OMG, Get rid of those wide knickers girl! (Bridget Jones 2: The Edge of Reason (DVD))

Member Name: angusreid

Product:	Bridget Jones 2: The Edge of Reason (DVD)
Date:	30/11/05 (321 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Realxing, fun and enjoyable romp.

Disadvantages: Predictable and a bit patronising.

“Take me to the edge of reason, tell me that my loves forgiven”, or was it to the edge of heaven? Anyway, just another feeble attempt to grab your attention as most people just skim through to the last few lines and leave a fluffy comment.

Now that I have hopefully done that, let the show commence.

It was a toss up, the football or BJ. The edge of reason, and I lost the toss. Mainly because I won the toss but the stare I got told me I had lost it even if it was heads and I said heads, but I am not bitter!

For those who have not seen the first BJ movie, fear not as I do not spoil movies nor give the plot away. Anyway, this movie carries on where BJ ended. Bridgette is the modern day cluts who you can’t fail to love. She is slightly overweight, slightly unfashionable and always says the wrong thing at the wrong time, am I painting a picture here? Her love is Mark Darcy, a well respected human rights lawyer, proper upstanding gentleman and rather British in his traditional ways.

BJ tends to do the wrong thing at the wrong time in the wrong place and always takes advice from the wrong people about the wrong things. This movie is based around her friends giving her the wrong advice.

A modern day love story really, predictable and bubbly, sad and happy etc, you know how it goes, you know how it ends and you know if there had been a murder in it, the butler would have done it.

BJ, played by the very talented Renee Zellweger comes across as we have all felt at some time, out of place in our surroundings. Renee gives the paranoid, low self-esteem single female role a lift with her charismatic acting style and quirky little facial expressions she caries off so well. A girl of many talents, which can be authenticated by watching Chicago or alongside Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire, although she appeared in her first movie, A Taste for killing way back in 1992.

Colin Firth on the other hand, is rather stereotyped in his acting career which stems back to 1984 when he appeared in Another Country. No, not appeared in another country, that was the name of the movie! Pah. It’s not difficult to work out the role he plays and how well he plays it. like his co-star Hugh Grant, who plays BJ’s former lover and now TV star, they both have the stiff upper lip acting style which should ensure them both Hollywood stardom for many years. I mean, just walk down the road and shout “Tally Ho!” to your friends why don’t you? It’s terribly British you know.

Their acting styles are both very similar and they give a quite decent performance which results in a believable on-screen chemistry that ensure a plausible script despite it not being that of the book.

The film itself covers various aspects of everyday life, jealousy, paranoia, self-confidence and stupidity to name but a few. Gathering no pace, it bumbles merrily on and covers each episode with mirth as if it makes the whole situation better. Inviting BJ to a posh dinner for instance, is inviting trouble and we can see what is going to happen long before it does, so no points for either originality or suspense. However, it gives the less than perfect woman a chance to believe there is a prefect man out there for her somewhere and not to give up hope. It surprised me to find out the book was written by a woman to be honest, virtually all the men are made out to be perfect and all the women, well, not! Maybe I am missing the tongue in cheek swipe form the feminist point of view, who knows? What I will say about the way women are portrayed here is that they are all gullible and when you watch the movie I think you will see what I mean.

To be fair to BJ2, Edge of reason, I watched it without really having to think but without my mind wandering off. Light hearted and light humoured but an enjoyable if somewhat flimsy movie. Cuddle up on the sofa for this one rather than watch it when you are active.

The soundtrack was very good as well to be fair, Joss Stone’s (dribbles) Super Douper Love and Mary. J. Blige. singing a version of Sorry seems to be the hardest word are two of my favourites, but there are plenty of soulful classics but unfortunately the Darkness squeeze in there somewhere. Download the CD and then you can delete the darkness one before burning it (for your own use only!)

It was a nice movie and my wife liked it as well. She looked across at me when the movie ended with that tear in her eye, the romance and bonding had took its toll on her and she had that look on her face that reached out to me, slapped me across the face and said “Why the hell did I get stuck with you?”

If only looks could talk.

Summary: Not quite the ageless classic but enjoyable nevertheless