Singletons and smug-marrieds alike will get a kick out of Bridget Jones's return to the big screen in Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy. Renee Zellweger's hapless and loveable diarist now finds herself in middle age and at a key crossroads in her life – quite a contrast from when we first met her necking alcohol and lamenting her singledom in 2001's Bridget Jones's Diary.
Zellweger's ability to locate the emotional truth in Bridget's pratfalling has helped transform the Bridget Jones series into one of the biggest comedy franchises of all time. The new movie promises to lace its laughs with a sense of poignancy as Bridget faces up to the realities of parenthood and loneliness, but before you see the film, recap the character's memorable misadventures so far, from her romantic entanglements to her blossoming parenthood.
When did we first meet Bridget Jones?
- Bridget's first screen appearance was in Bridget Jones's Diary, which was adapted from the bestselling book by Helen Fielding
- Bridget is introduced as a vodka-swilling, London-based PR worker whose parents (Gemma Jones and Jim Broadbent) are going through turbulent times
- At the onset of the new year, a hungover and very single Bridget vows to keep a diary of her general life and her relationship ups and downs
What was Bridget's relationship with Mark Darcy?
- Bridget meets handsome barrister Mark Dary (Colin Firth) at her mother's New Year's turkey curry buffet where she is slighted by his seemingly aloof nature
- Bridget and Mark knew each other as children but seem incompatible as partners despite their parents' attempts to match-make
- Mark rebuffs Bridget as someone who "smokes like a chimney, drinks like a fish and dresses like her mother"
- However, after Bridget suffers humiliation at a dinner party for "smug married couples", Mark reaches out and says, "I like you just as you are"
How did Bridget meet Daniel Cleaver?
- Bridget is employed by smarmy publisher Daniel (Hugh Grant) and starts a relationship with him
- Daniel tells Bridget that Mark seduced Daniel's fiancee, setting in motion a long-running feud
- The caddish yet quick-witted Daniel wins Bridget over with his charm and trips to the countryside but soon reveals his true adulterous nature
- Bridget later finds out that Daniel stole Mark's wife, and the two get into a fight on a London street that spills over into a nearby restaurant
Did Bridget make up with Mark Darcy?
- Upon reconciling with Mark, Bridget learns that he's taking a job in New York, leaving her bereft
- However, he returns to snowy London on New Year's Eve and despite discovering Bridget's tell-all diary, forgives her and buys her a new one
- The two then start a relationship that is cemented at the start of Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004)
- Bridget is however suspicious of Mark's relationship with his assistant Rebecca
- After a pregnancy scare, Mark rebuffs the idea of he and Bridget being married, compelling them to break up
- Bridget travels with Daniel to Thailand to film a new travel series, and she rekindles her relationship with him
- Bridget is arrested for drug possession while back in London, Mark confronts Daniel for abandoning Bridget in Thailand, and they fight outside an art gallery in Kensington Gardens
- Daniel swears off Bridget and Mark realises that he truly loves her
- Returning to Mark's house in London, Bridget is confronted by Rebecca who reveals herself to be a lesbian
- Bridget then greets Mark at his legal chambers and they reconcile; she later catches the floral bouquet at her parents' vow renewal ceremony
Who was the father of Bridget's baby?
- In Bridget Jones's Baby (2016), Bridget, now 43, attends Daniel's memorial service after he's presumed dead after a plane crash
- She's now separated from Mark Darcy who is married to Camilla
- Bridget tries to embrace the single life and meets American bachelor Jack (Patrick Dempsey) at Glastonbury, resulting in them having a one-night stand
- Bridget learns that Mark and Camilla are divorcing, and realising that they still harbour feelings for one another, sleep together
- Bridget later discovers she is pregnant and decides to both keep the baby and stay single
- She is unsure as to whether Jack or Mark is the father
- Mark and Jack eventually become jealous of each other's bond with Bridget and try to one-up each other while attending antenatal classes
- Nine months later, Bridget gives birth to a healthy baby boy
- One year after that, Bridget marries Mark, baby William's father and Jack is revealed to be happy with the news
- In a post-credit scene, Daniel Cleaver is revealed to still be alive
What is Bridget's relationship status in Mad About the Boy?
- In Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (2025), Bridget is a widower and mother to both William and his sister Mabel
- Bridget is encouraged to get back out there and finds herself lusted after by her son's teacher Mr Wallaker (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and the younger Roxtser (Leo Woodall)
- Luckily, Daniel is still on the scene to offer advice as Bridget tries to locate true love once again
You can now book your Cineworld tickets for Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy via the link below. The film is released in time for Valentine's Day on February 13th.
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