We are pleased to report that AustenBlog’s Screening Crew recently embarked on a mission to disprove all the negative reviews that BJ:TEOR has been receiving of late. Our undercover agent came up with the following report:

Book!Bridget fans will be pleased to hear that the movie is relatively faithful to the book. Same old embarassing job, same old embarassing public events, same old Thailand drug bust. Renee Zellweger did a fabulous job as Bridget, although she appeared a bit heftier this time around. Was very surprised to see a large amount of Daniel fans in the audience, but glad that there were more Darcy fans, myself included. Must admit, though, that Grant was excellent as Daniel. If anything, Daniel has become more cad-ish in this film, and his wicked ways are more obvious to everyone with eyes and/or ears. Golf claps to Grant.
Note to all reviewers who thought Grant stole the show: get your eyes checked. It’s all about Bridget and Darcy. Bridget is as lovable and clumsy as ever, and Darcy’s got that oh-so-gorgeous stick up his rear. Zellweger and Firth have excellent chemistry together, and their old-married-couple type of bickering is priceless. Standing ovation for the both of them!
Must not forget supporting cast, though. Gemma Jones and Jim Broadbent invoke Archie and Edith Bunker - should have had more screen time. Shirley Henderson, Sally Phillips, and James Callis are the perfect best friends a Bridget could wish for, although Book!Bridget fans will miss the Jude’s wedding subplot. Oh, and then there’s Rebecca. Not the Jellyfishing Trollop you’d expect. . . not at all what anyone expected. Let’s just leave it at “Jacinda Barrett is a very talented and lovely actress.”
As before, the script was brilliant - possibly better than the first. Daniel is witty, Darcy is smart and romantic, and Bridget is Bridget. No need to rely on slaptick comedy - despite the obvious Bridget moments, the script was chock full of witty and sometimes unconscious humor (the latter almost entirely on Bridget’s part). Most memorable line of the film (don’t worry, no major spoilers!):
“Why don’t you just marry her, Darcy? Then she’ll definitely shag me.”
Total recap:
Number of Bridget Jones sequels watched: 1
Number of cast members who weren’t brilliant: 0
Number of swoons after CF shows up on screen: 9,437,692
Number of tears shed, either in laughter or sadness: infinite
Number of negative reviewers completely off the mark: all of them
Overall, an excellent movie.

Based on our undercover report, the AustenBlog Screening Crew is pleased to give BRIDGET JONES: THE EDGE OF REASON all the stars in this galaxy and the next three over as well. We’d also like to remind our readers not to see movies based entirely on the reviews they receive. All reviews, even the one above are merely fancified opinions, and should not be the deciding factor in choosing to see a film. Remember what happened to Anne Elliot - do not allow yourselves to be as easily persuaded as she, Gentle Readers. See the film for yourself and decide.

As always, your own reviews are more than welcome.