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Original poster

Bridget Jones - watched it last night, erm it’s aged a bit!

253 replies

Noeuf · 17/10/2021 09:55

Gosh watched with dd as I was up late and it came on. Funny how I remembered it and how we’ve moved on now.
The emails about her skirt - funny/flirty then and now massively inappropriate
Darcy ‘negging’ her - dd couldn’t see why he was meant to be the one we all wanted
Fighting in the street! And no comeback for him as a human rights barrister
91/2 stone - and she was fat??!!! I weigh more than that and don’t think I’m comment worthy!
Just so interesting to see how my views have changed really.

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Gwenhwyfar · 17/10/2021 10:57

"He does do what we called negging now - at the dinner party he says all that liking her stuff despite xyz. "

No, he doesn't. Negging is ON PURPOSE. Being mean on purpose to get someone interested in you. He's just being honest and maybe not so diplomatic.

Stovetopespresso · 17/10/2021 11:00

@Gwenhwyfar we will have to agree to disagree but I think the film has highlighted some changes between then and now.

another thing-- all the smoking!!

LittleBearPad · 17/10/2021 11:01

"He does do what we called negging now - at the dinner party he says all that liking her stuff despite xyz.”

They’ve clearly got on the wrong foot, Bridget thinks she knows what he thinks about her. He’s saying he likes her (very much) regardless. Seems pretty honest and normal to me or do you like every single facet of your partner?

ohthestruggles · 17/10/2021 11:02

I never understood why she was such a 'loser' as she has fab friends, a flat in London and has casual drinks on a school night Grin

Stovetopespresso · 17/10/2021 11:02

@LittleBearPad yeah and their fighting was really incompetent and the way they kept apologising to the diners as they smashed on to their tables Grin

Original poster
Noeuf · 17/10/2021 11:02

So these comments are interesting and I went to find a contemporary review - I was wrong as the police not being called is mentioned but the focus is Bridget being plump, Daniel being a sexy cad etc. I do think it was funny watching it again, but with a much more awareness of acceptable etc
www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/film/2001/apr/13/helenfielding

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LittleBearPad · 17/10/2021 11:03

[quote Noeuf]So these comments are interesting and I went to find a contemporary review - I was wrong as the police not being called is mentioned but the focus is Bridget being plump, Daniel being a sexy cad etc. I do think it was funny watching it again, but with a much more awareness of acceptable etc
www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/film/2001/apr/13/helenfielding[/quote]
And no doubt if you watch it in 20 years time you’ll think differently about it again.

trancepants · 17/10/2021 11:03

@PinkTonic

I’m wondering how old the people are who are commenting that some aspects wouldn’t be socially acceptable now. Fighting in the street and trashing the restaurant wasn’t ok then either, neither was the skirt ‘flirting’ and the whole point about her weight was that she was constantly agonising because she wasn’t a size zero stick insect, not that she was actually fat.
I saw it in the cinema when it cam out and felt it was extremely outdated even then. D'arcy just seemed like the absolute worst and a future with him utterly miserable. I also don't 'get' Colin Firth. He just looks like a random grumpy dad not sort of sex idol. Neither man seemed like much of a prize and she'd have been better off just getting on with her life without either of them.

My friend who'd I'd seen it with went for coffee and then walked most of the way home from town before we even mentioned the movie. I remember my friend saying that obviously summed it up because normally we'd spend at least 20 minutes talking about whatever we'd just seen starting from as we walked out of the cinema.

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Noeuf · 17/10/2021 11:04

‘Seems pretty honest and normal to me or do you like every single facet of your partner?’
I don’t recall listing all of his perceived failings at one of our first meetings Grin

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Mydogmylife · 17/10/2021 11:04

@Gingernaut

It was shit to start with

Bridget Jones was an irritating creature to start with.

By the middle of the first film, I was ready to throttle the twit to put her out of my misery.

The second film was unwatchable - I walked out of the cinema, leaving my mates behind.

I agree actually , I just couldn't get into the whole Bridget thing,mound her extremely annoying !
LittleBearPad · 17/10/2021 11:05

The Hugh Grant thing was funny because up to Bridget Jones he was famous for playing the slightly drippy posh Englishman in Four Weddings etc.

Hugh the cad was a new concept (at least in films, off-screen he’d nailed that already)

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Noeuf · 17/10/2021 11:06

‘I never understood why she was such a 'loser' as she has fab friends, a flat in London and has casual drinks on a school night grin‘

I know! I’d have loved her life then!

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Bagelsandbrie · 17/10/2021 11:06

Hmmm I dunno I think I was about 19/21ish when it first came out and I remember finding the emails funny. It was definitely socially acceptable in my age group then to have the boss flirt with you - you sort of knew it was wrong but if your boss was sexy you kind of enjoyed it. There was much more of a “take a chance” and flirt type atmosphere rather than everyone being afraid of being accused of sexually harassing anyone.

Benjispruce4 · 17/10/2021 11:06

The weight thing was her hang up and obsession. In the 90s ‘Friends’ star type figures were desirability and supermodels were v thin. So average size 12s felt too big. Now hips and thighs are celebrated and watching Friends now, Monica and Rachel seem very underweight but that was the look at the time. Remember All Saints and those low slung combat trousers? The phrase ‘muffin top’ came about then as mere mortals struggled with low waist jeans. Now it’s all high waisted and big bums are good.

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Noeuf · 17/10/2021 11:08

‘Bagels’ this is how I remember it. I was just surprised I guess seeing it and how I remembered it.

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Benjispruce4 · 17/10/2021 11:08

The book was much better though and obviously written a few years ahead of the film.

Dustingiseasy · 17/10/2021 11:08

@Noeuf

Gosh watched with dd as I was up late and it came on. Funny how I remembered it and how we’ve moved on now. The emails about her skirt - funny/flirty then and now massively inappropriate Darcy ‘negging’ her - dd couldn’t see why he was meant to be the one we all wanted Fighting in the street! And no comeback for him as a human rights barrister 91/2 stone - and she was fat??!!! I weigh more than that and don’t think I’m comment worthy! Just so interesting to see how my views have changed really.
I thought the same, and switched it off. Couldn’t see past it.
Original poster
Noeuf · 17/10/2021 11:08

Dd was like wow nice bum and then ‘oh I guess she’s not meant to be happy with it?’

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Whiskyinajar · 17/10/2021 11:08

@Noeuf

Oh I love Bridget - grew up with the newspaper diary, read the books I’m not dissing Brdge! Just surprised last night at how socially acceptable loads of stuff was like fighting in the street, trashing a restaurant etc and that just wouldn’t be seen as attractive now - Darcy is just rude and weird, and not in a brooding, manly way Grin
Yeah, I also loved the newspaper diary and preferred it to the books and the film's.

"Stood on scales, 9st 10lb, honestly what is the bloody point?"

Great fun...the huge desire to be stick thin but poking fun at how silly it all was.

MissLucyEyelesbarrow · 17/10/2021 11:08

@BeforetheFlood

Watched it last night with my 20 year old daughter too - we were both 😮 at Darcy calling her a 'verbally incontinent spinster' just after he's met her. I'd forgotten that bit!

Any chance of seeing him as a romantic hero fizzled and died right there. Agree that the obsession with marriage seems bonkers now.

Yeah, but Mr Darcy is a dick in P&P too and Bridget's Darcy putdown echoes a scene early in P&P, when Elizabeth overhears Darcy being disparaging about her.
Phyllis321 · 17/10/2021 11:10

The books were far more subtle and moving, despite superficially appearing as chick-lit. The films did what films do - remove most of the nuance leaving easily-digestible themes.

Artesia · 17/10/2021 11:11

I don't understand the point about the fighting and the police not being called. It's a romantic comedy, not a documentary on life in the 90s. If we watched every film through that lens, barely anything would be deemed acceptable.

Benjispruce4 · 17/10/2021 11:12

Oh and I always found the morning bedroom scene really awkward when he says that what they have just done is illegal in several countries and they giggle. Are they talking anal? Blush I still find that out of place given her character and the newness of their ‘ relationship’ though it was more shocking back then.

x2boys · 17/10/2021 11:13

@ohthestruggles

I never understood why she was such a 'loser' as she has fab friends, a flat in London and has casual drinks on a school night Grin
I think that's the point she wasn't a loser, but her insecurities made her feel like she was.
storkstalk · 17/10/2021 11:17

@PinkTonic

I’m wondering how old the people are who are commenting that some aspects wouldn’t be socially acceptable now. Fighting in the street and trashing the restaurant wasn’t ok then either, neither was the skirt ‘flirting’ and the whole point about her weight was that she was constantly agonising because she wasn’t a size zero stick insect, not that she was actually fat.
Yes to all of this. I’m confused that people can’t understand that it’s a) a film not a documentary and b) aren't engaging their brains

The fighting- if I remember correctly D says he will pay for the damage? So unless police were called why would there be repercussions? It’s not like either of them would press charges against one another