She's an unlikely heroine who too often finds herself alone on her birthday in colorful pajamas while "Don't Wanna Be" by Eric Carmen plays in the background. She's a bit of a clutz, has a habit for finding herself in awkward situations and rambling on not making them any better. She exposes and embodies every down-to-earth human thing that makes us, well, human, and takes a vodka bottle or a glass of wine while doing it. She's Bridget Jones.
This fan favorite female lead has captured our hearts once again, and although I should think most of us aren't pregnant wondering who the father is, the unique situation that, if you think about it really would happen to Bridget, is only the surface-level dilemma and does not prevent the movie from speaking to each one of us who've done embarrassing things, been in an awkward situations, felt out-of-place, or just plain inadequate for the task at hand. This imperfect vision of a woman and the funny events of her life play as a charming, upbeat roller coaster and we follow a person who always gives it her all and hopes it turns out okay. Bonus: Ed Sheeran makes a cameo appearance in that journey!
Jones is the average woman's woman and we love her dearly for it; we've all got a bit of Bridget in us. Flyaway hairs and cardigan sweaters galore, we hark back to our adolescent, down-on-our-luck "sh*t this can not be happening to me" moments and thus Bridget becomes this relatable character, whether that's when she's locking herself out of her house, smiling through awkward family holiday events, falling in mud after finally feeling confident, feeling as though she's disappointing her family, or, when she's mistaking "wind" for contractions. Okay, perhaps the last bit is a tad unrelatable.
Yet interwoven in the blunders and twists and turns, fun music festivals, and, of course, the festive and snowy Christmas season (would it truly be a Bridget Jones movie without the dinner at mum's?), is a heart-warming takeaway on life. It's a movie of self-discovery and not knowing quite what you're doing at any time of any day. A few lessons we can take away from Bridget and another one of her whirlwind adventures:
- Learn to laugh at yourself! Although there are times when Bridget gets a little stroppy over the events in her life, she pulls up her big girl panties and has to smile. Life's too short to stress and worry about every little thing that can go wrong - relax and roll with life's punches.
- Love who you are. This lesson comes from the lady who famously said "And yes, I will always be a little bit fat." Embrace what society tends to scold and own yourself. Work it boo!
- "Don't make the same mistakes, make new ones" - Bridget's new motto and the only way to live and learn. Don't get bogged down in what's been done, look to the future and accept you won't always get it right the first time!
- You're stronger than you think you are and you can handle doing a lot of things on your own, but you'll also meet people who will help you along in your life to get you through it. Hello Mark Darcy...
- It. Gets. Better. In times when everything seems overwhelming, life is constantly moving forward and things are never entirely in our control. Although that means sometimes it takes a turn for the worse, it'll have to take a turn for the better eventually. And it'll be all the more sweeter when it does.
And yes, although it's Hollywood and we're well aware that oftentimes happy endings are a given, the movie still sparks hope that if this Bridget Jones, the woman who rocks granny panties, falls into mud, and makes endearing mistakes each second can bravely put herself out there and find her Mr. Darcy, then so can we.
Prepare to be leaving the theater having laughed quite a lot, smiled that much more, and wishing to God Bridget Jones was your best friend.
