Abstract
Bridget Jones’ Baby (Sharon Maguire, Ireland/UK/France/USA, 2016) continues the account of the life of the eponymous diarist, as the film opens with Bridget (Renée Zellweger) turning 43, having aged only 11 years in the 15-year period since the franchise’s first film, Bridget Jones’ Diary (Sharon Maguire, UK/France/USA/ Ireland, 2001), in which Bridget was 32. Single once again, Bridget nonetheless becomes pregnant after two one-night stands, one with American internet dating tycoon Jack Qwant (Patrick Dempsey) and another with childhood friend and old flame Mark Darcy (Colin Firth). Uncertain as to who the father is, Bridget allows both men to believe the child to be theirs, with both happy to prepare for parenting duties even after Bridget explains to both men her confusion over the father’s identity at a meal in Gianni’s, an Italian restaurant near Bridget’s flat. A rivalry develops between Jack and Mark, with the former eventually losing out to the latter when Bridget grabs Mark’s hand during the delivery of her child—a clear sign that he is the man for her rather than the result of pain-induced confusion. Although Jack is present at their wedding and clearly now a close friend, the film ends with Bridget marrying Mark, who also turns out to be the father of their son, William Jones-Darcy.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Love Across the Atlantic |
| Subtitle of host publication | US-UK Romance in Popular Culture |
| Editors | Barbara Jane Brickman, Deborah Jermyn, Theodore Louis Trost |
| Place of Publication | Edinburgh |
| Publisher | Edinburgh University Press |
| Pages | 53 |
| Number of pages | 68 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781474452106, 9781474452090 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781474452076 |
| Publication status | Published - Feb 2020 |