Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004)

Review by All Movie Guide
Helen Fielding had the sense to be self-deprecating in the title of her second Bridget Jones novel, and director Beeban Kidron considers that her license to concoct a film that's altogether unreasonable indeed. Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason once again makes hay of the title character's tendency to go fanny up, flogging the slapstick until it's as wet as Renée Zellweger after repeated puddle drenchings. Zellweger gamely regained the pounds for another go-around, but the audience was less eager this time, leaving the film lost in the 2004 holiday shuffle. The embarrassments heaped upon Jones have taken on a perfunctory quality by this second installment. She continually finds herself stammering in front of Darcy's coterie of international dignitaries, and when the out-of-control Jones haplessly skis into the midst of a professional downhill race, it's hack-level stuff. However, there is a point at which the absurdity (a bizarre second-act plot twist that shouldn't be ruined) goes to such lengths, the joke seems intentional, enough for the film to rebound toward something more sublime. Colin Firth and Hugh Grant again play the candidates for Bridget's affections, though Firth's character is so stiff and unsmiling, the audience almost roots for Grant's lothario to win their inevitable tussle in a public fountain. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide