Every year, I have a few seasonal watches that I come back to again and again. In the fall I like to revisit little women (always the 2019 version), New Year’s Eve, I always find myself re-watching when harry met sally. During the holidays, I rewatched a movie that wasn’t technically a Christmas movie, but definitely had a season-appropriate atmosphere. Of course, I’m talking about Bridget Jones’s Diary.
This 2001 romantic comedy follows the love and professional life of 32-year-old Bridget Jones, who finds herself in a love triangle with the dastardly Daniel Cleaver and the crude (but also quite charming) Mark Darcy. This British film is a classic comfort flick – one I’ve loved watching since I was a teenager, long before I was the same age as the protagonist.
As much as I loved the movie and continue to be fascinated, I had an epiphany on a recent rewatch: This is a movie I might like, but it’s no I plan to always recommend this to my daughter.
Why do I, as a parent, view my daughter differently?
Like any parent, having a child completely changed my worldview. Now, I see almost everything through the lens of, “What does my daughter think about this?” My recent rewatch made me realize just how much Bridget Jones’s Diary Contains 100% content that deflects into problematic areas.
Unhealthy weight expectations
Bridget wrote in her diary that she weighed approximately 130 pounds and wanted to lose 20 pounds. In fact, it appears in most of her diaries. While this tidbit didn’t have much of an impact on me when I first saw the movie as a teenager, I’d be lying if I said it didn’t pop into my head, because I Struggling with weight throughout adulthood.
The focus on being ultra-thin is likely a symptom of a story that took place in the early 2000s, a period that was particularly harmful to women trying to lose weight. While Bridget’s desire to lose weight may be a realistic portrayal of women’s struggles, I can’t help but cringe every time I watch this movie and see a perfectly healthy person talk about how she discovered she was overweight.
toxic relationship
Hugh Grant is one of the most charismatic actors of his generation, and that’s on full display here. It’s clear that his Daniel Cleaver is supposed to be sycophantic and vulgar, a fact that’s pointed out multiple times throughout.
But let’s be honest, Bridget’s relationships with both the villainous Cleaver and the heroic Mark Darcy had a certain level of toxicity. Mark is really rude in the way he treats Bridget at the beginning of the movie, although he does take longer to apologize than Daniel does.
While Mark and Bridget’s relationship was the pinnacle of romance for me as a young adult, there are a number of factors that I would now consider a major red flag if this was the partner my children wanted to date.
Being single does not mean being worthless
Now, I understand that this is Bridget’s diary after all, so the self-critical thoughts are her own. However, the focus on Brigitte’s relationship status is perhaps my biggest gripe with the film. This is a beautiful woman with an interesting job, an apartment in London, and a great group of friends. Frankly, it’s weird that everyone is focusing on why she’s still single in her 30s.
Again, this may be more of a period error, but I hope if the story were told today (from the beginning, rather than as a sequel), more attention would be paid to how Brigitte’s life was in every way relevant to Whether she finds a marriage partner or not. (It’s also worth noting that I know this story is loosely based on pride and Prejudicewhich is obviously a major plot point.
Will I continue reading?
I’m well aware that movies shouldn’t be the moral police – I don’t need every fictional character to be a role model for myself or my children. But if I’m talking about some important points, I’d be lying Bridget Jones’s Diary I wouldn’t feel uncomfortable recommending this movie to my daughter or niece.
This is a fun movie that I enjoy rewatching. But as society’s view of women has (hopefully) changed over the past quarter-century, quite a few elements of the film feel dated and, at times, difficult to watch. Still, I loved the final scene of Bridget running through the snow to meet Darcy, and I’ll never laugh at her two lovers pausing to sing “Happy Birthday” during a fight scene.
But does my rewatch make me happy that the way we see female leads in today’s romantic comedies is starting to change? Absolutely.
