Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (2025)

 

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (2025)

3/10

 

Starring

Renée Zellweger

Chiwetel Ejiofor

Leo Woodall

Jim Broadbent

 

Directed by Michael Morris

 

I know writing can be hard, and writers gotta eat. So when the third book of Bridget Jones was released in 2013—Mad About the Boy by Helen Fielding (I think she’s written another one after this)—you can bet the studio was going to jump on it.

With studios running out of fresh ideas and bringing back old gems, it’s no surprise that we got this movie. Unfortunately, it’s boring, too long, and painfully slow. The comedy didn’t land for me, and the romance and drama felt predictable because we’ve seen this kind of Bridget Jones story before. It lacks the charm and wit that made the earlier films enjoyable, instead settling for a formulaic approach that drags on longer than it should.

Mad About the Boy follows Bridget’s life four years after Mark Darcy’s death. If there’s one thing I appreciated, it’s how they brought back Colin Firth. Having him appear in flashbacks added warmth and made it easier to connect with Bridget’s grief, especially in her toughest moments. Other than that, this movie is a total snoozefest. Sad thing is, these moments of seeing Mark in the background are few and far between. I felt the actors did their best in this movie. Each one brings in their own charm, the problem is the story and screenplay just don’t hold up. The emotional weight the film is supposed to carry doesn’t hit hard, so you are left watching an unimpactful continuation of Bridget’s journey.

Then the movie could have cut some of the school run sequences, it felt so repetitive.

As mentioned, the plot focuses on Bridget trying to move on four years after Mark’s death. We see her struggling to balance widowhood, raising her kids, and getting her life back on track. Her friends push her to start dating again, so she does. She goes back to work, meets a younger man, and starts a relationship.

Now, being with someone new can be life-changing, but this movie completely skips over Bridget’s character development. Here was a change to build the emotion and make me connect more, but instead the film it rushes straight to her being happy again. Then the relationship ends, and she’s suddenly another man is in the horizon, a teacher at her kids' school. The transitions between these relationships feel rushed, making it hard for me to connect with her struggles.

The whole thing lacks anything fresh. The “Bridget Jones caught between two men” dynamic has been rehashed so many times that this version just felt tired. I genuinely hope the studio doesn’t see this as a reason to make another film because, in my opinion, they’ve done more harm than good to the franchise with this one.

Mad About the Boy is available on Peacock if you’re interested—but honestly, I wouldn’t bother.