Posts Tagged ‘Gemma Jones’

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy

Director: Michael Morris

Cast: Renee Zellweger, Leo Woodall, Chiwitel Ejiofor, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Sally Phillips, Gemma Jones, Mila Jankovic, Casper Knopf

Running Time: 2 hours and 4 minutes.

Film Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Double Oscar winner Renee Zellweger (Judy, Cold Mountain) reprises her role of Helen Fielding’s character British TV producer Bridget Jones in the fourth film in this franchise, called Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy. The boy in question proves to be a handsome 28 years old park ranger Roxster Macduff wonderfully played by The White Lotus break out star Leo Woodall. In fact with the exception of the charismatic Hugh Grant, Leo Woodall is the best thing in the film.

The cast from the other three films including Oscar winner Jim Broadbent (Iris) as Bridget’s Dad, Gemma Jones as Bridget ‘s Mother and of course Oscar winner Colin Firth (The King’s Speech) as her late husband Mr Darcy who unfortunately has passed away, appear extremely briefly. Audiences will be refreshed by a brief cameo by Emma Thompson as Bridget’s straight talking doctor.

It’s been nine years since the last film, Bridget Jones’s Baby which came out in 2016 and now our quirky heroine finds herself a lonely widow in contemporary London with two beautiful but misbehaving children Billy played by Casper Knopf and Mabel played by Mila Jankovic. Basically Bridget is not coping as a single mother, needs to go back to work and more importantly needs to find a decent fellow.

The first of Mrs Darcy’s dalliances is with Roxter Macduff superbly played by Leo Woodall, whose only drawback is that he is only 28 but initially through the help of Tinder, Bridget falls madly in love with him, which is a desire so blinding that in reality, it is a simply a cougar infatuation. The scene stealing moment in the film is with Roxter, practically shirtless rescuing a little dog from a shallow pond at a delightful English garden.

Who doesn’t love a shirtless 28 year old hunk jumping out of a pond with a cute dog in front of a gasping clutch my pearls collection of ladies?

The best scenes in the film are in the first 90 minutes particularly between Renee Zellweger and Hugh Grant, two consummately professional actors. Hugh Grant is fantastic as he reprises his role of Daniel Cleaver, the ageing playboy who provides Jones with some sage advice and witty comments.

Oscar nominee Chiwiitel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave) plays the whistle blowing Mr Wallaker, the teacher of Bridget’s naughty children. From of their frenetic school association, Mr Wallaker develops some feelings for Bridget and he proves to become a substantial father figure to miniature Darcy, Billy.

Despite some really funny moments mixed with some genuinely poignant scenes, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy proves to be an uneven film, suitably carried by Renee Zellweger as she provides Bridget Jones with a fascinating character development from a lonely dysfunctional widow to a sensible mother, who relinquishes tinder, young men infatuations and more importantly her hideous pyjamas.

Director Michael Morris who is primarily a TV director let the film run on too long. There was a beautiful moment in the scene at Hampstead Heath in which the film should have ended, but then decided to run for an extra half an hour, which proved to be disappointing. Although this film lacks some skilful editing and comprehensive character development, it does prove to be a lovable romantic comedy about Mrs Darcy’s dalliances.

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy gets a film rating of 7.5 out of 10 and proves to be an enjoyable Valentines film filled with unusual romances, jokes about aging and raising children. Recommended viewing for those that love the film franchise.

Emily

Director: Frances O’Connor

Cast: Emma Mackey, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Gemma Jones, Fionn Whitehead, Adrian Dunbar, Alexandra Dowling, Amelia Gething, Harry Anton, Elijah Wolf

Running Time: 2 hours and 10 minutes

Film Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Mansfield Park actress Frances O’Connor makes her directorial debut with the new period drama Emily based on the brief but vivid life of British novelist Emily Bronte who penned the classic novel Wuthering Heights.

Anglo-French actress Emma Mackey takes on the title role capping off a succession of period films in 2022 from Death on the Nile to Eiffel and fortunately Mackey is brilliant as the headstrong Emily Bronte.

Set in the decade before the publication of Wuthering Heights in 1847, Emily focuses on the inspiration behind such an astounding novel and her complex relationship with equally famous sister Charlotte Bronte played by Alexandra  Dowling. Between the sibling relationships, Emily has to contend with a passionate love affair with the dashing curate Weightman played by rising British star Oliver Jackson-Cohen (The Lost Daughter).

While unable to escape the influence of her father played by Adrian Dunbar, Emily gets entangled in a bad sibling relationship with her undesirable brother Branwell Bronte, a regular at the local pub and a frequent consumer of opium. Branwell, superbly played by Dunkirk star Fionn Whitehead influences Emily into a range of undesirable activities mostly radical from voyeurism to drug taking, while chanting the mantra Freedom of Thought.

Whilst the sensible Charlotte Bronte has no time for her brother’s antics, Emily is entirely susceptible until eventually their father Patrick Bronte separates the siblings.

Emily discovers how complicated love can be, especially with a devoted man of God. The doomed love affair between Emily and Weightman is expertly captured in the seduction scene on a Yorkshire moor beautifully played by Emma Mackey and Oliver Jackson-Cohen as both actors struggle to untangle themselves from their restrictive Victorian clothing, a cinematic metaphor for the pervading morality which frowned upon acted out on one’s sexual desires.

Actress turned director Frances O’Connor does a relatively good job of directing Emily, keeping it extremely historically accurate while balancing the focus of the friction filled relationship between the two gifted Bronte sisters, both of whom would make a massive contribution to English Literature with the publication of their novels Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre. However, the director could have got some editing tips as Emily does linger too long and occasionally loses focus.

Emily gets a film rating of 7.5 out of 10 and is saved by a superb cast that does justice to the legacy of the Bronte sisters. This film is recommended for those that enjoy a literary period film set in Victorian England.

Bridget Jones’ Baby

Director: Sharon Maguire

Cast: Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth, Patrick Dempsey, Gemma Jones, Jim Broadbent, Emma Thompson, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Joanna Scanlan, Sarah Solemani, Celia Imrie

Oscar winner Renee Zellweger (Cold Mountain) after a six year screen absence reprises her role of Bridget Jones in the third instalment of the hit film franchise, simply entitled Bridget Jones’ Baby. The first two films were based on the bestselling novels by Helen Fielding. Zellweger tackles her role of Bridget Jones with familiar vigour and she is joined onscreen for continuity purposes by Oscar winner Colin Firth (The King’s Speech) as uptight London lawyer Mark Darcy and new comer Patrick Dempsey as dating expert Jack Qwaint.

Zellweger and Firth have matured as actors which is evident onscreen, for the best scenes in Bridget Jones’ Baby is shared between them.

Bridget Jones finds herself at 43, working as a TV assistant producer for a zany London talk show which is being threatened by a group millennials. She begins to question whether she will ever have a baby, because let’s face it her biological clock is ticking. Never fear!

With the help of her new best friend the naughty TV host Miranda, wonderfully played by Sarah Solemani, Bridget Jones soon lands up having amorous relationships first with Jack at a music festival which strongly resembles Glastonbury, shorty followed by a similar sexy scene where Jones and Darcy rekindle their much repressed love for each other at a Christening of a mutual friends baby.

As per the film’s title, Bridget Jones soon finds herself knocked up but not quite sure who the father is. Enter a delightful cameo by Emma Thompson as her droll doctor who plays along for the sake of decency.

Bridget Jones also has to break the news of her pregnancy to her parents. Her mother who is running for some minor political office is superbly played by Gemma Jones and her father once again played by Oscar winner Jim Broadbent (Iris) is naturally supportive of his daughter carrying their first grandchild despite her not quite knowing who the father is.

I would be lying if Bridget Jones’ Baby is not aimed at a female audience, as the primary narrative in the film is about the main characters pregnancy and her impending birth, as well as trying to survive the pregnancy with the help of two potential fathers who naturally see themselves as rivals. There is a hilarious scene when Bridget Jones has to be rushed to the hospital only to eventually be carried by both of them, Mark Darcy and Jack Qwaint.

With the help of a delightfully witty script, director Sharon Maguire does justice to the Bridget Jones franchise even leaving the possibility open for a fourth film since Jones’ other main suitor the devilishly handsome Daniel Cleaver who was played by Hugh Grant in the first two films is feared dead, but body yet to be recovered…

Whilst the first half of Bridget Jones’ Baby is fun and quirky, with lots of hilarious moments, the second half does drag a bit, which was done intentionally so that the audiences could appreciate the baby when he finally arrives. Essentially, Bridget Jones’ Baby is highly recommended viewing, and should be a hit with the gang of book club ladies both young and old who seemed to pack the cinemas, shifting the film to number one at the box office.