It was the cast that drew me into seeing 'Bridget Jones's Diary', although there were doubts as to whether Renee Zellwegger would work, as well as being familiar with the books, finding them entertaining enough reads if not among the best personally read, and that Richard Curtis has done some other great work.'Bridget Jones's Diary' is a pretty darn good adaptation of the book, it doesn't have everything included (that would have been a tall order) but the essence and what made the book work are captured incredibly well. This said, it is a very good film on its own terms, it can be dismissed (and has done) as a chick flick and a film just for women. It is much more than both those things, being a film that tries to appeal to both sexes and having more depth than your average romantic comedy/chick flick.Maybe 'Bridget Jones's Diary' doesn't cover any new ground. Maybe it doesn't break any conventions. That didn't matter to me, because whether it does matter with any film, TV series, episode etc. is wholly dependent on how well it executes everything else, everything else is executed with very little to complain about.Some parts were a little contrived and there is a slightly draggy section around half-way, but these were minor issues really.'Bridget Jones's Diary' is attractive visually in a film that doesn't require epic sweeping cinematography or opulence, but still manages to be beautifully shot, cohesively edited and have striking locations. Personally really liked the music, with a mix of the old greats and more contemporary performers, and it fits well.A good script always helps, and it's the script that's one of the main good things here. The humour can be daft but is often hilarious and full of wit, while the romantic parts are sentimental but never mawkish or overdone and the more drama-oriented moments have an air of poignancy. Much of the film is also deliciously charming and to me relatable. Bridget manages to be more endearing here than she is in the book, to me she was easy to sympathise with and feel pity for regardless of her faults and the numerous things she does wrong, and quite a lot of us will find a lot of ourselves in her character.Even if new ground is not covered, bright and breezy pacing and remarkably deft directing from Sharon Maguire in her directing debut help make that not count against the film.Renee Zellwegger is fantastic in the title role, any initial doubts were completely subsided after seeing a performance of immense charm and that was both funny, awkward in the adorable sense and sympathetic. She does a good job with the accent too.Cast against type, Hugh Grant still brings a smarmy charm so despite being a cad (which he brings out without seeming ill at ease at all) you do see what Bridget sees in him. Colin Firth is reserved and understated but injects the right amount of dignity, charisma and charm to not make the character dull in a role that seemed like it was written with him in mind (that his character's name is a play on from his most famous role, Mr Darcy in the wonderful 1995 'Pride and Prejudice', further gives that impression).The rest of the cast are a whos who of veteran British talent, all doing reliably solid jobs, with the always good Gemma Jones and Jim Broadbent coming off best.Overall, a delight and much more than a chick flick with something for everyone regardless of gender or age if given a chance. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Renée Zellweger leads this goofy rom-com about a single woman in her thirties looking for the right man while confessing all her secrets in a diary. Bridget Jones drinks and smokes and her greatest fear is that she will one day end up on her own devoured by dogs after overdosing on ice cream, vodka, and self-help books. She has a crush on a suave editor Daniel (Hugh Grant) at the publishing company she works at. Daniel is a bad boy who charms and smirks his way into bringing Bridget into bed but stays steadfast that the relationship is not going anywhere.Meanwhile, Bridget's mother (Gemma Jones) set Bridget up with a wealthy, staid divorcée lawyer Mark Darcy (Colin Firth). Bridget used to act crazily as a child at Mark's birthday parties and it appeared as if Mark always had a crush on her. Bridget is a bit turned off by Mark's solemn nature plus Mark always has his coworker Natasha (Embeth Davidtz) shadowing him as she hopes to someday woo him. Bridget is led to believe that Mark once stole Daniel's wife and so she is under the impression that Mark is not a good guy.The show has plenty of comedy as Bridget tends to find herself in plenty of embarrassing situations due to misunderstandings and awkward clumsiness. She gets knocked down but refuses to grow melancholic and picks herself back up using a catchy soundtrack and one too many cigarettes. One hilarious episode after another plays out as the love triangle dances around each other and the true nature of Bridget's two potential mates reveal themselves.Check out more of this review and others at swilliky.com

The titular Bridget Jones is in her early thirties, smokes too much, drinks too much, thinks she is overweight and most worryingly for her single. Her mother tries to set her up with stuffy lawyer Mark Darcy but she takes an instant dislike to him. Instead she ends up dating her boss, Daniel Cleaver, who is clearly a cad and a bounder… who claims Darcy once took the woman he was engaged to. Over the course of the film she comes to realise she is with the wrong man but by then it might be too late.I probably wouldn't have picked up this film if it hadn't been on the 50p bargain shelf at the local charity shop… I'm glad that I did though as it was a lot of fun. There are plenty of great laugh out loud moments and Texan Renée Zellweger does a great job as the English Bridget. She is ably supported by a cast of well-known British actors; most notably Colin Firth and Hugh Grant as Darcy and Cleaver… it was particularly fun watching Grant play the cad rather than the sympathetic male lead; not that he plays the two all that differently! It was also a highlight to see the two scrapping; not a well-choreographed fight but a believable brawl with them kicking, punching and grabbing each other in a messy but realistic… and hilarious way. Overall an enjoyable way to pass an hour and a half; it may be considered a bit of a 'chick-flick' but blokes can enjoy it too!

An insecure 30-something woman had affair with her womanizer boss, intimidated by a perfect human rights lawyer that turns out he likes her just the way she is..A very funny and romantic film with snow and London views. A charming Colin Firth, a cool Hugh Grant, silly and funny Renee Zellweger with romantic songs as the soundtrack such as Ain't No Mountain High Enough by Diana Ross and I'm Every Woman by Chaka Kahn.My favorite part are: - When Darcy told Bridget that he likes her just the way she is - When Darcy and Bridget had having dinner with Bridget friends - When Darcy beat Daniel - When Bridget resigned - When Bridget just knew that Darcy wasn't wrong - When Bridget ran off to Darcy with leopard underpants in the snow