
Bridget Jones’s Baby movie review: how to infantilize women
The desperation, the neuroticism, and the idiocy of Bridget Jones continues to be appalling, not appealing. She is not the everywoman she is meant to be.

The desperation, the neuroticism, and the idiocy of Bridget Jones continues to be appalling, not appealing. She is not the everywoman she is meant to be.

When FFJ sticks to farce, it works wonderfully, like something P.G. Wodehouse might have loved. But the longer it goes on, the more maudlin it gets.

Insanely grand… My god, I love this movie. It’s every movie. It’s the ultimate movie.
Implies that science! and scientists! could be fun! and adventurous! Oh noes, the kiddies! Brainwashed into thinking science is awesome! Who shall protect them from such horrors?
We know how it is: You’d like to go to the movies this weekend, but all you’ve just gotten yourself artificially inseminated and the doctor said to take it easy. But you can have a multiplex-like experience from the comfort of your own sofa with a collection of the right DVDs. And when someone asks … more…
Tom Charity, in his review of Valentine’s Day at CNN.com, makes the comparison that everyone is making: it’s an American version of Love Actually. It’s a totally fair criticism, but the way he does it is stupid, lazy, and just plain unfactual: The reality is forgettable, something like a Robert Altman movie without the calories, … more…
We know how it is: You’d like to go to the movies this weekend, but you really hate those 3D glasses– oh, who are we kidding: you’re gonna see Avatar this weekend if you have to knock over someone’s granny for a ticket. But just in case you’re feeling the slightest bit guilty about having … more…
We know how it is: You’d like to go to the movies this weekend, but the idea of just lying on a tropical beach — even if you have to pretend the sofa is made of sand — sounds so much more appealing. But you can have a multiplex-like experience at home with a collection … more…
You know me. You know I hate romantic comedies, mostly. You know I think they tend to be phony, they tend to show off the worst sides of both men and women, and they tend to be neither romantic nor comedic. So you gotta be suspecting that a film billed as ‘the ultimate romantic comedy’ would have me running screaming in opposite direction as if my life depending upon escape.
I so wanted to be able to reduce About a Boy to One Man and a Baby or ‘Big Daddy’ Meets ‘Notting Hill.’ I was so prepared to whip off a snark-laden diatribe against Hugh Grant’s Annoying Tics Find True Love. But I can’t. Cuz this is an actual grownup-type movie about figuring out that … more…