Product Details

• Actors: Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Gemma Jones, Celia Imrie
• Directors: Sharon Maguire
• Writers: Helen Fielding, Andrew Davies, Richard Curtis
• Producers: Debra Hayward, Eric Fellner, Helen Fielding, Jonathan Cavendish
• Format: Closed-captioned, Collector's Edition, Color, Dolby, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Unknown)
• Subtitles: Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Miramax
• DVD Release Date: November 9, 2004
• Run Time: 97 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (573 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0002W4SWC
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #17,344 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Bridget Jones's Diary (Collector's Edition)" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Featuring a blowzy, winningly inept size-12 heroine, Bridget Jones's Diary is a fetching adaptation of Helen Fielding's runaway bestseller, grittier than Ally McBeal but sweeter than Sex and the City. The normally sylphlike Renée Zellweger (Nurse Betty, Me, Myself and Irene) wolfed pasta to gain poundage to play "singleton" Bridget, a London-based publicist who divides her free time between binge eating in front of the TV, downing Chardonnay with her friends, and updating the diary in which she records her negligible weight fluctuations and romantic misadventures of the year. Things start off badly at Christmas when her mother tries to set her up with seemingly standoffish lawyer Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), whom Bridget accidentally overhears dissing her. Instead she embarks on a disastrous liaison with her raffish boss, Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant, infinitely more likeable when he's playing a baddie instead of his patented tongue-tied fops). Eventually, Bridget comes to wonder if she's let her pride prejudice her against the surprisingly attractive Mr. Darcy.

If the plot sounds familiar, that's because Fielding's novel was itself a retelling of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, whose romantic male lead is also named Mr. Darcy. An extra ironic poke in the ribs is added by the casting of Firth, who played Austen's haughty hero in the acclaimed BBC adaptation of Austen's novel. First-time director Sharon Maguire directs with confident comic zest, while Zellweger twinkles charmingly, fearlessly baring her cellulite and pulling off a spot-on English accent. Like Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill (both of which were written by this film's coscreenwriter, Richard Curtis), Bridget Jones's stock-in-trade is a very English self-deprecating sense of humor, a mild suspicion of Americans (especially if they're thin and successful), and a subtly expressed analysis of thirtysomething fears about growing up and becoming a "smug married." The whole is, as Bridget would say, v. good. --Leslie Felperin

Product Description

Academy Award(R) winner Renée Zellweger (Best Supporting Actress, COLD MOUNTAIN, 2003; CHICAGO) and Hugh Grant (LOVE ACTUALLY, TWO WEEKS NOTICE) star in a delightful comedy about the ups and downs of modern romance. Bridget (Zellweger), a busy career woman, decides to turn over a new page in her life by channeling her thoughts, opinions and insecurities into a journal that becomes a hilarious chronicle of her adventures. Soon she becomes the center of attention between a guy who's too good to be true (Grant) and another who's so wrong for her, he could be just right (Colin Firth -- LOVE ACTUALLY)! Based on the best-selling book, BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY is another acclaimed crowd-pleaser from the hit makers of FOUR WEDDING AND A FUNERAL and NOTTING HILL.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

100 of 110 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved This Movie But Now Have Insane Crush on Colin Firth! May 2, 2001

By A Customer

I was pleasantly surprised to find that I actually like the movie better than the book. My only disappointments were that the movie is way too short and that Colin Firth is not on-screen nearly enough.

The entire cast does a fantastic job of bringing Bridget Jones's quirky world to life. Renee Zellweger effectively portrays Bridget Jones as slightly ridiculous but lovable, and Hugh Grant and Colin Firth are perfect in their respective roles. It's certainly nice to see Hugh Grant finally take a break from the foppish, stuttering, self-deprecating persona he's been cultivating ever since Four Weddings & a Funeral---and his new buff look (as made evident in the lake/wet shirt scene) isn't bad either! I only wish the writers had come up with a reason to have Colin shirtless (or at least wet!)

As much as I enjoyed the movie, the reason I and my friends have already seen it several times and will buy the DVD the day it comes out is Colin Firth and his quietly (but devastatingly) mesmerizing performance. Several critics have commented that Renee Zellweger and Colin Firth have no chemistry, but I beg to differ. That very palpable chemistry (The way he looks at her when she's interviewing him? The incredibly charming cooking scene? The scene near the end where he leans down to kiss her on the cheek before she runs off to change into "genuinely tiny knickers"?) is what makes the ultimate resolution of the movie so satisfying.

Having long been a fan of British films, I've always been aware of Colin Firth as an accomplished actor (e.g., Another Country, A Month in the Country, Valmont), but it wasn't until Pride & Prejudice that it dawned on me that he was also incredibly attractive. He then went on to play rather unappealing characters in such films as Circle of Friends, The English Patient and Shakespeare in Love, and, me being the fickle fan that I am, forgot about my crush on him . . . until now. As a "serious actor," he seems to choose roles that will "challenge" him, and unfortunately for us besotted fans, they are often unattractive villains and cuckolds. But I've come to realize that the fact that he is so successful at masking his undeniable attractiveness is a testament to his extraordinary acting ability.

It was clear from Disney's marketing and PR campaign that they felt Renee Zellweger and Hugh Grant would be the only draws here in the U.S., but I know a lot of people who went to see the movie because of Colin Firth. I can only hope this film will earn him the recognition of audiences (and studios) beyond the legions of women who fell in love with him in P&P. It'd certainly be wonderful to see him fulfill his promise as a leading man (a la Ralph Fiennes and Russell Crowe) and leave all those "character actor" roles behind him.

It looks like Working Title Films is already talking with Renee Zellweger about making the film version of "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason." Apparently, she's only interested if she doesn't have to gain weight again. Let's keep our fingers crossed that Colin Firth's desire to pursue more challenging roles doesn't keep him from signing on for the sequel. I can't imagine anyone else playing the role of Mark Darcy.

Finally, I'd just like to say that I wholeheartedly agree with other IMDB/Amazon users who've described Colin Firth as "sex on a stick," "dreamy," "swoonsome," "a revelation," "beautiful," "delicious," "riveting" and weak-knee inducing. I wonder how many of us will be trekking to London next year to see him on-stage in Hamlet? SIGH . . .

75 of 84 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Endearing Performance By Zellweger April 24, 2001

By Reviewer

Dissatisfied at age 32 with the direction her life is taking, a young woman vows to make some changes, and to keep herself on track she decides to start a daily journal, hoping it will make her toe the line, in "Bridget Jones's Diary," directed by Sharon Maguire and starring Renee Zellweger. Bridget (Zellweger) begins with some New Year's resolutions that include no more drinking or smoking, not being paranoid about her weight, and developing poise. And-- last, but not least-- to avoid any romantic attachments to alcoholics, workaholics, peeping Toms or perverts. Of course she promptly falls for the one man she knows who embodies all of those characteristics: Her boss, Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant). In the meantime, her mother, Pam (Gemma Jones), continues to play matchmaker for her daughter. At a holiday gathering of friends and family, Pam nudges her in the direction of an old childhood chum, Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), now a respectable attorney, and recently divorced. Their initial meeting, however, proves to be a less than monumental event, further complicated by the fact that Cleaver was Darcy's Best Man at his wedding, and has some tales-out-of-school to tell about the subsequently ill fated marriage that puts Darcy in a rather bad light. But Bridget could care less; she thinks Darcy is rude and a bore, and anyway, Daniel is her guy. Work is good, her life is going well and-- as she is about to wake up and realize-- she hasn't kept a single one of her resolutions. And, oh! she should have.

First time director Maguire proves with this auspicious debut that she certainly knows her territory and how to negotiate it. She has the touch and the eye for detail of a seasoned professional, and her sense of timing is impeccable. She successfully avoids a major pitfall that do in many rookie directors right out of the chute, by never fishing for the cheap, forced, disdainfully pretentious or concocted laugh. Everything in this film, especially the humor, flows freely and naturally from the circumstances of the characters and the story, which makes it all real and believable and allows it to be readily embraced by the audience. This is a funny, often hilarious movie, but it's also very warm and at times poignant, and for handling it so sensibly, and with such sensitivity, Maguire deserves to be granted even more kudos. It's quite simply an exceptionally well made film, presented with a style and grace that reflects that of the director herself.

Of course, having a superlative leading lady was certainly not disadvantageous to Maguire's efforts, either, and Renee Zellweger has never been better than she is here as Bridget. With her quirky good looks, personality and charisma, she is endearing, and she invades Meryl Streep territory by affecting a perfect British accent. Whether she's lip-syncing to a Celine Dion song, doing karaoke at an office party after having a bit too much to drink, or battling with a blender, it's easy to believe that someone would like her just the way she is. Even with her hair mussed, or in a somewhat disheveled state, she's alluring, and it all has to do with who she is deep down inside; Zellweger makes it clear that this is a woman of substance, and it's easy to like her. There's a down-to-earth honesty and accessibility about her that makes her appealing, and she's someone to whom many in the audience are easily going to be able to relate. For her portrayal of Betty in "Nurse Betty," Zellweger received a Golden Globe; "Bridget" should land her smack in the middle of Oscar territory.

As Bridget's smarmy boss, Daniel, Hugh Grant turns in a noteworthy performance, putting a rather tarnished sheen on his natural charm that works so well for this character. It's a nice departure from his usual bumbling, reserved Mr. Nice Guy routine he perfected in such films as "Notting Hill," and "Four Weddings and A Funeral." With this role he challenges Greg Kinnear's part in "Someone Like You" for the top spot in the Boss-You-Should-Never-Date category. And Firth does a memorable turn as Darcy, fairly reprising his role of the same name in the PBS miniseries, "Pride and Prejudice," from which this story is loosely derived. Initially appearing a bit sullen, he gets the chance to develop his character as the story unfolds, and he does it quite nicely, ultimately revealing Darcy's true nature.

In a supporting role, Gemma Jones gives a performance that deserves mention, doing a good job of fleshing out Bridget's mother in the brief time she is allotted. Rounding out the supporting cast are Crispin Bonham-Carter (Greg), Jim Broadbent (Colin Jones), James Callis (Tom), Sally Phillips (Shazzer), Honor Blackman (Penny), Embeth Davidtz (Natasha), Shirley Henderson (Jude) and Celia Imrie (Una). A warmly humorous, uplifting film, "Bridget Jones's Diary" is a delightful and satisfying experience with more than a touch of magic in it. Not only is it an entertaining showcase for Zellweger's many talents, but heralds the arrival of a director from whom we can expect great things in the future, Sharon Maguire. A well crafted, reality based comedy/drama that is enjoyable and refreshingly devoid of inane nonsense or gross jokes is a rare find these days, and this is one of the best to hit the screen in a long, long time. It's a film to be heartily embraced, and one I guarantee you'll want to see more than once.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Bridget Jones's Diary April 5, 2008

By Kelly VINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

Renee Zellweger does a fabulous job of portraying Bridget Jones. You would never guess that this great accent came from a Texan. At the age of 32, she is unhappy with her unmarried status, and everyone constantly throws it in her face. She is interested in her boss Daniel Cleaver, but knows he is not the type of man that she should see. When she meets Mark Darcy (a set up by her mother), they dislike each other immediately, and the fact he hates Daniel is just a bonus. The comedy that follows is just hilarious.

This is a very entertaining movie. Hugh Grant sheds his normal good guy persona to be the guy you love to hate. He is very effective in the role switch. Colin Firth is just plain loveable. This is a movie to pull out and watch again and again.