Last week, I went with a few girlfriends to watch the new Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy. As a long-time fan of the franchise, I and many others were definitely apprehensive at the news that Mark Darcy, a slow burn romance over three movies, was dead. But two hours later, I emerged from the Gala Cinema with mascara down my face and a stitch in my side. Surrounded by women of all ages in that theatre, we laughed at the same jokes and sobbed together at the brief flashes of Mr Darcy onscreen. Not just a representation of young adulthood, but a gracious exploration of grief, this final chapter was the perfect, slightly more mature ending.
There is so much love for Bridget as a character. She is admired across generations, and more than anything, serves as a reminder that it is never too late. It’s never too late to find love, to figure out a career, to make mistakes. As a silly uni student, I’ve made my fair share of mistakes – from trying to dye my hair in my first year accommodation to drinking slightly too much and completely humiliating myself, Bridget reminds us that it is okay to be vulnerable, to put yourself out there, even when you’re scared and lonely. Because she is never really alone. She has a strong community that root for her, and although uni can feel awfully lonely at times, I think the franchise really centres that. Although obviously the romances are the main aspect, the strong foundational friendships Bridget has demonstrated time and time again the value in these non-romantic relationships.
Of course there are aspects of the story that are unrealistic – it’s a rom-com! But Bridget’s vulnerability, her willingness to make mistakes and try new things even in middle age reassure those of us at the beginning of adulthood that are feeling unsure and directionless. She never fully has everything figured out, and career uncertainties, worries about being chronically single, and personal insecurities are all too relatable. It seems like some of the things I cook rival her infamous blue soup – some days, all I want to do is lounge around and listen to sad pop, and these feelings are validated by characters like Bridget, which is one reason so many people love her.
It feels monumentally unfair that Mr Darcy is dead. After three movies spanning 24 years, it just feels like Bridget deserved her fairy tale ending with the father of her children, the man that she couldn’t help but love (and the sad Tiktok edits I started getting after watching the movie don’t help). But, as she acknowledged in the very first film, ‘it is a truth universally acknowledged that when one part of your life starts going okay, another falls spectacularly to pieces’. This constant instability and the impossibility of ‘having it all’ is sadly reflective of real life, especially at uni. We are constantly juggling a million things, which means, more often than not, something is going to get broken and the best we can do is decide to try again.
The swelling soundtrack reminds us that life and love aren’t perfect, but that the only thing to do is to keep moving forward, to make the best of what you have. I will always love Bridget, and I anticipate as I move forward in life that different parts of her story will become more or less applicable to my life. Eventually the movie was not about the boy (or man) she chose, but the strength she had to pick herself up and say it was time to start living again. Bridget is forever a reminder that you are good enough, just as you are.