by Rachel Stibi

Created on: August 31, 2008

Another year's turkey-curry buffet is where Bridget Jones (Renee Zellweger) arrives to find the same stuffy old guests and a horrible holiday outfit that her mother has picked out for her. When she meets Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) at the party she is immediately embarrassed by her mother's (Gemma Jones) comment that she use to run naked in his yard as a child, and is turned off by his reindeer jumper. The introduction does not go well and Bridget tries to enjoy the party when she over hears Mr. Darcy saying he could never be interested in a woman who, "smokes like a chimney, drinks like a fish, and dresses like her mother." This one insult changes Bridget's world and she decides to change, tell the truth about who she is, and to get what she wants out of her life.

She decides that in order to make everything about her life clear she will start a diary and keep track of events and thoughts. We learn her weight (136 lbs), how many cigarettes she smokes (42), and how many units of alcohol she drinks (50). Her voice over that has followed us with commentary since the very beginning of the film now turns to a list of things she must do first, like lose 20 pounds, put last nights panties in the laundry, and finally to have better taste in men.

Bridget works at a publishing company for Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant), a womanizing pompous jerk. After changing her life, and wardrobe around, she gets his attention and after a series of sexually harassing and flirtatious emails between them, he asks her on a date, but they don't get together until a company book launching party for a book called Kafka's Motorbike. Both Mark Darcy and Daniel are at the party and Bridget can see that they obviously don't like one another. After the party Daniel tells Bridget a story about how Mark Darcy stole his fiancee and that there is bad blood between them, she feels sorry for Daniel and romance ensues. The romance eventually peaks and Daniel takes her on a mini-vacation; she thinks that the relationship could not possibly get any better. Then she finds he is cheating on her with a young skinny American co-worker from the New York office. After a humiliating conversation about why another woman is better for him she decides to find another job. She interviews over and over before finding a place that will hire her and in possibly one of the best scenes in the film she quits her job in publishing and goes off to be a TV reporter.

While Bridget is dealing with all her ups and downs she watches

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