Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy

 

This review may contain spoilers!

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy is the fourth film in the Bridget Jones series and explores Bridget Jones's life one year after the loss of Mark Darcy. Here she faces the challenges of being a single parent, of grief, of returning to work and of course, learning how to find love again.

The quality that has always worked for the Bridget Jones films is still present here in abundance, and that is just how relatable Bridget is as a character. Watching Bridget feel awkward about how she dresses, stumble through dating apps, feel the pain of being ghosted, and judge her parenting based on the 'successful' parents around her really resonates with the viewing audience. It's nice to see a character with similar experiences to our own, even if it is still through the heightened view of a Hollywood romantic comedy.

The score is usually light and whimsical, yet it plucks gently at the heartstrings during the more morose moments. I was entirely thrilled by the soundtrack, which either batted for the 9s to match a scene's comedy or greeted us with a real empowerment ballad that lifted Bridget up alongside the viewer.

Mila Jankovic, who played Mabel, is such a hilarious young performer; Jankovic is a bit more wild and spontaneous than her on-screen sibling which results in some fun scenes. Hugh Grant, who played Daniel Cleaver, is out here running circles around this cast; Grant has a dry wit that is effortless and he plays his role's feelings of regret around his own son superbly. Colin Firth, who played Mark Darcy, might not be very present in this film but he does a lot with a little; gently reminding us he is the soul of the beautiful family at the centre of the story. Emma Thompson, who played Dr. Rawlings, does nothing but give herself over fully to comedy this time and it is gold; Thompson's deprecating remarks are often hilarious and always land. Neil Pearson, who played Richard Finch, is a welcome return of a classic cast member; Pearson's nonchalant and blunt TV producer role is the perfect way to introduce Bridget Jones back into the world of TV. Jim Broadbent, who played Colin Jones, really showed up for his big scene; it's quite an emotional one in which we see a father give his last thoughts to his daughter before passing. Leo Woodall, who played Roxster, is very charming and more than a little aloof; Woodall and Zellweger had decent chemistry and the moment of hesitancy he played to worked extremely well. Nico Parker, who played Chloe, was quite a bit of fun as the overly perfect nanny; Parker's over-earnest and detailed manner made her a fun quality of this film.

However, the best performance came from Chiwetel Ejiofor, who played Mr. Wallaker. This is the first time in a long time I've really seen Ejiofor cut loose and have some fun in a role. Just last year he was in one of my least favourite theatrical releases with the third Venom and didn't lend a lot to that production. But he has found something genuinely wonderful here. When first we meet Ejiofor as the high-strung Mr. Wallaker, he seems this by-the-book, overly strict teacher. Ejiofor dashes about on school duty reprimanding the kids and blowing his whistle, really commanding the little school set. As we come to know this role we see him as very matter-of-fact and reasoned, but brimming with empathy. Watching him emotionally connect with Bridget and her son, Billy, over the subject of loss is one of the greater emotional beats of the film. Though his third-act romantic chemistry with Zellweger comes so late, it is still so very charming and marks Ejiofor as a fine successor to Firth.

I might not have loved Bridget Jones's Baby but it was a fine end to a trilogy at the time and put a neat bow on things. After watching the movie that made all this a quadrilogy, I'm still scratching my head over the why. This film shatters a neat ending with Darcy to once again frame Bridget as being alone, needing someone else to fill the void left behind, and wedging in every cameo possible from the past three films (shy of Patrick Dempsey). The whole way Darcy is exited feels sad but is quickly played off for either humour or to advance Bridget's quest for romance. It's a strange choice to erase a nice moment of closure for another spin of the wheel. It also results in Bridget Jones weirdly talking about God and Heaven and the afterlife more than a movie of this calibre really warrants. It becomes a serious conversation point these writers aren't equipped for and is very jarring in a romantic comedy. This film is stuffed to the brim with subplots and extra characters, it gets far too busy at the best of times and the scenes are poorly shared unless you're the two biggest names in a given scene. The movie watches like something where a lot has been hacked and slashed out of it, to pull focus all the way back to Bridget. But, the result is a very disjointed film at times. The romantic storyline is the most one of these movies has felt like unrealistic wish fulfilment, like picking up and reading a $7 Mills & Boons novel. The final romantic interest is pretty predictable from his first scene, yet the film takes forever to even make him much of a contender. In fact, a lot of the final romantic plotline doesn't happen until all at once in the third act. It feels like they knew they weren't making another after this and overcrowded the film with as much content as they could, completely losing the main storyline somewhere in the middle.

The way this film is shot is very messy, but that's not too surprising. The nature of the Bridget Jones series has never been to be the flashiest-looking theatrical release and it doesn't hold that here either. The shots don't capitalise when they are on-location, cameras barely move within a set and the lens loves a nice, safe mid-shot. The editing is also quite slow at times, this is a long film and the pacing really lurches about.

Renée Zellweger, who played Bridget Jones, used to lead these films brilliantly and now she can barely show range in her facial expressions; Zellweger's high-pitched narration just grates on me at this point and I feel she has passed her time as Bridget. Casper Knopf, who played Billy Darcy, loses a lot of emotion in trying to present a similar serious edge to Firth; Knopf really struggles being given a more dramatic storyline to work through. Sally Phillips, James Callis and Shirley Henderson, who played Shazzer, Tom and Jude respectively, just feel like they've been pushed further and further to the back with each film; this group is supposed to be Bridget's closest friends and yet they are barely present. Gemma Jones, who played Pamela Jones, seems a bit confused and out of place in her scenes; she barely even engages with Bridget in a mother/daughter dynamic. Sarah Solemani, who played Miranda, was thrilling and fun as a new friend to Bridget but seems to have the spotlight off her this time; Solemani is given barely anything to work with making her role easier to disregard. Leila Farzad, who played Nicolette, is quite a tacked-on minor antagonist for Bridget; the uppity PTA Mum who rules the school role doesn't exactly break new ground here. Josette Simon, who played Talitha, is quite a relaxed and non-descript figure for a TV show talk host; Simon comes across as lazing her way through scenes which doesn't leave much of an impression.

Real evidence that there was never a need for a fourth Bridget Jones film. I would give Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy a 4/10.

Captain America: Brave New World

 

This review may contain spoilers!

Captain America: Brave New World is the 35th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the fourth Captain America movie. In this feature, political tensions boil over the 'Celestial Island' in the Indian Ocean, the source of a rare element known as 'adamantium'. A figure in the shadows pits Captain America and President Ross against one another as the world races towards a potential war.

I actually really admired the ambition of this film to lean into the political thriller genre style, it's a complex thing to weave into a major blockbuster. In the past, Marvel has successfully woven political thriller elements into other Captain America films, notably Winter Soldier and aspects of Civil War. Yet this feels like Black Widow's more contained nature despite the scale at play. I also really liked the mounting mystery at play here, there is an antagonist at work who pulls the strings and I enjoyed seeing the film steadily bring his machinations to the forefront. The mystery fuels the conflict brewing between the two American pillars in the film: Cap and President Ross. Watching this film really dig into Ross and analysing his character flaws, redemption and hubris is a substantially satisfying sub-plot.

The style of this movie is quite impressive, assaulting with dark colours, sudden flashes and harsh beiges to link into the genre work. Yet the way this film shoots action is entirely impressive, particularly the effects shot of the Indian Ocean aerial fight sequence and the Red Hulk final fight. The special effects are absolutely fantastic; I look again to the Indian Ocean fight sequence in which protagonists hurtled through the skies in bodysuits, fighter jets careened and aircraft carriers fired anti-missiles. I also loved the design for Red Hulk, it really rivalled what the MCU has been doing with the Hulk characters for years. The score here has the inspirational tones of a Captain America epic but with discordant tracks woven in to uplift the moments in which we steer focus to the antagonist's plan. The soundtrack has a few solid tracks too, the "Mr Blue" song weaves a good callback to a past film while the chosen Kendrick Lamar tracks really transition us to the new Cap nicely.

Anthony Mackie, who played Sam Wilson, is a phenomenal lead and a great new Captain America; the scenes in which Mackie has to reason against those he stands against are surprisingly some of his very best moments. Danny Ramirez, who played Joaquin Torres, was a sidekick figure I wasn't sure of at first but who really came to grow on me; Ramirez is extremely earnest and exuberant in this which makes him a rising hero worth watching. Carl Lumbly, who played Isaiah Bradley, is stoic and gruff which befits a super soldier whose country wronged him; where Lumbly really captures your heart is the misery he portrays when his character is faced with prison once again. Tim Blake Nelson, who played Samuel Sterns, is a delight to see back in this role after so many years; Nelson really pours the venom into his hatred for Ross while simultaneously crafting a character who feels like the smartest in a room. Sebastian Stan, who played Bucky Barnes, has incredible chemistry with Mackie that results in one of the better scenes in the film; Stan gives a very cool and steady pep talk while also allowing for friendly humour that fits the Barnes/Wilson dynamic nicely.

However, the best performance came from Harrison Ford, who played President Thaddeus Ross. There is something really respectful done by Ford in taking the role of Ross onwards from the late William Hurt. I found his deep regret and sorrow over his estrangement from his daughter, Betty, to be one of the more emotionally impactful moments of his performance. Ford's Ross is a man who has developed into a diplomatic politician, someone who seeks desperately to unify the world and his internal American allies. Yet, there is something immensely satisfying in watching Ford's natural gruff demeanour feed into Ross' mounting fits of anger. Seeing Ross spiral out of control as Sterns's manipulations become clear shows Ford's incredible range. The seeds are perfectly sown by Ford to Ross' transition into the Red Hulk; the character is so well realised that Ross' character journey is the fuel of success for the feature.

Captain America: Brave New World is a new venture for audiences; introducing a new Captain America, Adamantium and the political landscape post-Avengers: Endgame. I sat back and felt that this movie asked a lot from the viewing audience. This is the first time I have watched a Marvel movie and felt like I was watching something that expected a lot of prior knowledge. This movie is a sequel to three notable projects; Falcon and the Winter Soldier, The Incredible Hulk and Eternals. All of these blended together is quite an unusual and unexpected combo on paper and it is a jarring first act at times. This should be quite a grand-scale narrative due to the nature of the Celestial Island and the global resource war but it's often quite contained. The film keeps throttling itself into a more personal skirmish which inadvertently lowers the stakes. While there is a good mystery to be had here, the characters often feed information or are fed information relatively easily one scene after the other - this is a particular issue in the first half. Characters don't have to work hard to advance their understanding of the mystery which softens how engaging the introduction to the film is.

I'm used to the MCU movies being of a high calibre across the production, but this had one glaring point that was lacking for me. The fight sequences, lifted up by visual effects, are immensely satisfying, but the first half of this film has some disappointing fight choreography. Once the fights get hand-to-hand, they are paced extremely slowly, and the reliance on more regular slow-motion material to break up the sequence tells the audience the fights aren't going to be as slick as past instalments.

Shira Haas, who played Ruth Bat-Seraph, is about as unconvincing as you can get when it comes to depicting a former Black Widow; Haas' has a nasally delivery that makes her quite an annoying addition to the main cast. Giancarlo Esposito, who played Sidewinder, is an actor I usually love but he is absolutely wasted in this glorified henchman role; Esposito dashing about like a mercenary with a gun is quite underwhelming and poorly realised. Xosha Roquemore, who played Leila Taylor, feels like a presidential aide who isn't strictly needed to push the film forward; if she and Ford had held some chemistry there might have been something interesting but this wasn't the case. William Mark McCullough, who played Commander Dennis Dunphy, is a soldier-type role that's really just around to feed exposition; he was oddly placed to be accessible only to Captain America and otherwise, he served no purpose. Liv Tyler, who played Betty Ross, isn't really missed nor needed to fulfil the end of the film; Tyler seems to give an airy delivery that doesn't leave you wanting more of the Ross family dynamic.

A really decent blockbuster to kick 2025 off with, but perhaps not the best start for a new Captain America. I would give Captain America: Brave New World a 7/10.

September 5

 

This review may contain spoilers!

September 5 is a biopic that documents the 1972 Munich Olympic Games and the hostage situation that transpired through the eyes of the ABC network team that broadcast it all. 

I really admired the way this biopic presented itself in terms of storytelling. This is a very matter-of-fact feature in how it presents the historical event, there is an almost clinical and methodical approach to conveying the audience information. By taking us through the perspective of the ABC journalists on the ground attempting to capture the event, we gained and developed the knowledge ourselves. The urgency of the unfolding situation came from wanting to know more, to stay ahead of the story or move with the story. It felt surreal because this is a sports news team previously not equipped to deal with 'breaking news' but entirely pivoting and committing to the situation within the moment. I greatly admired the reflection upon the actions of the news team here, it showed the resourcefulness on hand alongside the moments of error. It was a narrative presentation style that worked to keep information delivery engaging and gripping.

Peter Sarsgaard, who played Roone Arledge, really grabs the focus of an entire scene if he so needs it; Sarsgaard crafts a leader here who is entirely passionate about what they are trying to achieve and keeping the story with his team. John Magaro, who played Geoffrey Mason, is a surprisingly solid lead in this; Magaro commands with a frantic but sure-handed energy which fits his newsroom lead perfectly. Leonie Benesch, who played Marianne Gebhardt, is definitely the emotional weight of the feature; Benesch portraying the struggle of a woman in the industry trying to be taken seriously while also being the sole translator for the team is fascinating.

However, the best performance came from Ben Chaplin, who played Marvin Bader. This is a role that often feels like the conscience of the feature, Chaplin's tirades are all caught up in journalistic integrity and what the moral onus is in the situation. Bader really runs close to the top here and Chaplin marks this through a very commanding presence, someone who can be very curt and direct. The scene in which Chaplin really goes to task over whether they have confirmation around the status of the hostages is an inspired moment of acting. This is a very fast-paced role, the delivery is quick and it is often biting. I really enjoyed Chaplin here, he was in good form.

This film presents the story well, but that doesn't mean it isn't missing elements that would have improved it. I wasn't very emotionally stimulated by this feature, in fact, emotional stakes leave this movie feeling a bit dry at times. The film could have implemented a perspective closer to the action of the Olympic Village hostage situation or even taken us inside the hostage room itself, just to find an easy empathetic link. However, this film is more focused on the press, but it's foolish to think we couldn't have allowed for some more emotionally charged scenes to really ramp matters up. I also found there seemed to be a slight bias towards a more modern theme and conflict with this film and how it was told that I didn't really appreciate as a viewer.

The way this film is shot feels like it was starved for an aesthetic angle. Most of the movie covers a newsroom full of monitors and hallway conversations, making the entire feature look very plain. It is also quite dark and devoid of anything interesting in terms of colour palette. The editing moves at a sluggish pace, which is really surprising given just how short this film runs. The score is really barely a player in the movie, with no great musical accompaniment to set the tone. The fact the soundtrack awkwardly shoved 'Fortunate Son' in there feels insane given the wider context of the film.

Zinedine Soualem, who played Jacques Lesgards, is quite a quiet player in the main ensemble; Soualem's character has a unique perspective like Benesch's but there's no room really given to play with that here. Daniel Adeosun, who played Gary Slaughter, is an ensemble player who moves very swiftly into the background; Adeosun is here in a physical presence capacity and less an acting one.

This is an extremely well-detailed and thorough depiction of the ABC network team that captured the hostage situation at the 1972 Olympic Games. I would give September 5 a 6/10.