Bridget Jones's Diary

REVIEW
It doesn't take long for the clichés to start. Not even minutes into the film, the main character, Bridget (Zellweger), an ever-so-slightly overweight single woman approaching her 30s, lip-synchs a song (in this case, "All By Myself"). It's been done to death for decades, now. But damn if Zellweger doesn't make it seem fresh and new; bestowing that scene and others to follow with such charm as to make anyone forget that we've seen all this before. Based on the best-seller by Helen Fielding, the story follows Bridget and her search for Prince Charming. Whereas the book was a series of personal journals, the film is more traditional in its narrative as Bridget meets Mr. Right and Mr. Maybe Right, just not knowing that she has them turned around. Firth is the stuffy lawyer with whom it's hate-at-first-sight, and the debonair Grant is Bridget's womanizing boss with whom she thinks she's found true love. They complete a most agreeable triumvirate. Though not able to fully establish Bridget's multifaceted personality so clearly delineated in the book, this whimsical adaptation is nevertheless abundant with good humor, quality laughs, and features a first-rate performance by the adorable Ms. Zellweger.