scottlad79 Reviews

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004)

To much, too similar

[4/10 · 16 November 2004]

Lets get one thing out of the way; I did not enjoy the sequel to the enormously popular Bridget Jones. Maybe it's because I am of the male gender, or maybe because some of the rather poor reviews I had read before I went to see it prejudiced me in some way. Maybe I didn't like it because it was all too similar to the original or maybe because it smelt like a good vintage, age old cheddar. People will like it and it will probably make loads of money, but it wasn't for me (or most males).

Anyone who has seen the first film will know the plot as it almost identical, except for some desperate seemingly tack on plot parts (including Bridget ending up in a Thai prison teaching a cell full of prisoners Madonna songs). The humour seems forced and when all else fails it relies heavily on cheesy cliques and schmaltz. This worked reasonably well in the original, but surely a sequel has to be more than a rehash of a one trick pony.

Zellweger is good as Bridget, just as she was in the first film (her English accent is excellent), Firth solid, but yet again it is Grant who steals the show as the gloriously smarmy, and downright seedy Daniel Cleaver. The downside is it is just far too similar, Firth and Grant fighting anybody? It is better made than the first film and looks a lot better but why does a film like this need a true wide screen 2.35:1 ratio? It is far more TV screen than true wide screen. There is not enough going on to warrant having this and just annoys with major close ups of Zellweger and the rest of the cast. Great for sc-fi, not for rom-com.

All in all, a lot of people will like this film, but for me, it was a case of far too much, all too similar. Boys 4/10, Girls 7/10

Alfie (2004)

Not as bad as feared...

[6/10 · 15 November 2004]

The great thing about being dragged to see films that you don't really want to see, is that when they turn out to be OK then you end up leaving the theatre feeling semi satisfied. And that is exactly what this remake of the 60's Michael Caine film is, OK. Caine purists have moaned that the film itself doesn't bear up well against the original, that it isn't as gritty or in some ways, seedy as its predecessor and that anything with Law in it is just style over substance. What we actually get is a poorly directed, shoddily edited, mildly entertaining popcorn flick, which IS style over substance.

Law gives a decent and somewhat infectious performance as lovable, mockney Alfie, further staking his claim towards the best do hair in the world award. There is also decent support from Omar Epps as Alfie's cheated on best mate Marlon and Susan Sarandon looking not a day over 40.

The main problem I found with the film was the blatant over directing and editing of certain scenes, especially those that involved emotion. The scene where Law is dumped by his girlfriend (Marisa Tomei) is a prime example, instead of getting what could have been a moving insight of the mind of our protagonist, we get a scene which is about 5 or 6 takes botched together, which drains any feeling there might have been altogether. Did Shyer have trouble getting actors to act? Should he stick to Steve Martin wedding films?

All in all this is 21st century, times have changed since 1966, women are no longer men's toys like they were back then, peoples attitudes to sex, abortion, and social comment are all different compared with 40 years ago and this is reflected in here.

Alfie isn't bad, it is just OK, and if you are forced into it, then probably all the better for enjoyment purposes. 6/10