Day 28 - Bridget Jones's Diary
First Impressions:
"Bridget Jones's Diary" is a 200 level course with a prerequisite in Rom-Com 102 which is Jane Austen's contributions to the genre. Drawing from "Pride and Prejudice" and starring Renee Zellweger, Hugh Grant, and Colin Firth, "Bridget Jones's Diary" just works. And not solely because it ends with a song by Van Morrison.
Bridget works at 'Pemberley Press" and Colin Firth's character is Mark Darcy. A surge of triumph for all the Jane Austen fans out there.
"Bridget Jones's Diary" shows that sticking to an upbeat soundtrack full of motown classics is the way to go. Pay heed, "Crazy, Stupid, Love".
Personal Reflections:
"I like you very much — just as you are"
Like "Love Actually" Hugh Grant enjoys relationships with subordinates. According to some psychologists, women prefer 'alpha males', men in positions of power or control who possess what are known as 'dark triad' qualities, common in upper management. As Bridget says to Darcy at the end, "Nice boys don't kiss like that." To which he responds, "Yes, they fucking do." Basically, Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) is the bad boy you date who wastes your time in the search for the one you marry and Darcy is the one you marry.
Daniel is so smarmy that he cribs from "What Women Want", telling Bridget that she needs to save him. Fortunately, Bridget has seen "Pretty Woman" and knows that saving should be mutual. As much as I know Daniel is bad news, I can't help but wonder if he is more than a posh voice and a bad character.
The touch of a woman writer and director is very obvious. Bridget, like Andie from "Pretty in Pink", is a real woman and a three-dimensional character. She is not a Jamie or Mary who doesn't seem to possess any insecurities. Bridget Jones is one of us. She worries about her weight, how much she smokes, becoming a spinster. Bridget Jones shows up to work in see-through blouses, sleeps with her boss, and makes a fool of herself on live television.
"He's Just Not That Into You" touches on the idea of unmarried women of a certain age. "Bridget Jones's Diary" brings it home. Seated amongst 'smug married couples', Bridget is declared impromptu delegate for single women in their 30s. Why are so many women in their 30s single? It must have something to do with the scales on their bodies. Bridget gets the guy; Daniel grovels to her for saving and she rejects him, telling him, "That's not a good enough offer for me." Rather than fall into the trap of securing a man who isn't good enough or trapping one not ready (using an ultimatum), Bridget sticks to her principles and with all her neuroses enjoys her life and her friends; she isn't going to settle.
The most romantic line of all comes from Mr. Darcy, naturally, when he says he likes her just the way she is. If only Bridget could say that about herself!
Marriages over 25 years experience a marital blip in the form of the wife having an affair and returning to her husband. "Crazy, Stupid, Love" had this and so does "Bridget Jones's Diary". Is this a trope?
Rom-Com Tropes:
1. The heroine holds a career in print media.
2. Omniscient narrator.
3. Marriage is the ultimate goal.
Soundtrack:
VAN MORRISON. Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Chaka Khan. You can't help but stand up and cheer.
"Bridget Jones's Diary" is a 200 level course with a prerequisite in Rom-Com 102 which is Jane Austen's contributions to the genre. Drawing from "Pride and Prejudice" and starring Renee Zellweger, Hugh Grant, and Colin Firth, "Bridget Jones's Diary" just works. And not solely because it ends with a song by Van Morrison.
Bridget works at 'Pemberley Press" and Colin Firth's character is Mark Darcy. A surge of triumph for all the Jane Austen fans out there.
"Bridget Jones's Diary" shows that sticking to an upbeat soundtrack full of motown classics is the way to go. Pay heed, "Crazy, Stupid, Love".
Personal Reflections:
"I like you very much — just as you are"
Like "Love Actually" Hugh Grant enjoys relationships with subordinates. According to some psychologists, women prefer 'alpha males', men in positions of power or control who possess what are known as 'dark triad' qualities, common in upper management. As Bridget says to Darcy at the end, "Nice boys don't kiss like that." To which he responds, "Yes, they fucking do." Basically, Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) is the bad boy you date who wastes your time in the search for the one you marry and Darcy is the one you marry.
Daniel is so smarmy that he cribs from "What Women Want", telling Bridget that she needs to save him. Fortunately, Bridget has seen "Pretty Woman" and knows that saving should be mutual. As much as I know Daniel is bad news, I can't help but wonder if he is more than a posh voice and a bad character.
The touch of a woman writer and director is very obvious. Bridget, like Andie from "Pretty in Pink", is a real woman and a three-dimensional character. She is not a Jamie or Mary who doesn't seem to possess any insecurities. Bridget Jones is one of us. She worries about her weight, how much she smokes, becoming a spinster. Bridget Jones shows up to work in see-through blouses, sleeps with her boss, and makes a fool of herself on live television.
"He's Just Not That Into You" touches on the idea of unmarried women of a certain age. "Bridget Jones's Diary" brings it home. Seated amongst 'smug married couples', Bridget is declared impromptu delegate for single women in their 30s. Why are so many women in their 30s single? It must have something to do with the scales on their bodies. Bridget gets the guy; Daniel grovels to her for saving and she rejects him, telling him, "That's not a good enough offer for me." Rather than fall into the trap of securing a man who isn't good enough or trapping one not ready (using an ultimatum), Bridget sticks to her principles and with all her neuroses enjoys her life and her friends; she isn't going to settle.
The most romantic line of all comes from Mr. Darcy, naturally, when he says he likes her just the way she is. If only Bridget could say that about herself!
Marriages over 25 years experience a marital blip in the form of the wife having an affair and returning to her husband. "Crazy, Stupid, Love" had this and so does "Bridget Jones's Diary". Is this a trope?
Rom-Com Tropes:
1. The heroine holds a career in print media.
2. Omniscient narrator.
3. Marriage is the ultimate goal.
Soundtrack:
VAN MORRISON. Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Chaka Khan. You can't help but stand up and cheer.
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