby
Released in 2016, more than ten years after the first sequel, Bridget Jones’s Baby is set many years after the first two movies. When the film starts, Bridget Jones, now 43, attends a memorial service for Daniel Cleaver, who is presumed dead. Just when she decides to embrace her life as a single woman, Bridget finds out she is pregnant, much to her shock and everyone else’s. The biggest surprise is not only that Bridget is pregnant but also that she doesn’t know who the father of her unborn baby is: will it be her ex-boyfriend, the lawyer Marcy Darcy or the newly-introduced mathematician Jack Qwant (Patrick Dempsey)?
The third sequel introduces something new to the Bridget Jones franchise with its taking place so many years into the future. The fact that Bridget is pregnant also adds another layer to her story, allowing Bridget Jones’s Baby to touch on new topics, such as motherhood, that the previous two films might have not explored at all. Admittedly the dynamic of two men fighting for Bridget’s heart always remains the same, as it so often does in the genre of romantic comedies, but introducing a new romantic interest feels refreshing. While the general tropes of the genre remain the same, the introduction of a brand-new character changes the relationship between the protagonist and her love interest as well as the dynamic between the three of them.
2. Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy
As controversial as this may be, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy is easily the best Bridget Jones sequel, thanks to the new themes it explores and the circumstances we find Bridget in. The latest instalment of the franchise introduces us to a very different version of Bridget. She is now the mother of Billy (Casper Knopf) and Mabel (Mila Jankovic) and a widow, after Mark Darcy’s premature death four years before the events of the movie. Despite not feeling entirely ready to open up a new chapter, Bridget attempts to create a new life for herself. Of course, this also involves trying to find love again with two men competing for her affection: Roxter (Leo Woodall), a young man she met on a dating app) and Mr Wallaker (Chiwetel Ejiofor), her son’s science teacher.
With its powerful exploration of grief, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy manages to touch on new and important topics through a character like Bridget, who many of us in the audience will be able to relate to. It also allows the film to cater to an older audience that has now grown up with the Bridget Jones series and will experience a similar sentiment in one way or another in their adulthood. The newest instalment introduces an entirely new dynamic as the romance in the movie is not actively a love triangle, which is refreshing to see in a romantic comedy where this trope is often overused and predictable.
1. Bridget Jones’s Diary
Bridget Jones’s Diary is where it all began. At the beginning of the film, Bridget is 32, single, worried about her weight and how others perceive her, often imperfect both in her job and personal life. In short, she represents most of the women in the audience. As the movie goes on, Bridget finds herself with two men fighting for her affection: Mark Darcy, a childhood acquaintance who is now a barrister, and her boss Daniel Cleaver.
Naturally, the very first film tends to always be the best one in any series and Bridget Jones’s Diary is no different. The 2001 movie represents our introduction to Bridget Jones, the woman who is the heart and soul of the entire franchise and, ultimately, the reason why it was so successful. Part of the charm of the Bridget Jones series is in its protagonists, as the movies are not afraid to portray a woman who is in many ways imperfect – she is clumsy, stubborn, and sometimes too opinionated – but because of this, it became extremely relatable for most of the audience members.
Overall, the Bridget Jones series is a successful one both commercially and critically. It is safe to say that all three movies are special in their own right and each of them still manages to capture the feeling of a lighthearted romantic comedy that we all know and love.
