Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf June 22, 2014

2001’s “Bridget Jones’s Diary” was a complete charmer, and also a bit of a miracle. After all, the casting of Texan Renee Zellweger in an iconic British role was predicted to be a disaster, but the actress managed to make the part her own, gaining weight and perfecting her slapstick skills to portray the neurotic character. The film was a smash and featured a comfortably fairy tale-esque ending, making the promise of a follow-up difficult to understand. 2004’s “Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason” is a commendable attempt to continue a good thing, reviving elements that defined the original effort while trying to master a few new tonal directions to inspire the challenge of a sequel. It’s not completely successful, yet “The Edge of Reason” has its moments, and while it falls short of the previous picture’s charisma and sense of mischief, it’s nice to see these personalities back on the screen. If only there was a more cohesive story to aid this screwball game of love.

Now securely positioned in a new relationship with Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), Bridget Jones (Renee Zellweger) is feeling the bliss of commitment, finally landing a partner, albeit a lawyer with a stiff vocational attitude. At work, Bridget is trying to make her mark as a lifestyle reporter, with her accident-prone antics attracting the attention of former beau and defiant lothario, Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant), who needs a co-host for his successful travel program, enticing his object of desire with a simple shoot in Thailand. Experiencing rough patches with Mark, wary of his comely co-worker Rebecca (Jacinda Barrett), Bridget accepts the offer, only to find herself in a heap of trouble during her trip. Feeling lost as she struggles to make sense of her love life and Daniel’s true intentions, Bridget turns to her diary for therapy, assessing the pros and cons of her personal choices.

Loosely adapting the 1999 novel by Helen Fielding, the production has a considerable creative challenge with “The Edge of Reason,” tasked with retangling a detangled life to service the needs of a sequel. It’s a common task for continuations, but the workload proves to be difficult for the screenplay, which often turns to overt silliness to help bottom out Bridget, putting into positions of adversity that feed the intended air of anxiety as the character struggles with her love life and vocational responsibilities. The opening of “The Edge of Reason” is emblematic of the picture’s inconsistency, with our heroine faced with a crucial skydiving assignment for a television segment. Clearly terrified, she leaps out of the plane successfully, feeling pride of accomplishment while narrowly avoiding disaster. That alone is enough of a pre-title boost to carry the spirit of the film, but it’s not enough for the producers, who sink the reporter into a pile of pig excrement to steal a laugh and torpedo Bridget’s dignity as a way of sustaining accessibility. It’s a terrible scene.

Bridget is prone to social blunders and physical accidents, but “The Edge of Reason” goes overboard trying to turn the dreamer into Lucille Ball, having her flop around a ski resort without the necessary sporting skills and endure numerous clothing and make-up disasters. Zellweger is game, but such extremity is unnecessary, making the material less about character and more about cartoon incident. There’s also the relationship between Mark and Bridget causing some dramatic headaches, with their union artificially tested on occasion by basic misunderstandings and irrational behavior, with the story requiring their separation over actually earning it. “The Edge of Reason” already employs an episodic structure to keep tabs on everything Bridget’s up to -- sudden surges of argumentative behavior from two characters who clearly love each other only make the feature feel shallow and unmotivated.

Perhaps hiring director Beeban Kidron was a mistake, as she doesn’t show much proficiency for comedy, botching timing and confusing characterization. Still, it would take a truly disastrous helmer to disrupt the natural charms of the piece, finding Bridget’s kooky family of weirdos and perverts adding necessary color to the proceedings, while Grant provides necessary discomfort, playing up Daniel’s libertine ways with ease. I’m also amazed how easily “The Edge of Reason” slips in and out of its Thailand subplot (where Bridget is imprisoned for mistakenly smuggling drugs) without taking a hammer to the foundation of the film. It’s a bizarre detour, but not an entirely unpleasant one, finding Bridget befriending her fellow inmates, teaching them the finer points of Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” while learning the true meaning of having a lousy boyfriend. Kidron deserves some credit for her efficiency here.

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.40:1 aspect ratio) presentation does show signs of traditional Universal filtering, with minor haloing present and a smoothness to the image that robs the viewing experience of its truly filmic possibilities. Fine detail is acceptable without being extraordinary, though costumes are passable, retaining a portion of their fibrous textures, and facial nuances are modest but far from erased. The cinematography already possesses a slightly soft anamorphic appearance, which is preserved on the disc. Colors are somewhat muted but overall quite capable, finding more assertive hues with office and apartment interiors, while skintones are true, keeping Zellweger's cheeks rosy. A boost in brightness dilutes the richness of the image and blacks do slip into solidification at times, but it's not habitual, remaining open for inspection.

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix offers a basic expansion of soundtrack cuts, with songs pushed out into the surrounds to create more of an enveloping listening experience, while atmospherics also maintain position, giving life to rolling seas and crowd activity. There's no major directional activity, with primary focus on Jones's narration, which is pronounced and purred with care, and the dialogue exchanges, which never carry into distortion. Scoring is supportive, securing moods without smothering the performances, maintaining lush instrumentation at times. Low-end is sparingly used, only perking up with R&B songs and a few of the more slapstick moments.

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary with director Beeban Kidron is offered.

• Deleted Scenes (10:29, SD) present an alternate opening, a pair of birth fantasies, and some break-up shenanigans between Bridget and Mark at a christening party. They are accompanied by introductions from Kidron.

• "Mark and Bridget: Forever?" (5:24, SD) sits down with the cast and crew to chart the progression of love between the main characters, exploring setbacks and desires as they sell the next chapter of the story.

• "Bridget Jones Interviews Colin Firth" (4:56, SD) is a throwaway bit attempting to solve a tricky conversation that was featured in the source material. It's accompanied by an introduction from Kidron.

• "Lonely London" (3:09, SD) is a visual effects breakdown for a complicated shot that involves Bridget looking out over the city from her window. Commentary from an unnamed tech and Kidron reveals the layers of manipulation required to pull off the illusion.

• "The Big Fight" (4:52, SD) focuses on Grant and Firth's attempt to jazz up a bit of comedic violence between Mark and Daniel with slapstick choreography, hoping to top their previous encounter in the original film.

• A Theatrical Trailer has not been included.

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason" isn't a fully formed sequel, and while it contains some laughs (Mark and Daniel's climatic fight is a real hoot) and time with old friends, the spark of life and squeeze of believable neuroses is missing. It's certainly digestible but not as memorable, and while there have been rumblings for years now that a third chapter will make it to the screen, it's a rumor I hope turns out to be true, if only to restore some vitality that was lost a decade ago.