Director: Beeban Kidron
Starring: Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Gemma Jones, Jim Broadbent, Jacinda Barret, Sally Phillips, Shirley Henderson, James Callis

- Reviewed by Vickie

I have to preface this review by saying that I was thisclose to giving it six slices. I waffled back and forth all day, and then realized that my uncertainty was probably a sign that a rating of five would be more appropriate for this funny and lighthearted, but somewhat retread-y, film.

Borrowing heavily from, well, Bridget Jones’s Diary, this sequel picks up six weeks after the events in the first film. Everyone’s favorite plucky British lass (Renée Zellweger) is enjoying heaps of shagging with new beau Mark Darcy (Colin Firth). Life seems perfect. Mostly. See, despite the new relationship—or, perhaps, because of it—Bridget has become a raving neurotic. The character might have been insecure and uncertain in her first big-screen outing, but this time around she’s kind of clingy and annoying. But still endearing.

Not surprisingly, things slowly start to derail for Bridget, as she begins to suspect Mark of having an affair with a gorgeous colleague (Jacinda Barrett). Complicating matters further is the reemergence of Bridget’s former boss, Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant), who’s now a television personality hosting a cheesy travel show. Sensing an opportunity to wreak his roguish havoc, Daniel pounces on Bridget’s relationship insecurity and tempts her once again. All of this is tied together by countless bumbling mishaps and misunderstandings on Bridget’s part, as the audience is left to wonder where the hapless heroine will end up and with whom.

Now, I wasn’t a huge fan of Bridget Jones’s Diary, but I actually found myself enjoying its sequel quite a bit. There were a number of scenes that had me laughing out loud, and I thought the pacing was peppy and appropriately spirited given the material. I’m not completely sold on Zellweger’s accent, but she makes for a clumsily appealing lead. Firth is fine (and I mean “fine” as in “decent,” not “foiyne!”) and Grant makes for a deliciously slimy cad. But several, albeit relatively minor, things bothered me about the film as a whole and detracted from my overall enjoyment somewhat.

For starters, there’s Bridget herself. The character is even worse off emotionally than she was in the first film and doesn’t seem to have grown or learned a thing. She seems to go through the exact same motions as she did in Diary, so there’s a bit of déjá vu happening. Which leads to my second issue: storyline retreads. Didn’t we see Mark and Daniel have a girlie fight last time? Wasn’t there already a whole bit about Bridget’s skirt? Wasn’t her bum an embarrassing feature in a news story once before?

But one of the biggest lead balloons in Reason is an entire sequence set in a Thai prison. Yes, that’s right, a Thai prison... a setting just RIPE for comedy, no? That part of the film lasts a good ten minutes or more and brings the movie to a screeeeeching halt. The “humor” is awkward (everyone knows being in a Thai prison is hardly funny!) and seems way out of place. I mean, come on, would Bridget, or anyone else for that matter, really lead her fellow inmates in some Madonna karaoke?! It’s not camp. It’s a THAI PRISON!

Nonetheless, fans of Helen Fielding’s novels will be pleased that Bridget’s back with more shenanigans. And the shenanigans, if a little familiar, are mostly wacky and entertaining.

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