DVD Review: Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
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::Movie review
Considering the consequences is a very important part of the decision-making process. As I get older, I find myself looking back at the choices I have made and wondering – What was I thinking? Did I even consider what might happen if I made this choice? I think I've largely outgrown this; now, I am more likely to think too much about what might happen – sometimes to the point of not being able to decide at all. Bridget Jones, however, does not have any problem making decisions.
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason picks up right where Bridget Jones's Diary left off. Bridget (Renee Zellweger) and Mark (Colin Firth) are in the depths of a new romance, at that stage where everything seems perfect – but you don't know enough about each other to really know if things are perfect.
This film has many subtle references to the original movie, and is definitely the rest of the story, but Edge of Reason also stands on its own. Bridget is still a journalist of the highest integrity and as such is required to endure a certain degree of embarrassment for her career. In the opening scene, this means parachuting into a pig pen.
Unfortunately for Bridget, this is just the beginning of a string of embarrassments resulting from those quick decision-making skills. For example, she calls to tell Mark how much she enjoyed last night's “shag” only to find out she is on speakerphone among ambassadors and directors of international agencies. He has to work late and since the rumor mill says that there is a beautiful young woman with him, Bridget of course does some terribly embarrassing investigating. She is invited to a prestigious law dinner only to arrive with lipstick all over her face from a bumpy cab ride. As to be expected from Bridget, she puts her foot in her mouth during the dinner and with Mark's apparent detachment from her, they end up in a spat. So much for anticipating the consequences.
Enter Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant). He is now doing his own travel show, “The Smooth Guide: Making Culture Bearable.” (When in Rome, do as many Romans as you can.) As the director points out in the commentary track, whenever anything is bad for Bridget, Daniel Cleaver is right around the corner. This time her studio decides she should be the female side of the “Smooth Guide” starting with a trip to Thailand. Since she has had the falling out with Mark, she takes the plunge, bringing a friend along for protection.
Needless to say, Daniel makes his move and Bridget narrowly avoids making that mistake again. Unfortunately, somebody smuggles drugs into her suitcase and she ends up in a Thai women's prison where some very funny and very somber scenes follow.
I'm really not like Bridget Jones (except for how I will probably always be a little bit fat), but she does have a real appeal to me, maybe because of her decision-making skills. She doesn't waste her time pondering the consequences; she dives headfirst into everything she does without any concern for the future. This is a huge part of her appeal, her ability to act on her impulses is something every woman admires, and I think every woman can identify with parts of Bridget Jones' life and problems. Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason has definitely earned its chick-flick status.
::Video
This isn't the kind of movie that one watches in order to nitpick the video quality. Even so, the picture is quite good, with bright colors and a clear, mostly sharp picture (it did seem a bit soft in some places). There didn't appear to be any major technical flaws in the picture.
::Audio
This isn't an action movie, so there isn't really a lot of exciting things happening on the soundtrack. However, there is quite a lot of music, which is where your speakers will do most of the work. The main thing about this movie is the interaction of the characters, and this DVD does a good job of making the dialog very clear.
::Special Features
Since you can't have a Bridget Jones movie without a bit of a brawl, The Big Fight is a fun addition to the special features. They make it clear that the stunt coordinator was directed to sit this one out!
Do you fancy the Mark or Daniel type? Take the Who's Your Man? Quiz and find out – either as part of the special features or during playback of the movie. I'm not going to tell which one I ended up with, but I will tell you that watching it during the movie is very distracting.
In Mark & Bridget: Forever? the actors and filmmakers reflect on the relationship between Mark and Bridget
Bridget Jones Interviews Colin Firth is just silly, where Bridget (in character) interviews the actor Colin Firth.
There is one big CGI effect in the film, so appropriately there is a special feature describing in depth how Lonely London was done.
The Deleted Scenes are worth watching, there are a couple that are really good but were removed just for the flow of the movie.
I really enjoyed the Feature Commentary w/Director Beeban Kidron , although it would have been cool to have the actors involved. Regardless, she gives a great deal of background of production and shares what type of emotional message she was trying to get across.
Finally, there are Bios of Cast and Filmmakers . These are just basic still screens summarizing the careers of the cast, director, producers and screenwriters.
::Bottom Line
A movie like Bridget Jones has a built in divide when it comes to audiences. Those who saw and liked the first film will probably want to see this one. If the original didn't interest you, though, there probably isn't anything here you'll want to watch, either.
Buy Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason at DVDEmpire.com
| Movie |  |
4 / 5 |
| Video | |
3.5 / 5 |
| Audio | |
3 / 5 |
| Extras | |
3 / 5 |
| Family Friendly | |
1 / 5 |
| Teenage girls may get a kick out of this once they're old enough to get past the "shagging" references. The film wouldn't be interesting, nor appropriate for younger audiences. | ||
| Overall | |
3.5 / 5 |
- Jennie Austin, ©2005
::Technical Specs
Studio:
Universal Home Entertainment
Year of Theatrical Release:
2004
Disc Format:
1 single-sided, Dual Layer
Image Format:
Anamorphic Widescreen
Aspect Ratio:
2.40:1
Region Encoding:
1 (North America)
Sound Format:
Dolby Digital 5.1
Running Time:
108 minutes
Director:
Beeban Kidron
Stars:
Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Gemma Jones, Jim Broadbent, Jacinda Barrett
MPAA Rating:
R
Disc Supplements:
- Commentary by director Beeban Kidron
- The Big Fight featurette
- Who's Your Man? Quiz
- Mark and Bridget: Forever? Featurette
- Bridget Jones Interviews Colin Firth
- Lonely London featurette
- Deleted Scenes
- Bios of Cast and Filmmakers
