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Given the popularity of Helen Fielding’s 1996 novel Bridget Jones’s Diary on both sides of the bond, it was no surprise that the hilarious and charming romantic comedy would be made into a movie. In 2001, we saw Renée Zellweger take on the titular role of the 30-something British singleton, and the adaptation has remained one of the best romantic comedies of all time, since. So it certainly wasn’t a chore for me to revisit the movie in search of the most adorable, ridiculous or funniest quotes and scenes. So, let’s get on with it, shall we?
Bridget Dressed Up Like Her Mom At The Christmas Party
At the start of what would turn out to be one of Renée Zellweger’s best movies, we’re introduced to Bridget Jones as she’s awkwardly dressed up in an outfit her mother picked out for her, and wandering into her parents’ annual turkey curry party. It turns out, seeing Bridget in a situation where she feels a bit awkward and uncomfortable is going to be a common theme for this story, and this is undoubtedly the adorably cringy start to that, vest and all.
Mark’s Ridiculous Reindeer Sweater
Bridget isn’t the only one dressed to unimpress at the turkey curry party. The party is also the scene where we’re introduced to the dreamy but often sullen Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), who’s dressed up in a goofy Christmas sweater featuring a giant cartoon reindeer head.
“Yummy. Turkey curry. My favorite.”
There are quite a few total-cringe moments throughout Bridget Jones’s Diary, and this is undoubtedly one of them. As Bridget is serving herself some of her mother’s famous turkey curry, she has the unfortunate experience of overhearing Mark Darcy saying some rude things about her behavior and dress. All she can do is put on a smile and pretend not to be mortified.
Bridget Wallowing To “All By Myself”
Is there anything quite as glorious as the sight of Bridget Jones kicking off the new year by belting out “All By Myself”? What better way to for the movie’s title to appear on screen, really. We’ve only just scratched the surface of our adorable heroine at this point, but there’s no doubt that she’s one of a kind.
Bridget’s Resolutions
New year, new leaf! Just as the title implies, Bridget Jones is keeping a diary, and that includes resolutions to drop some weight, cut down on smoking and some other bits of self improvement that she hopes to accomplish. I feel her motivation every time I watch this scene.
Daniel Cleaver’s Intro
If you weren’t aware that Pride and Prejudice was the inspiration for Fielding’s novel, you might mistake Daniel as Bridget’s main love interest in this story. Alas, we know there’s a Mr. Darcy waiting in the wings, but for now, our Bridget finds herself smitten by Hugh Grant’s Daniel Cleaver. And his intro, which has him arriving at the office to the tune of “Respect,” top button unbuttoned and a dreamy smirk on his face, spells nothing but trouble for Bridget.
“She’s Fine, Drive on.”
We know Bridget’s friends absolutely adore her, so I don’t think their giggling and lack of concern over the way she falls out of the cab after their night out is meant to be seen as indifference for their friend’s wellbeing. It’s more likely that this isn’t the first time Bridget has fallen out of a cab. As Tom (James Callis) says, she’s fine. Drive on.
Flirting Over Instant Messanger
I don’t think there are a ton of things that date this movie drastically in the years since its release (apart from the sight of so many people smoking indoors in public places, perhaps). There’s the lack of cell phones, which of course were around at the time, but not the smart phones we use today, and used mostly for actual phone calls. If Bridget Jones’s Diaries were made today, her flirty exchanges with Daniel at work might’ve been made via text-message. But in the early 2000s, interoffice instant messenger will have to do when it comes to pre-dating banter between two co-workers.
Bridget Envisioning Her And Daniel’s Wedding
It’s impossible not to feel Bridget’s glee at the escalating flirtation between her and Daniel as they message back and forth to one another. Things are leading somewhere, that’s for sure, and as Bridget shows us in her imagination, she can already see them headed down the aisle. Yeah, we know that’s not happening, but it’s so relatable to see her picturing the future she and Daniel could have, laughing about how it all started with their flirty messages.
“…Obviously except for your books, Mr. Rushdie, which are also very good. And Lord Archer, yours aren’t bad either. Anyway, what I mean is, welcome, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for coming to the launch of one of the top 30 books of our time, anyway… at least.”
Tasked with having to introduce the man who’s introducing the man of honor at the book launch party, Bridget stumbles through her introduction when she declares the new book the best book of our time, only to remember that there are other important writers in the room whose books also exist in our time. She awkwardly tries to dole out some credit, and then circles back to this new book, which is… well, one of the top 30 books, at least. Yikes. And this is made all the more hilarious by the fact that she’s kind of shouting, since she couldn’t figure out how to turn the microphone on.
“I have, Father, I have. And he’s perfect.”
After things finally happen between Bridget and Daniel, she’s clearly on cloud nine. Bridget sweetly shares the news with her father, telling him that Daniel is perfect. Yes, we know he isn’t, but she doesn’t yet, and it’s great to see just how happy she is.
Daniel Falling Into The Water
As things progress between Bridget and Daniel, they head off for a weekend away, at a destination that also happens to be where Mark and his lawyer friend-slash-maybe-girlfriend are staying. Things are still blissfully happy for Daniel and Bridget at this point, and that’s fully on display between the two as they spout off poetry while rowing in boats on the lake. That is, until Daniel stumbles out of his boat and falls straight into the water.
“I think I can say with total confidence, absolutely not.”
We have hints by this point that Mark has an interest in what’s going on between Bridget and Daniel, but it’s not entirely clear why that is, apart from the known rivalry he shares with Daniel. His disapproval, however, is made clear at the party he and Bridget are both attending, when he responds to the idea that Daniel might be good enough for Bridget by saying, “with total confidence, absolutely not.” It’s a heart-fluttery moment, though Bridget mistakes it for more simple disapproval of Daniel, and probably her too.
When Bridget Catches Daniel Cheating Like Five Minutes After Their Weekend Away Together
Remember how confident Mark was when he said Daniel was “absolutely not” good enough for our Bridget? That’s proven to be true when Bridget shows up at Daniel’s fancy apartment, still dressed in her ridiculous bunny outfit, only to discover that the reason he ditched their weekend together and the party he was supposed to go with her to was so he could cheat on her with another woman. He is the worst.
When Bridget Moves Onward And Upward After Daniel
Bridget wallows in her heartbreak for a bit, but certainly not forever. In fact, we see her make plans for her future int he aftermath of Daniel but applying for jobs, working out more and filling up her bookshelves with self-help books that focus on her independence.
Bridget’s Glorious Quitting-Her-Job Scene
This scene is nothing short of brilliant, as far as I’m concerned. After finally landing a cool new TV-related job, Bridget shows up in Daniel’s office and lets him know she’s quitting. When he tries to tell her she needs to give six weeks notice if she wants to leave — seriously?!! — she tells him off in front of the whole office and storms out. This scene is made even better with the vocal support of Perpetua (Felicity Montagu), the slightly-senior coworker who didn’t seem to like Bridget up to this point, but clearly was on her side on this matter.
Dinner With Smug Married Couples
One of the things I love about Bridget Jones is that we see her step outside of her comfort zone on more than one occasion. That includes when she starts her new job and has to go on camera at a moment’s notice (sliding down a fireman’s pole, no less), and it includes when she arrives as the sole single person at a friend’s dinner party and is accosted by weird questions about her single life. Naturally, Bridget holds her own against the smug married couples.
“I like you very much, just as you are.”
Up to this point, Bridget is convinced Mark doesn’t like or approve of her. She can never seem to say or do the right thing with him. And then Mark assures Bridget that this is not the case. In fact, he does like her, exactly as she is. It’s a moment of vulnerability for Mark, which is cut short when Natasha calls him back to the party, but undoubtedly the start of the real romance of this movie, and I love every second of this scene every time I watch it.
When Mark Helps Bridget Get The Interview
After Mark has confessed his interest in Bridget, the two don’t see each other until Bridget is near the courthouse trying to get a big interview with a man and woman involved in a huge legal case. As it happens, Mark is that couple’s attorney, and as it also happens, he’s advised his clients not to give interviews. So Bridget thinks she’s failed at her task, until she runs into Mark and he gets Bridget an exclusive interview that undoubtedly solidifies her spot in her new job. It’s both romantic and thrilling to see Bridget take a big step forward in her career.
Bridget Being Terrible At Cooking
Bridget may be a great interviewer, but as we’ll see in this scene, she’s comically terrible at cooking. As she’s preparing the dinner for her friends to celebrate her birthday, Mark shows up and attempts to help her salvage the unappetizing assortment of food she has been preparing, including a pot of blue soup and some kind of caper-berry gravy.
“Should I bring my dueling pistols, or my sword?”
Daniel Cleaver is the worst. Have I said that already? Because he is. He shows up at Bridget’s birthday dinner looking tipsy and trying to rekindle things, either because he didn’t know it was her birthday, or he did and he assumed she’d be alone. Either way, he’s. the. worst. And at first it seems like Mark might actually leave after Daniel arrives. But then he challenges Daniel to a duel and, ok, fine, Daniel’s surprised response to Mark’s “Outside” demand is hilarious.
“Fight! Quick! It’s a REAL fight!”
I love James Callis as Tom in this movie. When Daniel and Mark start fighting on the street outside Bridget’s apartment, her friends and Bridget come to watch. And Tom apparently can’t just watch, he needs to get other people out there to see what’s going on, so he goes to the nearby restaurant, opens the door and announces that a real fight is happening outside.
The Fact That Mark And Daniel Don’t Seem To Know How To Fight
Tom might’ve sold a “real fight” when he burst into the restaurant to announce what was going on outside, but what’s happening on the street is really a lot of kicking, grabbing and awkward hitting between two men who clearly hate each other, but maybe don’t have much actual fighting experience. The altercation is so goofy, but also feels really important at the same time.
“I just don’t work without you.”
As Bridget is going through everything she’s going through, her parents — Pamela (Gemma Jones) and Colin (Jim Broadbent) have their own saga going on. Earlier in the movie, Pamela separated from Colin, and took a job working with a spray-tanned man named Julian, who sells things on TV. That relationship didn’t last, and at this point, Pamela has returned to Colin in the hopes that they can start over. He pretends to think about it, but then hugs her and tells her of course. He doesn’t work without her.
“No! No! It’s just that it’s such a terrible pity for England to lose such a great legal brain…”
Bridget Jones is not the kind of person to stand by and smile when the man of her dreams is being toasted to alongside some other woman who might be his future wife. Not our Bridget. When Mark’s parents toast his plans to move to America and work with (and possibly someday marry) Natasha, Bridget literally shouts her disapproval in front of everyone. And then awkwardly tries to make it about how England is losing such a great legal brain.
Bridget Running Through London In Her Underwear And A Cardigan
The movie delivers one more opportunity for things not to work out between Bridget and Mark when, after he shows up on her doorstep, she invites him in, and he sees some of the terrible things she’s said about him in her diary. Bridget returns from getting freshened up to find Mark gone and her diary open. She thinks he saw what she wrote and left. Rather than getting dressed first, she barely manages to put on a cardigan over her tank top and underwear, and bolts out the door to run through London in the snow to catch up with him.
Mark Buying Bridget A New Diary, For A New Start
We might not have blamed Mark if he was put off by what he read about himself in Bridget’s diary, but his reason for abruptly leaving her apartment wasn’t out of anger. He wants them to have a fresh start. And maybe he doesn’t want her writing about the start of their relationship in the same diary where she’s referred to him as “dull” and repeated the words “I hate him!”
Their First Kiss — Finally!
Bridget and Mark finally get their first kiss, and it happens out on the snowy London street, while Bridget is barely covered up. Fortunately, Mark wraps his coat around her to shield her from the cold as they share a perfect kiss.
When Bridget Falls Off The Treadmill
In one of the funniest scenes in the film, we see Bridget working out at a gym, which seems to be mostly empty at that poin. She’s clearly putting in the work, and seems to feel satisfied with her effort, until she climbs off the stationary bike and her legs give out right from under her. It’s fine though. She’s fine. Drive on!
Bridget Showing Up To The Party In Her Bunny Outfit
Ok, the concept of a “tarts and vicars party” was unfamiliar to me as an American when I first read the book and saw this movie, so I’m not in the position to comment on that, but it seems pretty ridiculous to me that someone would arrange such a party, then change it to a regular party, and not make absolutely sure that all of the invited guests are aware that the theme had been abandoned. Which is what happens to Bridget, who shows up at this party where everyone — with the exception of a few people — is dressed in their garden-party best, and she’s dressed up like a sexy bunny person. Another person might leave, but Bridget has faced awkward moments before, so she sticks around. Have to give it to her!
Daniel Discovering Bridget’s Supportive Undergarments
Bridget spent some time deciding between supportive and sexy when choosing the undergarments she wore beneath her outfit for the launch party. She chose the more supportive option, which Daniel discovered later that night when the two was together. Bridget’s response to Daniel’s numerous reactions is equal parts adorable, relatable and hilarious.
When Tom Thinks Someone Is Recognizing Him
While Bridget tends to be at the center of most of the awkward moments in this movie, Tom gets one of the funniest bits when he assumes a man who’s approached him at a restaurant must recognize him for the one hit song he recorded years ago, which people will occasionally recognize and praise him for. Alas, the man just wants Tom to get his chair off of his jacket. And Tom’s clearly mortified as he quickly tries to move his chair, and his friends laugh hysterically at the whole thing.
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