Bridget Jones (film series)

Bridget Jones
Official film series logo
Based on	Bridget Jones by Helen Fielding
Starring	Renée Zellweger Colin Firth Hugh Grant Patrick Dempsey Chiwetel Ejiofor Leo Woodall
Distributed by	Miramax Films (1) Universal Pictures (2–4)
Release date	2001–present
Running time	323 minutes[1][2][3]
Language	English
Budget	$100 million (Total of 3 films)
Box office	$756,402,939 (Total of 3 films)

The Bridget Jones film series consists of romantic comedy films based on the book series of the same name by Helen Fielding. Starring Renée Zellweger in the title role, with an ensemble supporting cast, the films follow the life events of primary characters Bridget Jones, Mark Darcy, and Daniel Cleaver and explores their respective relationships.

The first film was a success at the box office^[4] and was met with praise from critics.^[5] The second film received generally negative critical reception,^[6] but was commercially successful.^[7] The third film was met with both critical and commercial success.^[8][9] A fourth film was confirmed to be in active development in October 2022.^[10]

Bridget Jones is a binge drinking and chain smoking thirty-something British woman trying to keep her love life in order while also dealing with her job as a publisher. When she attends a Christmas party with her parents, they try to set her up with their neighbours' son, Mark. After being snubbed by Mark, she starts to fall for her boss Daniel, a handsome man who begins to send her suggestive e-mails that leads to a dinner date. Daniel reveals that he and Mark attended college together, in that time Mark had an affair with his fiancée. Bridget decides to get a new job as a TV presenter after finding Daniel being frisky with a colleague. At a dinner party, she runs into Mark who expresses his affection for her, Daniel claims he wants Bridget back, the two fight over her and Bridget must make a decision who she wants to be with.

Bridget is currently living a happy life with her lawyer boyfriend Mark Darcy, however not only does she start to become threatened and jealous of Mark's new young intern, she is angered by the fact Mark is a Conservative voter. With so many issues already at hand, things get worse for Bridget as her ex-lover, Daniel Cleaver, re-enters her life; the only help she has are her friends and her reliable diary.

Bridget Jones is struggling with her current state of life, including her break up with her love Mark Darcy. As she pushes forward and works hard to find fulfilment in her life seems to do wonders until she meets a dashing and handsome American named Jack Quant. Things from then on go great, until she discovers that she is pregnant but the biggest twist of all, she does not know if Mark or Jack is the father of her child.

In October 2022, Fielding told the Radio Times that a sequel was in the works, and the film would loosely adapt her 2013 novel Mad About the Boy.^[10] In April 2024, the sequel was confirmed with Michael Morris directing a script by Helen Fielding, Abi Morgan and Dan Mazer. Renée Zellweger and Emma Thompson will reprise their roles from the previous installment, with Hugh Grant reprising his role from the first two films.^[11][12]

Renée Zellweger was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress, the Empire Award for Best Actress, the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, the MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss (shared with Colin Firth), the Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role, the Teen Choice Award for Choice Chemistry (shared with Hugh Grant), the Teen Choice Award for Choice Liplock (shared with Grant), and the Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress.

Firth won the European Film Awards Audience Award for Best Actor and the European Film Award – Jameson People's Choice Award – Best Actor and was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and the Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. Grant won the Evening Standard British Film Awards' Peter Sellers Award for Comedy and was nominated for the Empire Award for Best British Actor, the Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, and the European Film Award – Jameson People's Choice Award – Best Actor. Richard Curtis, Andrew Davies, and Helen Fielding were nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. The film was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best British Film, the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, and the Satellite Award for Best Film – Musical or Comedy.

The film was voted Evening Standard Readers' Film of 2004. It was on the shortlist for the Orange Film of the Year Award at the 2005 BAFTAs. For her performance as Bridget Jones, Zellweger gained another Golden Globe Award nomination and won the People's Choice Awards for Favorite Leading Lady in 2005.

The film was nominated at the 2017 Diversity in Media Awards for Movie of the Year and won the ASPAC Award.

The first film on VHS was released in 2001 containing over 35 minutes of bonus material which includes: Deleted Scenes, Exclusive Interviews, Bridget's Guide to “Getting It Right”. There was also a VHS of "The Making of Bridget Jones". In 2001 the film was released on DVD containing brand new bonus material and in 2011 a Blu-ray version of the film was released. A Collective Edition of the film was released in 2004 with new bonus material including; The Bridget Phenomenon, The Young And The Mateless, Portrait Of The Makeup Artist, Domestic and International TV Spots, Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason Theatrical Trailer, Bridget Jones's Diary Reviews and A Guide to Bridget Britishism.

The second film was released on DVD in 2004 with a variety of bonus features.