Review: Bridget Jones's Baby (2016)

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Director: Sharon Maguire
Starring: Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth, Patrick Dempsey

When it comes to Bridget Jones's Baby, I went through a few distinct stages in terms of reaction before actually seeing it. The first, back in 2015 when filming was announced was "... Why?"; the second, when the trailers hit earlier this year at the beginning of the summer of blah sequels, was "Hmmm, maybe when it comes to Netflix"; the final stage, during the couple of weeks before its opening weekend, was "Screw it, why not?" And you know what? I'm glad I did. I wasn't asking for another Bridget Jones sequel, I wasn't waiting for another Bridget Jones sequel, I don't even actually remember the first Bridget Jones sequel (though I know that I saw it), but I really enjoyed this. It was really funny and it does something that more sequels should do in that it actually allows its main character to grow and rather than getting its mileage by repeating the same gags from the first film but bigger (though, naturally, there are some call backs), it takes the opportunity to explore some new territory.

Oscar Cursed: Renee Zellweger Edition

There's an Oscar myth that's been floating around for a while called "the Best Supporting Actress" curse. According to the legend, winning a Best Supporting Actress Oscar is the death knell for an actress' career and sometimes her love life as well. It's a bit silly, of course, because while there are a number of women who have won Best Supporting Actress and then dropped off the mainstream radar, it's also true of winners in virtually all of the major categories. Sometimes winning an Oscar is just the beginning (remember, Meryl Streep won Best Supporting Actress for one of her earliest film roles and she's not doing too bad), but sometimes it's the peak, after which there is a sharp decline. In the late 90s/early 00s, Renee Zellweger was seemingly everywhere, but especially at the Oscars, earning nominations in 2001, 2002 and 2003, when she won for her supporting turn in Cold Mountain. Since then...