With razor sharp jokes, Bridget Jones’s Baby delivers everything we loved about the franchise
The Sun's film columnist breaks down this week's box office releases starting with our fave Brit singleton Bridget Jones
Bridget Jones's Baby
(15) 123mins
AFTER a dreadful year for blockbusters, it’s nice to report that finally, at least one of 2016’s big movies has done its job.
The third in the BJ series (quiet at the back) makes up for a lacklustre sequel and delivers everything we loved about the franchise.
In the Return of the Jedi of Big Knickers, Bridget (Renée Zellweger) is actually making a decent go of life.
Her television production job is going well, she seems relatively happy and there are no pesky men to spoil things. But — the curse of being a modern human being — it’s not enough for us, is it? We want all this PLUS the warm bosom of a companion. Be careful what you wish for.
While Bridget is busy washing her hands of Mark Darcy (now happily married) and, through no fault of her own, is unable to get back with Daniel Cleaver, she finds herself hopping into bed with an extremely charming, handsome and rich young man, armed with nothing but a packet of dubious johnnies.
A couple of days later, another encounter and another tear of the packet (don’t any of you thin your lips, we’ve all done it — yes, I’m looking at you, madam) leads to a baby with a rather confused heritage.
Nearly all the brilliant cast have returned and the jokes are still razor sharp.
The screening I went to was raucous with laughter
But while Renée has managed to encapsulate that caricature of British singledom once again, it does feel as though the character is slightly dated now.
Do women really jump on their bed holding a glass of wine in their PJs? Did they ever? How did they get the stains out?
But, treat it as comedy escapism and you find yourself embracing the cringe, the schmaltz, the faux pas and the inevitable sticky ending.
The screening I went to was raucous with laughter, which is the only litmus test for a film like BJB.
There are a glut of new characters and all are brilliant — in particular, Bridget’s dastardly and horrifyingly young new boss who encapsulates everything that’s ridiculous about the millennial generation. “I want to Nutribullet the s**t out of this.” All listicles and angry lipstick.
There’s also a rather splendid cameo from Ed Sheeran. Most cameos intend to deliver a sprinkle of glamour, but go too far to shoehorn them in (Hi, Ab Fab).
But Ed is actually pretty good. Bemused, but pretty good.
Bridget Jones’s Baby is as familiar as your favourite pair of slippers, but funnier and a lot less smelly. It almost certainly ensures this won’t be the last we see of her.
★★★★☆
Blair Witch
(15) 89mins
THE anticipation for this – a proper, dedicated sequel to arguably one of the most influential horror films of all time – is high.
Can it hold a torch up to it’s predecessor? Absolutely yes.
The “found footage” format largely invented by the original lends itself perfectly to scaring the bejesus out of you, while harsh cuts in both the visuals and sound take you from complete silence to train wreck in a millisecond.
It’s a compelling watch; ominous and full of dread from the very start. In short, it’s terrifying – for all the right reasons.
★★★★☆
The Infiltrator
(15) 127mins
THIS true-story crime thriller is based around the money laundering section of Pablo Escobar’s huge drugs cartel in 1980s Miami.
Bryan Cranston plays Bob Mazur, an undercover special agent infiltrating (ah!) the inner circle of the most infamous drugs baron of the 20th Century.
His loyalties are torn, the lines get blurred and the stakes are raised.
If this were a fictional movie you’d find it far-fetched, but the fact it’s all real makes it mind-boggling.
Cranston is as likeable as ever and the supporting cast are all top notch. A good night out at the flicks.