The fourth and final Bridget Jones film presents a protagonist who is both familiar and profoundly changed. Renée Zellweger returns as the beloved Bridget, yet she is now a grieving mother of two, struggling to move forward after the tragic loss of Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) in a landmine accident. This transformation, Zellweger argues, was essential to continuing Bridget’s journey.
“With each of the films, it’s a reintroduction. She’s at a different stage, learning different things,” Zellweger tells The Screen Show. “Loss changes who you are, your values, and your perspective. And now, her decisions aren’t just about her—they impact her children.”
While Bridget remains her charmingly chaotic self, Mad About the Boy shifts its focus. The weight and drinking concerns of earlier films take a backseat to more existential questions: How does one rebuild after losing a partner? How does Bridget navigate love while balancing motherhood and personal growth?
A ‘Comedy of Grief’ Rather Than a Rom-Com
Director Michael Morris, the first man to helm a Bridget Jones film, describes Mad About the Boy as a “comedy of grief.” While the film retains rom-com elements—Bridget’s Tinder misadventures and a fling with the much-younger Roxster (Leo Woodall)—it prioritizes emotional depth over traditional love-triangle antics.
READ MORE: Ye’s Controversial Super Bowl Commercial: Promoting T-Shirts with Swastikas
Morris, known for his work on 13 Reasons Why, saw Bridget’s story as an opportunity to explore loss through humor. “Comedy allows for intimacy with a character, and we’ve known Bridget for so long. Seeing how she handles grief is instructive,” he says.
The film underscores the universal struggle of moving forward after loss. “We all make mistakes in grief,” Morris adds. “But with the support of friends and family, we rediscover joy in our own time.”
Age-Gap Romance and a New Love Interest
The film also delves into Bridget’s evolving love life. She finds herself drawn to Roxster, a younger, free-spirited man, and her son’s science teacher, the reserved yet compelling Mr. Wallaker (Chiwetel Ejiofor). While Mad About the Boy may add to the growing conversation around older women dating younger men, Morris insists that Bridget’s arc is more about personal growth than social commentary.
Woodall echoes this sentiment: “It’s not about the age gap—it’s about Bridget reclaiming joy and figuring out what she wants.”
Ejiofor’s Mr. Wallaker, initially aloof, undergoes his own transformation, leading to the film’s ultimate resolution. Longtime fans will likely anticipate the ending, but Mad About the Boy isn’t just about where Bridget lands—it’s about how she gets there.
Why This Film Matters Now
For Zellweger, returning to Bridget after nearly a decade made sense only if the story was worth telling. “We shouldn’t do a Bridget Jones film just because we can—especially if it’s the last chapter,” she says. “We need a compelling reason.”
That reason, it turns out, is a deeply human one: learning to embrace life’s messiness, find humor in heartbreak, and, ultimately, move forward—on Bridget’s own terms.
