Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (film)

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason is a 2004 romantic comedy film directed by Beeban Kidron and written by Adam Brooks, Richard Curtis, Andrew Davies, and Helen Fielding, based on Fielding's 1999 novel of the same name. It stars Renée Zellweger as Bridget Jones, Colin Firth as Mark Darcy, and Hugh Grant as Daniel Cleaver.

The sequel to Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), the film was released in the United Kingdom on 12 November 2004 and in the United States a week later on 19 November 2004 to generally negative reviews from critics. Despite this, the film was a box office success, grossing over $260 million worldwide.

Plot
The film begins shortly before Bridget's mother's (Gemma Jones) annual Turkey Curry Buffet. Bridget (Renée Zellweger) is ecstatic about her relationship with Mark Darcy (Colin Firth). However, Bridget's confidence in her relationship is shattered when she meets Mark's assistant, a beautiful, slim and quick witted Australian named Rebecca Gillies (Jacinda Barrett). Bridget meets her ex, Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant), at her job for TV morning show Sit-Up Britain and is offered a position alongside Cleaver in a new travel tv series. Bridget initially refuses and declares that Daniel is a "deceitful, sexist, disgusting specimen of humanity". Bridget eventually relents and agrees to sign on to the project, despite her friends' serious misgivings.

Bridget is delighted when Mark invites her to the "Law Council Dinner", assuming he will propose afterwards, but the night does not end well. She is overdressed for the event, wearing a gold dress while everyone else is wearing serious lawyer black; the hairdresser has ruined her hair, which her friends hurriedly repair at her flat; she heavily rouges her cheeks in the taxi and then as a final debacle, makes a critical error in the trivial quiz that almost causes her team to lose with a question about Madonna. Rebecca Gillies wins the night by chiming in with the correct answer. Bridget's confidence is thoroughly deflated.

After the "Law Council Dinner", Mark and Bridget have an argument and she walks away from him in a huff. Mark goes to Bridget's apartment, apologizes, and tells her he loves her for the first time. Later in the night, Mark asks Bridget if she'd like to go on a ski holiday in Vorarlberg, Austria. Once on the slopes, she learns Rebecca recommended the vacation spot to Mark. While on the holiday, Bridget suspects she's pregnant; after an argument concerning the upbringing and education of their future children, the pregnancy test proves negative. After they return home, Bridget and Mark attended a scheduled lunch with both of their parents. When the subject of marriage comes up during conversation, Bridget is hurt by Mark's comment that it's not something they're even thinking about yet.

Bridget overhears a message from Rebecca on Mark's answering machine and discusses it with her friends, who advise Bridget that "If Mark says 'I refuse to dignify that question with an answer', then you know he's having an affair". Bridget asks the question, Mark responds predictably and Bridget breaks up with him. She travels to Thailand with her friend, Shazzer (Sally Phillips) and Daniel Cleaver to film "The Smooth Guide". Bridget and Daniel film the show, visit several exotic locations and flirt while off duty. Bridget loses faith in Daniel again when she is in his hotel room and while getting ready to romance, notices that a Thai prostitute has arrived for him. She decides he has not changed.

During the Thailand vacation, Shazzer has a fling with a younger British man called Jed. While packing up for their trip back home, Shazzer asks Bridget to put Jed's (Paul Nicholls) gift in her bag. Bridget is arrested and sent to a Thai prison after airport security dogs detect a large stash of cocaine inside the gift. In prison, Bridget spends her time sharing stories with the inmates, giving relationship advice and teaching them how to sing and dance to Madonna's "Like a Virgin". Mark arrives to tell Bridget that his superiors have sent him to put her release in motion. Bridget identifies Jed in a picture as the man who gave Shazzer the hidden cocaine. Mark states that he was "just the messenger" and after confirming Jed's identity and that Bridget "spent the night with Daniel Cleaver", declares that her sex life does not interest him. Bridget does not protest or correct his presumption. Back in Britain, Mark confronts Daniel for not helping Bridget when she was arrested, and they start a fight outside an art gallery in Kensington Gardens. Eventually, Daniel swears off Bridget for good and sarcastically suggests to Mark "why don't you just marry her".

Bridget arrives at Heathrow Airport as an international human rights celebrity. She is greeted by her parents, who have been busy planning their vow renewal ceremony. Her mother apologises for not making a bigger effort to participate in Bridget's jail release campaign, saying she's been busy. At home, Bridget is surprised by her friends, who inform her that Mark personally tracked down Jed the drug trafficker, arranged for his custody and extradition, and force Jed to admit Bridget's innocence. Hopeful that Mark still loves her, Bridget immediately runs to his house. She finds Rebecca there and assumes that there is a romantic relationship between Mark and her. Rebecca reveals that she is not seeking an affair with Mark; she is actually infatuated with Bridget and kisses her. Bridget is flattered but politely turns her down.

Bridget confronts Mark at his legal chambers and asks him to take her back. Mark proposes to Bridget and she accepts. The film ends with Bridget's parents renewing their vows and Bridget catching the bouquet outside while snow is falling.

Cast

 * Renée Zellweger as Bridget Jones
 * Colin Firth as Mark Darcy
 * Hugh Grant as Daniel Cleaver
 * Gemma Jones as Mrs. Pamela Jones
 * Jim Broadbent as Mr. Colin Jones
 * Celia Imrie as Una Alconbury
 * James Faulkner as Uncle Geoffrey
 * Jacinda Barrett as Rebecca Gillies
 * Sally Phillips as Sharon "Shazza"
 * Shirley Henderson as Jude
 * James Callis as Tom
 * Neil Pearson as Richard Finch
 * Donald Douglas as Admiral Darcy
 * Shirley Dixon as Mrs. Darcy
 * Jeremy Paxman as Himself
 * Ian McNeice as Quizmaster
 * Jessica Stevenson as Magda
 * Paul Nicholls (special participation) as Jed
 * Wolf Kahler as Commentator
 * Catherine Russell as Camilla
 * Ting-Ting Hu as Thai prostitute
 * Jason Watkins as Charlie Parker-Knowles
 * Vee Vimolmal as phrao
 * Pui Fan Lee and Melissa Ashworth as Thai jail girls

Production
Principal photography began in 6 October 2003 and clouded in 15 February 2004

During the fight scene between Daniel and Mark, it was for the most part not choreographed, instead, the actors were simply asked to fight each other any way they could. At one point in the film (where Bridget and Shazzer are at the Thai airport), Bridget indulges in a fantasy of Mark coming out of water in a wet white shirt, just like Colin Firth did in the 1995 BBC version of Pride and Prejudice. The poem that Daniel quotes from while passing Ko Panyi is the story of "Phra Aphai Mani" by Sunthorn Phu.

One of the more significant differences between the novel and the film is that the film makes no mention of Bridget's fascination with the BBC television version of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (Colin Firth starred in that production.)

Sandra Gregory stated that the scenes involving the Thai prison probably received inspiration from her incident since Helen Fielding knew the next door neighbors of her parents and presumably would have talked to them.

Reception
Although the film received mostly negative reviews from critics, it was voted Evening Standard Readers' Film of 2004, was in the shortlist for the Orange Film of the Year award at 2005 BAFTAs and the second interpretation of Bridget gained Zellweger another Golden Globe nomination and the People's Choice Award as Favorite Leading Lady of 2005.

The film holds a 27% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the consensus stating: "Edge of Reason is a predictable continuation to the Bridget Jones story, with too much slapstick and silliness."

Box office
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason opened in the United States on a limited release on 12 November 2004 and grossed $8,684,055, at #5 at the box office; a week later, the film was given a wide release, again hitting #5 at the box office, this time with $10,044,890. By the end of its theatrical run, it had grossed $40,226,215 domestically and $222,294,509 internationally, totaling $262,520,724 worldwide.

Sequel
In July 2009, the BBC reported that a third film was in the early stages of production. On 1 March 2011 it was reported that both Renée Zellweger and Colin Firth had shown interest in reprising their roles. An announcement was made on August 11, 2011 that a third film was greenlit by Universal Pictures, Miramax and Working Title.

Colin Firth talked to The Chicago Sun Times in April 2013. "Unfortunately, it might be a bit of a long wait," he said. "I wouldn't say that it's completely dead in the water, but the way it's going, you might be seeing Bridget Jones's granddaughter's story being told by the time we get there."

In an interview in October 2014, Hugh Grant mentioned an existing script for a sequel, however also expressed his dislike for it and that he would not star in a third film. Filming officially began on 2 October 2015. The movie opened on 16 September 2016.

DVD
The film was released on DVD in 2004 with a variety of bonus features.