Romancemas Day 9: Bridget Jones’s Diary
We are back for day 9 of Romancemas, where for 12 days we react to the best holiday rom-coms and inspire you to watch along with us.
Day 9 we look at Bridget Jones’s Diary, which is at its core all about the holidays and Christmas, even if the full movie doesn’t take place at Christmas.
Let’s watch Bridget Jones’s Diary!
Official day 9 Watching companion: My half-eaten bag of Lindt truffles as this film stirs up emotions I didn’t realize I had.
Bridget Jones’s Diary is about a woman who decides it’s never too late to start writing a diary. The story begins with a heinously ugly Christmas sweater at a Christmas party while Bridget Jones (Renee Zellweger) ends the night tragically alone and drunk. From New Year’s on, Bridget decides she wants to take back control of her life and her first step in that process is keeping a diary. Inside that diary are the most raunchy, hilarious, and provocative entries all about her life. She writes about her intimate escapades, working out, food, and all the feelings between those moments. This movie is really a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice, with some direct nods to the story through the character of Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), and Bridget Jones’s exploration of self and romantic relationships.
What makes Bridget Jones’s Diary a Holiday rom-com classic is that, at the heart of the movie, it’s about someone who just wants to find love. Bridget not only wants to find someone to sweep her off her feet, but she also wants to be able to find familial love and self-love. Bridget is just like any of us. She makes mistakes, doesn’t know what she’s doing, and she’s just figuring it out as she goes, which is the most relatable feeling as an adult trying to navigate what the hell we’re doing.
Bridget Jones’s Diary is a British comedy classic, so some of the jokes are a little off-beat. This movie was released in 2001, so if this is your first time watching it expect some… interesting jokes. All of that aside, Bridget Jones’s Diary is a great holiday film to finish out your year and traverse through the New Year with a sense of hope.
