'Bridget Jones's Baby' delivers a delightfully unexpected throwback

There’s nothing quite like meeting up with old friends.   

It can be nerve-racking. Who among us hasn’t gotten back in touch with someone only to realize that you should have left the friendship, fond memories and all, in the past?   

That’s why it’s such a delightful and, frankly, unexpected treat that reuniting with the crew from Bridget Jones (less one Hugh Grant, who is briefly and amusingly mentioned and then quickly dispensed with) over a decade later is such a joy.    

Our beloved Bridget Jones (Renée Zellweger) is a career gal of 43 when we first check in with her – and the times they are a-changin'. Her diary is on an iPad now and she Facetimes, not calls, her kooky mother. She’s still singing Celine Dion, but now it’s mixed with some rapping.   

But despite a few outer differences to place the movie in 2016, the thrill of Bridget Jones’s Baby, directed by Sharon Maguire, who also helmed the original, is that the film feels like a throwback in the best possible way. There are big music cues (Jess Glynne, Ellie Goulding and more pepper goofy, uplifting moments) and plenty of cynicism-free swoony romantic declarations to eat up. There's even a dating website that looks straight out of 1999-era AOL!  

The plot is simple: Bridget is five years out from her breakup with Mark Darcy (Colin Firth, still the living embodiment of charm) and in a bit of dry spell, dating-wise. Her fabulous, formerly perpetually drunk friends — all making fun cameo appearances — are now parents, so Bridget is hanging with some of the younger women at the news station where she now works. 

A weekend getaway at a music festival is the perfect opportunity for Jones-esque hijinks (i.e., falling "ass over tit in the mud" in an all-white outfit; your tolerance for pratfalls will directly correlate with how much this amuses). This leads to a one-night-stand with businessman Jack, played by Patrick Dempsey. A week later she falls into bed with ex Mark, and then subsequently discovers she's pregnant. Uh-oh.

The scandalous premise allows for plenty of truly excellent dirty jokes as well as an excuse to throw Emma Thompson (who co-wrote the screenplay alongside original book author Helen Fielding and Dan Mazer) into the mix as Bridget's bemused OB/GYN. Thompson confirms her international treasure status, earning some of the movie's biggest laughs with just a wink or a well-timed quip over Bridget's antics. Another savvy choice is not forcing newcomer Jack to be a reboot of Grant's beloved cad; instead, he's an over-earnest American, ready to rush headfirst into new adventures. It provides a perfect contrast — and amusing scenes — with the still-sort-of-totally-uptight Mr. Darcy, who, never fear, remains king of the unimpressed reaction shot. 

The film is far from perfect. A work subplot about new young management is too broad; there might as well be a flashing caption that reads "Ugh! Millennials!" and the third act drags a bit while we run towards a completely predictable-but-lovely conclusion. But Bridget Jones ultimately succeeds because it manages to take a simple, light premise and tell a tale about forging a path forward for your life when things don't work out exactly as planned. 

For audiences who have fallen in love with the character as a relatable single woman doing the best she can, it is warmly reassuring to see her thrive —with or without her dreamy suitors — just as she is.

Bottom line? While it's not breaking new ground, it’s sure to delight those who hold up the original as one of the best romantic comedies of the past twenty years ... not to mention serve as a nice re-do for those who were disappointed by the lackluster 2004 sequel.    

And really, isn’t that what you want from old friends? They’re doing well! It was lovely to see them again.