Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason (R1) DVD Review:

Picking up four weeks after the first film left off, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason seems promising at first, despite the fact that it is a sequel. It seems that sequels go wrong in one of two ways. They are either simply a rehashing of the original film, or they try to push things up a notch, which endangers the believability of the situations. This sequel to the hit Bridget Jones’s Diary pushes believability beyond the edge of reason.

The cast is all back in this story of mishaps within the life of British journalist Bridget Jones as she struggles with the fact that she is not married yet, despite the fact that she has only been with Mark Darcy for four weeks. Not only is it difficult to take the film seriously, but at times it is hard to watch Zellweger, who is usually a consistent actor, but is failed by poor material. The film is based on the follow up book by Helen Fielding, but somehow it fails to keep the same charm and instead feels more like a vehicle for making its title character look ridiculous. From beginning to end Jones is put in impossible and absurd situations.

There are elements of the characters, and script, which still remain relatable. Nearly everyone can relate to the feelings of doubt and jealousy that Bridget Jones seems to epitomize along with low self esteem thanks to a bit of weight. Even as a male, when this film is obviously directed towards women, I could feel her pain. The problem with the sequel, aside from the fact that it travels into absurdity with the plot, is that while the original could be enjoyed by a wider audience, the sequel has narrowed it.

It is apparent that the DVD, like the film, is directed towards women with a relationship quiz built into the viewing of the film. It is fun, but few men will be interested in which of the Bridget Jones men they are meant to be with. The other special features are set up under each character’s name, just to add to the charm. They include the following:

Daniel Cleaver

A smooth guide to exotic Thailand (4.27 mins)
Director Beeban Kidron, producer Eric Fellner, production designer Gemma Jackson, location manager David Broder and star Hugh Grant take you behind the scenes of Daniel Cleaver’s trip to Thailand. We see the location shoots in Bangkok and the floating village, as well as the exotic islands of the west coast.

The Big Fight (4.54 mins)

Director Beeban Kidron, Hugh Grant and Colin Firth take you behind the scenes of the second fight between Daniel Cleaver and Mark Darcy. In separate interviews, the two stars take the mickey out of each other’s fighting style and the director reveals how they wanted them to fight in a namby-pamby way that would produce the most laughs.

Who’s your man? Quiz

An interactive questionnaire for the ladies that will tell them which type of man they will end up with, the Daniel Cleaver type or the Mark Darcy type.

Bridget Jones

Feature Commentary with Director Beeban Kidron
This informative and pleasant commentary track covers most aspects of the film. The director discusses the differences between the film and the novel, highlighting the main changes, the additions and the deletions. She also reveals when scenes where deleted and the reasons for these changes. She also chats about the mini-break and Thailand location shoots and the cast and crew involved in the sequel. This is a good commentary from a director who clearly enjoyed making the movie. It is just a shame that none of the stars joined her.
The Mini-Break to Austria (3.58 mins)
Director Beeban Kidron, producer Jonathan Cavendish, ski unit manager Brian Hall and stars Renée Zellweger and Colin Firth take you behind the scenes of the shoot in Lech, Austria. The featurette showcased Renée Zellweger doing her own ski stunts.

Deleted Scenes (13.04 mins)

Entitled ‘Fox Hunting’, ‘The Christening’, ‘Renar Cinema’ and ‘Baby fantasies’, each of these four deleted scenes have introduction by director Beeban Kidron, who explains why they didn’t meet the final cut.

Mark Darcy

Mark and Bridget forever? (5.25 mins)
Director Beeban Kidron, Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth and Jacinda Barrett talk about the highs and lows of Bridget and Mark’s relationship and if it will last.

Bridget Jones interviews Colin Firth (4.57 mins)

Introduced by director Beeban Kidron, Renée Zellweger and Colin Firth do a special scene that was featured in the original book, where Bridget Jones interview Colin Firth for Sit Up Britain. This is Bridget at her best as she constantly asks him questions about Pride and Prejudice. It is a shame that it never made it into the film.

Lonely London (3.10 mins)

Director Beeban Kidron and visual effects producer Alex Hope take you through the process of producing a CG version of London for the movie.
I can’t say that I would recommend this film to anyone who hasn’t already seen it and knows that they will enjoy it again. If you like the film however, the DVD is put together well and is a good buy.

Ryan Izay

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