...that is the question.
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason is being released on Friday and I'm of two minds about going to see it. I can't quite decide.
Now, I'm a big Bridget fan. I love Bridget. Yet, I must qualify and say that I adore the Bridget from the book, but not
the Bridget from the movie. How Helen Fielding managed to massacre her
own work while adapting it for the screen, I don't know. But she did.
They were two different characters entirely.
The Bridget from the book is a hapless sort of creature. She's nice
enough, and bright, if not a little slow on the uptake, but she's also
resourceful and can eventually deal with problems long after they
arise. The Bridget of the movie, well...she was someone to laugh at, rather than with.
One of the hooks of the book was that everyone had, for instance, at
one point in time or another, gotten so drunk that they'd shot their
mouth off and had regretted it the next day. Or were worried that
they'd die alone and their body would be found three weeks later, half
eaten by an Alsatian. Or that work demands would terrify them into
glugging cold sake whilst wrapped up in a comforter. Or that they'd be
caught wearing comfy panties in a romantic situation. Or that the guy
they were with would think their thighs were huge. All of the
insecurities women invariably feel or have felt were on display in the
book and humor resulted because you could relate. In the movie, well,
the insecurities weren't the high point, they seemed to be considered
silly (which, let's face it, they are, but they're still there,
nonetheless) Bridget's invariably idiotic way of working around them
was where the comedy resulted. It's a subtle difference, but it ruined
the movie for me. The Bridget of the movie was an idiot who made me
cringe rather than laugh. I couldn't find a reason to root for her,
because she was, well, so stupid.
I've read the book more times than I can count. I've only read Edge of Reason
once because I took it to London with me when I visited and my friend
Mel hadn't read it yet, so I left it for her. Although, she was rather
upset that the American edition had Bridget's weight in pounds, rather
than stones, but that's really neither here nor there. The second book
was more of the first, and it was delightful. But, I'm worried about
the movie, because I don't want the second movie to be more of the
first. Helen is back on the case with Edge
and if it's possible to massacre your own book for the movie version,
well, she'll do it. Again. And that I could not possibly stand.
Yet...Colin's in it. How could I not go and see him reprise his role as
Mark Darcy, well, I don't know. But I'm tempted to just stay at home
come Friday. Now, the question would be, am I the only one who didn't
like the first movie? And is dreading the second?