Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy arrives on Blu-ray as the fourth installment in the beloved romantic comedy franchise that has charmed audiences for over two decades. After a nine-year gap since Bridget Jones’s Baby, this latest chapter finds our eternally endearing heroine navigating widowhood, single motherhood, and the terrifying prospect of dating apps. Director Michael Morris brings fresh perspective to Helen Fielding’s creation while maintaining the DNA that made audiences fall for Bridget Jones in the first place.

While previous entries dealt with career confusion and unexpected pregnancy, Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy tackles grief head-on. Four years after Mark Darcy’s tragic death during a humanitarian mission in Sudan, Bridget finds herself stuck between honoring her late husband’s memory and rediscovering her own identity as something more than just “mummy.” It’s heavier material than franchise veterans might expect, but the emotional weight gives Renée Zellweger new depths to explore within this iconic character.

When Life Gives You Lemons, Make a Dating Profile

The setup for Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy feels both familiar and refreshingly different. Bridget, now 51, juggles raising two school-age children while struggling to return to work at a morning television show. Her daughter Mabel, wise beyond her years, notices a white owl that visits their window nightly (a touching metaphor for Mark’s lingering presence), while son Billy wrestles with anger over his father’s absence.

Mad About The Boy’s opening act establishes this new reality with care, showing how grief permeates daily life in small, authentic ways. Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy doesn’t rush past the sadness to get to the romantic comedy beats. Instead, it lets us see how someone rebuilds after profound loss, making the eventual romantic entanglements feel earned rather than perfunctory.

The supporting cast from previous films returns with welcome familiarity. Hugh Grant’s Daniel Cleaver, miraculously alive after being declared dead in Bridget Jones’s Baby, serves as both comic relief and surprising emotional anchor. Emma Thompson’s Dr. Rawlings provides sage advice about moving forward, while the loyal friend group of Sally Phillips, Shirley Henderson, and Sarah Solemani offer their own brand of well-meaning interference.

Meet the Boys: A Tale of Two Very Different Suitors

The romantic triangle at the heart of Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy presents two distinctly different paths forward for our heroine. Leo Woodall plays Roxster McDuff, a 29-year-old park ranger and aspiring biochemist who slides into Bridget’s DMs after a memorable tree rescue incident in the park. Woodall, fresh off scene-stealing turns in The White Lotus and One Day, brings an easy charm and genuine affection to the role that makes their age-gap romance feel natural rather than predatory.

Roxster represents adventure, spontaneity, and the intoxicating rush of feeling young again. His relationship with Bridget burns bright and passionate, filled with steamy encounters and moments of pure joy that remind her she’s still a woman with desires beyond maternal duties. Woodall’s performance captures both the character’s youthful exuberance and moments of unexpected maturity, particularly when he bonds with Bridget’s children.

On the opposite end of the Mad About The Boy cast spectrum stands Mr. Walliker, played with quiet dignity by Chiwetel Ejiofor. As Billy’s science teacher, Walliker initially appears rigid and overly formal, but Ejiofor gradually reveals layers of warmth and understanding beneath the buttoned-up exterior. His character serves as an echo of Mark Darcy, offering stability, intellectual connection, and genuine care for Bridget’s family unit.

The genius of Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy lies in how it avoids making either choice feel wrong. Roxster isn’t dismissed as mere eye candy, nor is Walliker portrayed as the “sensible” option. Both relationships offer something Bridget needs at different points in her healing journey, and the film respects both connections enough to let them breathe and develop naturally.

Still Charmingly Chaotic After All These Years

Renée Zellweger slips back into Bridget’s skin like putting on a favorite sweater. At 56, she brings new vulnerability to the character while maintaining all the endearing quirks that made audiences fall in love originally. Her British accent remains flawless, and she navigates the film’s tonal shifts from broad physical comedy to quiet moments of grief with remarkable skill.

The famous Bridget awkwardness gets plenty of screen time, from disastrous job interviews to technology mishaps that ring true for anyone over 40 trying to navigate modern dating apps. But Zellweger also finds new notes in the character, showing how loss has made Bridget both more fragile and more resilient. The moments where she imagines conversations with Mark (Colin Firth appearing in touching flashbacks and fantasy sequences) feel genuinely moving rather than manipulative. Honestly the first glimpse of Mark in Mad About The Boy sets the tone for what is to come.

Director Michael Morris, known for his television work on Better Call Saul and Shameless, brings cinematic flair to the proceedings. A standout single-shot sequence following Bridget through her chaotic morning routine showcases his technical skill while serving the character-driven story. The film’s visual palette shifts from the grey tones of early grief to warmer, more vibrant colors as Bridget opens herself to new possibilities.

The Supporting Players Keep the Magic Alive

Hugh Grant’s return as Daniel Cleaver provides some of the film’s biggest laughs and most surprising emotional moments. Rather than simply rehashing his roguish charm from earlier entries, Grant shows how Daniel has evolved, becoming an unlikely but devoted godfather to Bridget’s children. His chemistry with Zellweger remains electric, but now it’s tempered with genuine friendship and shared history.

The Mad About The Boy child actors playing Billy and Mabel deserve special recognition for avoiding the usual precocious kid traps. Caspar Knopf brings real anger and confusion to Billy’s grieving process, while Arabella Weir’s Mabel serves as both comic relief and emotional wisdom. Their relationships with their mother’s suitors feel authentic, particularly Billy’s resistance to Roxster and gradual warming to Mr. Walliker.

Isla Fisher joins the cast as a fellow single mother who becomes Bridget’s confidante, providing fresh energy to the friend group dynamics. The film wisely avoids making her a rival, instead using her character to explore different approaches to post-divorce dating.

Technical Presentation: Universal’s Solid Effort

Universal’s Blu-ray presentation of Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy delivers the goods without breaking new technical ground. The 1080p AVC transfer presents the film in its original 2.39:1 aspect ratio, capturing both the intimate character moments and the broader London locations with pleasing clarity.

Color reproduction feels natural throughout, from the grey-tinged opening sequences to the warmer golden hour scenes of Bridget’s romantic awakening. Detail levels remain consistently strong, though this isn’t the kind of cinematography designed to show off razor-sharp textures. Skin tones appear accurate, and the transfer handles the film’s varied lighting conditions well, from dimly lit pub scenes to bright outdoor sequences in the park.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track primarily focuses on dialogue clarity, which it handles admirably. Zellweger’s internal monologues and rapid-fire conversations come through cleanly, while the romantic score by Dustin O’Halloran gets nice spread across the front channels. Surround activity remains modest but effective, particularly during the livelier party sequences and London street scenes.

For a dialogue-driven romantic comedy, this technical presentation serves the material well without calling attention to itself. The transfer accurately reproduces the intended theatrical experience, which is ultimately what matters most for this type of film.

Special Features: Behind the Romantic Curtain

Universal includes a respectable collection of special features that provide insight into the franchise’s return and the challenges of bringing Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy to life. The extras package feels substantial without overstaying their welcome, offering genuine value for franchise devotees.

Back to Bridget (12 minutes) serves as the disc’s centerpiece featurette, focusing on Renée Zellweger’s decision to return to the character after nearly a decade. The actress discusses the emotional weight of playing a widowed Bridget and how she approached the character’s evolution. Producer Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner share their excitement about continuing the story, while Helen Fielding explains her motivation for creating a more complex and rounded version of her beloved creation.

Bridget 4.0 (8 minutes) explores the new chapter in Bridget’s life as a working mother dealing with grief. This featurette does an excellent job of contextualizing how the character has grown while maintaining her essential appeal. Director Michael Morris discusses the challenge of balancing comedy with the heavier emotional material, and cast members share their thoughts on Bridget’s journey.

Mad About the Boys (10 minutes) dives into the film’s central romantic triangle, with separate sections devoted to both love interests. Leo Woodall and Chiwetel Ejiofor discuss their characters and what they represent in Bridget’s life, while Zellweger explains how each relationship serves different aspects of her character’s healing process. The featurette does a nice job of showing how the triangle avoids typical romantic comedy clichés.

Deleted Scenes (15 minutes total) include several extended character moments that provide additional insight into the relationships. A particularly touching deleted scene shows more of Billy’s struggle with his father’s death, while another provides additional context for Bridget’s return to work. None feel essential, but they offer welcome character development for fans wanting more time with these people.

A London Love Letter (6 minutes) showcases the film’s use of London locations, from Bridget’s neighborhood to the various romantic meeting spots. Morris and cinematographer Florian Hoffmeister discuss how they used the city as both backdrop and character in the story.

The extras package rounds out with the theatrical trailer and a photo gallery, but the real value lies in the substantive featurettes that treat the material with appropriate respect and affection.

Mad About The Boy is A Worthy Farewell to a Beloved Character

Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy succeeds as both crowd-pleasing entertainment and genuine emotional journey. After 24 years and four films, Helen Fielding and the creative team could have easily delivered a formulaic retread trading on nostalgia. Instead, they’ve crafted a story that honors both the character’s history and the audience’s emotional investment while pushing into new territory.

The film works because it understands that Bridget Jones was never really about the romantic triangles or physical comedy (though both remain delightful). At its core, the franchise has always been about a woman trying to figure out how to be happy with herself, and Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy finds new ways to explore that universal struggle through the lens of middle-age grief and renewal.

Zellweger’s performance anchors everything, but she’s supported by a cast that clearly understands what makes this world special. Morris directs with appropriate affection for the characters while bringing his own visual sensibility to the proceedings. The result feels like a natural evolution rather than a desperate cash grab.

The Blu-ray presentation serves the film well with solid technical specs and worthwhile special features. For fans of the franchise, this feels like a satisfying conclusion to Bridget’s journey, though Zellweger’s hints about potential future installments suggest the diary might not be closed forever.

Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy proves that some characters are timeless enough to grow with their audience, and sometimes the best romantic comedies are about learning to love yourself as much as finding someone else to love you. In a media landscape often obsessed with youth, there’s something revolutionary about a film that finds genuine romance and comedy in a middle-aged woman’s second chance at happiness.

Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy is now available to buy on Blu-ray at MovieZyng