Emily Parker
The first trailer for Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy has been released, and it has certainly left us with a lot to think about.
Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy is scheduled to hit cinemas in February 2025 – almost 10 years on from the release of the franchise’s last film, Bridget Jones’s Baby. When we left Bridget (Renée Zellweger) at the end of this film, she was marrying the love of her life, Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), after giving birth to their new baby.
But now we find ourselves with a new film trailer, where we quickly realise that a lot has changed for Bridget. In the trailer, Bridget is widowed after the death of her beloved husband. We now see her attempting to tackle her life as a mother, whilst also bumping into new and old love interests.
While Bridget has had multiple love interests throughout the franchise – including Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) and Jack Qwant (Patrick Dempsey) – it is certain that Mr Darcy has always been a particular fan favourite. So, when we last saw Bridget marrying Darcy it was easy for us to believe that the franchise had come to its natural end with our heroine finally getting her happily-ever-after with the love of her life.
First Thoughts on Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy
On first glance this trailer felt almost like a betrayal. After years of rooting for the Jones-Darcy partnership, we now find out that Bridget has lost the person that had been so important to her throughout all of the previous films. It almost feels that she has been robbed of the happy ending that we had celebrated a film before. So, when I first saw this trailer I was initially left feeling like this new film was an unnecessary addition to the franchise that I had loved. I mean, what is a Bridget Jones film without the infamous Darcy?
But, on a second watch of the trailer I was struck by the important messages which may be held within this film. Thinking about this, I now cannot wait to see what the new film has to reveal.
Is Bridget Jones Bringing Representation to our Screens?
Throughout the franchise Bridget has often had to manage many different overwhelming aspects of her life, and as a result she has become an iconic movie figure for her relatability. Bridget Jones has represented an empowering image for many women throughout the franchise which I think Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy will uphold this for many viewers.
In this new film we will see how Bridget navigates her new life, tackling motherhood, grief and new love. This is a story that we haven’t often seen represented in cinema. The rom-coms that we usually see on our screens are generally rooted in ideas of boy and girl meeting before they run off together into the distance to live out their happily ever after together. We rarely see stories of pursuing love after the loss of a romantic partner, especially for women.
It is clear that we are following Bridget in her journey as she navigates life after the death of Darcy, which it seems will include Bridget pursuing numerous new love interests. For this reason, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy could be the most important film of the franchise for its representation of finding love after the death of a romantic partner. This subject can often be framed as somewhat taboo. We should therefore champion the illustration of Bridget not being pinned to Darcy, but instead exploring her sexuality as a widow and mother.
The Return of Familiar Friends
Of course, the Bridget Jones franchise has never focused solely on romantic love, and from our first look at Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, it appears the film will also go beyond exploring Bridget’s love interests.
The trailer is filled with many familiar faces from the previous films including Bridget’s friends Shazzer (Sally Phillips), Jude (Shirley Henderson), Tom (James Callis), Miranda (Sarah Solemani) and Doctor Rawlings (Emma Thompson). Throughout the trailer Bridget’s friends seem to surround her with advice and care as she tackles her new life. While we often focus on Bridget’s romantic endeavours, these familiar faces throughout the new film will be a welcome reminder of the importance of platonic love and of celebrating female friendships.
Empowering Feminist Sentiments
Overall, from the first look at the new trailer, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy appears to have the heartwarming yet humorous characteristics which we have come to expect from this franchise. However, a standout theme of the trailer is the show of female empowerment and strength.
Bridget Jones has represented an embodiment of female power since stepping onto our screens in 2001. However, this seems to take a step further than previous films in discussing these themes. This could offer a refreshing look into how Bridget is able to still find love after the death of Darcy, as well as also exploring the challenges of motherhood. I therefore think the arrival of this new film will bring an exciting discussion of female empowerment that is not often seen on the big screen.
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Featured image courtesy of Nicholas Andrew on Flickr. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
