If anyone knows me well, then you know that I’m a sap for classic movies. Not Gone with the Wind kind of classic, but more like St. Elmo’s Fire and Bridget Jones Diary classic. So imagine my thrill when I received an invitation a few weeks back to attend the star studded premiere of the latest installment of that hilarious film franchise with the release of “Bridget Jones Baby” which opens today in theaters nationwide.
If you don’t know what your plans are for tonight or the weekend, trust me when I tell you to go see this movie. It’s been a pretty long time that I found myself laughing out loud during a film while I reconnected with my long lost film girlfriend Bridget Jones.
This time around, single Bridget played by the incredibly adorable, sweet and kind film actress Renee Zellweger is still single, over 40 and not expecting to settle down any time soon. It appears the two great loves of her life Will and Darcy have moved on…both under very different circumstances and Bridget, who has risen to the top of her career as a news producer, is tired of feeling sorry for herself and ready to live life recklessly for her 43rd birthday. After a weekend getaway with her girlfriend, she meets Tom (that would be McDreamy or Patrick Dempsey to you) and they instantly make a connection that links them together throughout the film. Meanwhile, Bridget keeps running into Darcy at several milestone events and manages to fall into his arms yet again.
Unbeknownst to Bridget, her one night flings with two different men changes her life forever when she finds out she’s pregnant but has no idea who the father is. And that is all that I will tell you about the film for now. Here’s a sneak peak…
What I can also share are some behind the scenes tidbits that were flat out priceless. Let’s start with the premiere. While I knew the stars of the film were going to be appearing on the red carpet and potentially sitting with us in the theater, I had no idea they would be introduced on stage while I was sitting in the 4th row. That means I had an incredible vantage point to snap some unforgettable pix of Colin Firth, Patrick Dempsey and Renee Zellweger. Of course, after I shared the photos on Facebook, I never heard the end of it from my daughter who has now instructed me that if I ever get invited to another event with McDreamy or Rob Lowe, she is the only person who can come with me as my guest. But I digress…
Back to Bridget Jones. The day after I was still floating on a cloud for having an IRL glimpse of my lifelong heartthrob Patrick Dempsey (no offense to my husband of course), I got the chance to join a group of some of my favorite parenting bloggers for a roundtable chat with Renee Zellweger and the director of the film Sharon McGuire. Incidentally, Sharon wore an absolutely stunning floral beaded dress the night of the premiere. McGuire is so funny and so real – especially when she talked about the nerves that set in when she wondered how the audience would react to the film. When everyone in the theater starting laughing out loud, she said her heart was beating out of her chest. I seriously love this woman. Can’t you tell?
Meanwhile, when Renee was asked what if felt like to revisit the role she’s best known and best loved for all these years, she recalled, “When they sent the script, it felt like this fantastically happy reunion, and it’s reminded me how much I love her. I love her friends and her parents and her world, and then, I got really terrified because I thought, “Oh God. I really–I don’t want to mess this up” because, I mean, I know that like–like myself, you know, who, when I discovered her in the books, like so many other people, you know, we fell in love with her. We have affection for her, and, you know, she holds a lot of meaning for us. And so, yeah. I just–I didn’t want to–I didn’t want to disappoint anybody.”
While the dialogue in the film is incredibly smart, quick-witted with amazing British humor thrown in for good measure, the physical comedy was absolutely over the top. I asked Renee if she improvised all those pratfalls Bridget got herself into and here’s what she had to say:
“It’s my favorite thing. It’s my favorite kind of comedy.” She adds the fact that Bridget is pregnant in this edition, adds to the physical comedy of the role. ” I love comedy that comes from truth….I love comedy that comes from awkward sort of human experiences. I mean, there’s nothing funnier, and we all relate to them because we go, “Oh my gosh. Thank God that’s not me. Wait. That really could be me. Oh gosh. You know what? That is me.”
She adds, “And I think that that’s why she’s such a beloved character because we recognize ourselves in her struggles and not just her challenges she faces in her life, but in her, you know, the–her struggles toward self-acceptance. She sort of represents the truth of who we are versus who it is that we aspire to be. And when you add the element of physical awkwardness to that, it’s just my favorite thing. Exploring how absurd you can make it and still remain truthful is so much fun.”
Bridget Jones Baby opens nationwide in theaters today. So what are you waiting for? Plan your Girls Night Out at the movies. Get tickets now!
Role Mommy 3.0