Singularly Witty
Bridget is Bold and Beautiful

If there is a time when the single person becomes the most at odds with his or her personal life, that time must be around age 30. Torn between the desire to be free of the burden of the opinions of others and the need for companionship, it's no wonder that Bridget Jones is finding life as a "singleton" more desperate with each passing year.

In Bridget Jones's Diary, Renee Zellweger plays the role with sympathy, but with a touch of wit. This is a woman who wants to sit in her flat and drink herself to tears, but she also has the resolve to take charge of her life, marking her goals and accomplishments -- everything from weight gain to alcohol consumption -- in her diary.

Bridget Jones's Diary could easily fall into the category of "chick flick," but it has an appeal for any unmarried person who can see the truth that is reflected in the film.

Zellweger (who won a Golden Globe for the title role in Nurse Betty) stretches her acting abilities from sappy romance and screwball comedies to play a British woman. She tackles the work with a quiet grace that may not win her any awards, but seems genuine. She's not British royalty, she's just a woman... a real woman.

And this is the charm of Bridget Jones. Nevertheless, while the imperfections of her life, friends, and lovers, are all utterly real, the story often becomes a caricature of real life, making the whole film seem a little too much like a British episode of "I Love Lucy."

Playing opposite Zellweger are Hugh Grant and Colin Firth as the romantic interests in Bridget's life. Grant is wonderfully slick as her egocentric boss, while Firth comes off as humorless, stiff, and utterly like a bad British stereotype. If Firth is an example of the British romantic lead, Greg Kinnear could be a mega-star in the UK.

Bridget Jones's Diary is a cute film, but it lacks the biting insight of, say, John Cusack's High Fidelity. While the desparation in Bridget's single life is clear, her way out seems more by chance than by anything she does to take control of her life. The story, as a result, is memorable but not outstanding.

MY RATING: 8 out of 10.

RATED: R
RUN TIME: 97 min.