Do you ever feel like you’re supposed to have your life — and more importantly, love — all figured out by your twenties? When I turned eighteen, I looked around at the grand romances online, then at the lack thereof in my own life, and thought: “Well, I guess that’s that. Some people get love, and some people get really good at ordering takeout for one.” For some inexplicable reason, the internet treats twenty-somethings like they’re expired dairy, like they should have a long-term partner in one hand, and a perfectly put-together life in the other. So, when I first saw Bridget Jones, in her thirties, lip syncing to All By Myself in her pajamas, it changed everything.
We all know Bridget. She’s like that funny aunt we meet at gatherings – the one with the best stories, who drinks a little too much wine, and slips a few cusses on her way out. Hell, my friends and I even made a drinking game in her honor: take a shot every time Bridget does something embarrassing. (Dangerous. Would not recommend.) Now, she’s back. Widowed by her own Mr. Darcy, navigating single motherhood with two children, surprisingly best friends with the ever-unapologetic modelizer Daniel Cleaver, and still doing what she does best — stumbling her way through life.
At first, I worried that Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy would be a lazy cash grab, but I was surprisingly pleased to find out it wasn’t. What sets this chapter of Bridget’s story apart, is that while her signature clumsiness prevails, there’s a new sense of maturity that comes from within. Maybe because this sequel is delicately layered with something deeper – grief. And Bridget, being Bridget, handles it the only way she knows how: with honesty, humor, and a heart wide open.
Number 1: Firsts, Firsts, Firsts…
Bridget dives headfirst into a fresh set of firsts. After four years of solitude following Mark’s passing, she re-enters the dating world. This time, she finds herself in the horror show we call dating apps, and experiences a heartbreak after being ghosted by a hot twenty-year-old. (Stars, they’re just like us!)
But watching her fumble her way through it all stands as a firm reminder that life is meant to be filled with firsts. First dates, first heartbreaks, first steps into the unknown… no matter your age. You could be fifty and still be fidgeting before a first date, still more than capable of learning something new about yourself. Because the thing about firsts? They never really end.
The Bridget Jones movies have always thrived on this idea — that it’s okay to embrace every awkwardness and embarrassment in your life. It’s always been what Bridget does best, and I’m glad they’ve kept that essence intact, even as our beloved protagonist has obviously grown over the years.
Number 2: Letting Go of the Empty Seat
At its heart, this isn’t just a romcom; it’s a story about second chances. Second chances at love, at life, at allowing yourself to move forward.
There’s a scene that hit me right in the gut. Before Billy’s recital, Bridget saves three seats. Now, in the grand tradition of romantic tropes, you’d expect one to be for Mark – to honor him, to keep his memory close. But no, she saves it for Chloe — the perfect nanny she was once intimidated by, but now welcomes with open arms. It’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, but it says everything. Bridget isn’t just holding on anymore. She’s making room.
Grief has a funny way of making us believe our lives are frozen in place, that what we had is all we’ll ever have. But here’s the truth: we are constantly becoming new versions of ourselves, and those versions deserve love too. Maybe life isn’t about finding that one perfect puzzle piece. Maybe it’s about collecting different pieces along the way, rearranging them, making them fit in new ways. Maybe that’s what makes us whole.
The film is full of these small details like that. And while they could have easily been overly sentimental or eye-roll territory, they weren’t. They struck the perfect balance between homage, nostalgia, and cheesiness. Not too much, not too cliché — just the right amount to get the waterworks going. (On that note, those brief flashes of Mark Darcy? So bittersweet, they’ll wreck you instantly.)
Number 3: Finding Romance… Again?
Right as the credits rolled, my friend and I, who have been emotional wrecks, had this conversation out of genuine fear: what if you do find love but your partner dies? What do you do afterwards? (And yes, as much as love comes in many forms, it’s still not a crime to desire companionship.)
The answer? Love is never linear, the love you have now doesn’t necessarily mean it stays forever, and the love you don’t have now doesn’t mean you’ll never find it. Whenever I ask people why they still miss their exes, the answer is often fear — the fear that what they had was the best they’ll ever find. But that is simply not true at all. Just because you’ve loved deeply once doesn’t mean you won’t find that spark ever again in somebody else. It’s not shameful to accept love from another as life goes on. Sometimes, life really is just about finding a person who can zip up your dress for you.
So, PSA, If you’re still hung up on your ex, curled up with a tub of ice cream thinking, I’m never finding love again! — here’s your reminder. You are more than capable of loving and being loved again. Don’t forget to welcome light back into your life!
Bridget Jones. What a Character.
This is something I feel very strongly and can’t help but speak on: I don’t think people give Bridget Jones enough credit for the character that she is. Sure, she’s a little vulgar and a lot clumsy, but that’s not all she is. She’s a capable television producer, a woman people root for, a friend that everyone adores, a presence that lights up every room she waltzes into. She embodies the charm of being unapologetically herself — a perfect mix of flaws and brilliance.
Bridget was, and still is, the spiritual guru to me and my girlfriends, especially now that most of us are freshly stepping into our twenties. We often find ourselves justifying our actions with, “Well, Bridget Jones would’ve done that!” One of my friends even texted me as I was writing this, “I’m Bridget in a 22-year-old brown girl’s body.”
Bridget is the reason I realized that the pressure to have life figured out by your twenties is nonsense. She didn’t find Mark until she was in her thirties. She didn’t discover her knack for television until then either. And she only became a mother in her forties. All of this tells us something: there’s really no rush! All of these missteps in her life ultimately shaped her into the woman we see in Mad About the Boy. And God, does age wear beautifully on her.
A Perfect Goodbye
Yes, the Bridget Jones movies are sappy. But you know what, what’s a girl (or a woman) to do?
Every now and then, it’s nice to let the screen remind us how fun life can be, even if it’s cheesy to admit. Bridget still has her friends and family, and she is still incredibly loved. And in watching her, you remember that you are, too. Suddenly, your daily mishaps feel funny, your morning coffee feels warmer, your Friday plans feel sacred. That’s the magic of these movies; they have this power to make your life feel bigger, fuller, and more meaningful.
As much as I never want to say goodbye to Bridget, this movie feels like the perfect farewell — one where she finally gathers all pieces of her life and puts them together. She’ll always be the woman who made it okay to be a work in progress at any point of your life, and an institution that will forever be embedded in our hearts (and teenage girls’ Pinterest boards).
But more than anything, Bridget Jones reminds us that real, lasting love, should find you gently, like a ship sailing smoothly into harbor. You are always worthwhile, and you will be loved, just as you are.
