REVIEW | Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (Universal), with Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant.

DVD: Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason

It wasn’t as good as the first film, but Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason did well for a reason.

In it Bridget’s back (and baby-got-back), this time with a boyfriend. But she’s still managing to screw things up, particularly since she’s a jealous neurotic who’s overly susceptible to the sexual advances of her evil-but-charming ex.

Don’t worry. It’s a chick flick. They tend to turn out well.

Predictability aside, the just-released disc’s bonus features are worth a look.

They include a hilarious breakdown of the film’s boy-fight scene and a sweet Mark & Bridget: Forever? feature, damaged only by Renee Zellweger’s commentary, which serves as a jarring reminder that utterly-lovable Bridget is actually played by an annoyingly-squinty Hollywood star.

The Bridget interviews Colin feature is way too ‘we’re so clever and improvisational’ to be funny, and sadly, the deleted scenes are tainted by the director, who delivers her scripted introductions with the creepy deliberateness of Hannibal Lecter. (But then again, it’s not like she’s supposed to be a performer. She’s usually behind the camera. I can forgive her.)

The disc’s interactive quiz, Who’s Your Man? is easily its best feature. You decide things like whether or not Daniel Cleaver is in fact “sex on legs”. And you’re then matched with Daniel or Darcy accordingly.

Here’s a hint: we all know Cleaver’s the baddy, so aim for a match with Mark. He’s the one who really loves our Bridget. Wobbly bits and all.

A version of this Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason DVD review was filler content published online pre-launch in Dose, March 30, 2005.

Various other reviews are here.