Bridget Jones finally has some luck in her life; she has a great job as a screenwriter, her family and a new boyfriend; the fact that he is over twenty years younger than her isn’t the only thing that is causing problems.

Review

Adam (Guest) – In the fourth and at this point probably not final Bridget Jones film, Renee Zellweger begins to look decidedly dazed and confused – which is not altogether surprising. Having been robbed of her happily-ever-after by the untimely passing of husband Mark Darcy, Bridget Jones confronts the unpleasantness of modern day dating apps in an effort to jumpstart her life once more.

Tinder is trying for even the most energetic 20-something year olds, so it’s perhaps understandable that Bridget is caught up in the attentions of Roxster – one such twenty-something year old – with whom she has so little chemistry that even among the current wave of age-gap films (Babygirl and The Idea of You among others) it stands out as a jarring and uncomfortable scene, a bit like watching an awkward animal mating ritual more than a widowed woman trying to replace a loving husband.

While Bridget’s trademark awkwardness makes for some amusing scenes, and the return of Emma Thompson and Hugh Grant provide some genuine charisma during their fleeting moments on screen, one can’t shake the feeling that the film as a whole is exactly what Bridget is trying to escape: a lost spark and a sense of things falling apart at the seams with age.

In place of that spark, the film attempts to bring sentimentality, by setting up Bridget with a classic misunderstood-enemies-to-lovers storyline. Avert your eyes if you don’t want spoilers, but frankly the plot is evident from about the tenth minute of the film in any event. As the whirlwind romance with Roxster fades, standing in his place is the reliable and less-exciting-but-still-very-attractive Mr Wallaker, her child’s teacher. There are some sweet moments with son Billy, (though almost no moments at all with younger daughter Mabel), that give the conclusion a Hallmark feel, but as with the more humorous elements, there just isn’t enough romance or charisma to quite carry them off.

Ultimately, it’s always a bit of fun to have Bridget Jones back on the screen, but its hardly to the standard of her former glories. 5/10

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