Rating Rom-Com Adaptations: Bridget Jones's Diary & Pride and Prejudice

Bridget Jones's Diary, the first book in a series by Helen Fielding, is loosely based on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. The film is always on television at Christmas (despite not being a Christmas film) and there plenty of Colin Firth and Hugh Grant TikTok character edits that circulate today - so safe to say Bridget Jones's Diary stands the test of time!

The 2001 film may only be roughly inspired by Pride and Prejudice, yet it does something unique compared to other rom-com retellings of classics. It casts Colin Firth as Mark Darcy after he had already played Jane Austen's Mr Darcy in the very successful 1995 BBC television series.

The Colin Firth casting is a good indicator as to how this 'modern adaptation' is approached - it prioritises the characterisation of the Pride and Prejudice counterparts rather than literally retelling Jane Austen's story in a different setting. This is especially true for the love interests that embody Mr Darcy and Mr Wickham. The characters are given an early 2000s makeover in the form of Mark Darcy and Daniel Cleaver. By focussing on the Pride and Prejudice love triangle alone, the film gives plenty of space for the performances to flourish, and flourish they do! Renèe Zellweger, Colin Firth, and Hugh Grant really give their all and are very memorable.

All Images from Bridget Jones's Diary Universal Pictures

The love triangle plot points are almost identical to the original story. Mark Darcy, like Austen's character is emotionally inarticulate and mysterious. When he initially proclaims his affection to Bridget, he fails, the same happens in the novel. Daniel Cleaver has a lot of charm and likeability at first before it becomes clear he is a womanising chauvinist. Mr Wickam also has a chequered history with women in Pride and Prejudice, although unlike Cleaver, he goes for teenagers (ew). We're supposed to find Hugh Grant's parody of a womanising 'Cambridge boy' comedic so naturally this Wickam detail is not carried over into the 2001 film. The romantic rivals have scandal-fuelled hatreds of each other before Bridget and Elizabeth enter the picture. In Pride and Prejudice, it is revealed Wickam tried to elope with Darcy's younger sister and in Bridget Jones's Diary, it is revealed that Cleaver had an affair with Darcy's wife. Wickam and Cleaver lie to make themselves out to be the victims of these situations. In Bridget Jones's Diary, this results in the iconic physical fight between Darcy and Cleaver.

The love triangle is the biggest parallel between Pride and Prejudice and Bridget Jones's Diary, but easily the biggest difference is the characterisations of our heroines. Elizabeth Bennett and Bridget Jones are opposites in nearly everyway! Bridget is a self-proclaimed swearing smoker and drinker - Elizabeth is described as a 'plain' and ignored lady. A large point to Elizabeth's character is that she is one of many sisters in a relatively 'poor' family, whereas Bridget is a middle class only child.

The most narratively important thing they share however, is a pressure to marry. Of course, Elizabeth Bennett has a serious financial pressure to this dilemma. Yet, it is an interesting point Bridget Jones's Diary makes (whether intentional or not) that despite Bridget being financially successful and an independent working woman, there is still an overwhelming pressure from those around her to find a man or risk becoming a 'spinster', a seemingly outdated word that really drives home the point; societal pressure for a woman to marry is very much still a thing! It is a term used in both stories too. Because both characters struggle to grapple with this pressure, both women share the trait of being misunderstood outliers to their respective 'societies'.

Being considered the 'odd' ones in their stories is emphasised because Bridget is an off-the-cuff and honest character - Elizabeth's pride has similarities with this and she also speaks her mind. Admittedly, Elizabeth she is less brazen with these characteristics, understandable considering the restraints she is under in her century!

Unfortunately there are body shaming issues in Bridget Jones's Diary - a real disease of the time in TV and film. The comments about Bridget's body fall under a toxic diet culture and are nonchalantly grouped with the reasons she is considered a 'spinster' in the story. This leads into another problematic element: the insinuation that Bridget is a failure of sorts because she is single. The film tries to trick the audience into believing that despite Bridget living in a spacious flat in central London with a professional career, she is unsuccessful? However, I'll let this one slide (not the body shaming though) because it is central to the plot that she is shamed for being single and it makes a point regardless of what it perpetuates - others largely judge a woman's success by her relation to men.

The way in which Bridget navigates never feeling 'good enough' as a result of these expectations she is impossibly put under, allows for the character to have more depth than the initial 'bumbling British woman' we see. Zellweger's performance portrays the essential nuance for this. Bridget is a person with flaws, insecurities, intelligence, and isn't written to please everyone like so many female characters are (to the point where they end up being so blank and unrealistic). Bridget's reactions and decisions, right or wrong, are more aligned with how a young woman would respond to the pressures around her. It is this authenticity that is central to the Helen Fielding series' success in the first place. Even twenty two years after the film's release it is still refreshing to see. The writing of Elizabeth Bennett, especially her distinctive voice, is praised for having a relatable quality too for the time - and it can easily be argued that it still does today.

I would give Bridget Jones's Diary an 8/10 because I think the performances are brilliant and I enjoy what they choose to take and transform from Pride and Prejudice without being unoriginal. It also has a huge re-watchability factor that has kept its popularity up all these years. However, because the film is an extremely loose adaptation it wouldn't be fair to the other rom-coms chosen in this series! Additionally, whilst many elements are (even now) refreshing to see - namely Bridget's characterisation and the way the story mocks the womanising antagonist - there are some jokes that do not age well. I would love to see more films like this today without the occasional problematic line and with more of Bridget Jones's Diary's fun wit and campiness! 7/10.