What the world needs now are rom-coms, sweet rom-coms. No, not just for some, but for everyone. That’s why I’m a little surprised that the lineup of upcoming 2025 movies has a movie that looks as adorable as Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy heading straight to streaming. After seeing the first trailer for myself, the visuals were so charming that I think this picture could become another legacy quel hit that should unfold in theaters.
Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy Is A Straight Up Charmer
No genre is immune to the problems of the legacy quel, because you always need a good reason to “go back to the well.” Director Michael Morris Peacock The original film looks like it actually has that approach locked down, as we learn that Bridget (Renée Zellweger) has lost Mark (Colin Firth) four years ago, and is just getting back into the dating world.
See our reunion with Ms. Jones’ ever-caring friend group, the return of former flame/lothario on the loose Daniel (Hugh Grant), and two potential suitors who want to win her heart. With school teacher Mr. Gelding (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and tied the young boy Roxster (Leo Woodall) who both propose to her in their own way, you can understand why Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy released as a Valentine’s Day/Galentine’s Day treat.
There’s plenty of wit, charm, and sincerity that we’ve seen in this franchise’s three previous entries, and seeing the return of rom-com vets Zellweger and Grant is like seeing a pro come out of retirement to rock the world again. Which just reminds me of a recent example that proved my point in action comedy.
Beverly Hills Cop 4 Proved Why Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy Should Head To Theaters
Our own Erik Swann wrote a piece about why Beverly Hills Police: Axel F should have gone to the theaterand after seeing Bridget Jones 4’s trailer, I feel like a big hit is about to make a bit of a mistake. It has been almost a decade Bridget Jones’s baby was released in 2016, and being able to bring the band back together for one final chapter of tears, laughter and awkward situations feels like too good an opportunity to simply consign it to a streaming service.
I’m not against having projects debut on streaming, or even shorter windows of theatrical exclusivity, because we’ve seen that with the right approach, this is a model that could work. At the same time, see Bridget Jones 4’s production rap being praised by his studio Working Title is something that is a little bittersweet.
This is the end of an era, as author/co-author Helen Fieldings Bridget Jones’s Diary wasn’t just one of them best rom-comsbut also one of them best movies of the 2000s to exist. And it achieved that status through healthy appreciation in theaters and on home video. So having the victory lap Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy just going to streaming feels like celebrating retirement at Chuck E. Cheese’s.
Again, I don’t mean to offend anyone with that statement, but I think fans would flock to this delightful romp if it made it to the big screen. If this is indeed Bridget Jones’ last diary entry, she deserves to have the largest canvas possible to fill with her words and warmth. It seems like everyone involved has a feel good hit on their hands, and it just feels wrong not to make a bigger deal about it.
Unless plans change at the last minute, Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy will be available to those with one Peacock subscriptionas of February 13, 2025. That said, I’ll still be hoping for a reversal, if only because I think it would greatly increase plans to celebrate this unofficial holiday with my wife. We deserve to gather around a big screen with Hugh Grant, Renée Zellweger and Chiwetel Ejiofor being utterly charming for a solid runtime. That’s what Nicole Kidman would like for us.
