--- title: "Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/bridget-jones-mad-about-the-boy/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/bridget-jones-mad-about-the-boy" critics_score: 74 critics_reviews: 19 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (2025): what the critics said Critics' score 74 from 19 reviews: 13 positive, 4 mixed, 2 negative. Most critics like this fourth film a good deal more than the third, and several call it the strongest since the original. The praise clusters around Renée Zellweger, whom the reviews find warmer and less clownish as a widow in her fifties, and around Hugh Grant, whose older Daniel Cleaver is singled out again and again as the source of the film’s heart. Critics also credit the script for treating grief and middle age seriously without losing the jokes. Reservations are about structure and freshness: a loose, tension-free plot, some dated gags, new characters who get less room than the returning ones, and a reliance on fan service that some find comforting and others find hollow. The spread is wide rather than narrow. The Evening Standard finds it bloated and mawkish, Sight and Sound thinks the comedy has run dry, and Collider, alone among the dissenters, blames Zellweger’s performance rather than the writing. ## The Telegraph — Robbie Collin Rating 5/5. 12 February 2025. This is easily the best of the four films and a terrifically funny, well-judged entry that mines Bridget’s new life as a widow in her 50s for big laughs and bigger emotions. Zellweger is delightful, and Hugh Grant nails the elegiac yet rascally tone. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/bridget-jones-mad-about-the-boy-review-renee-zellweger/) ## The i Paper — Sarah Carson Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 12 February 2025. The critic declares the film perfect and the best since the original, hailing it as a deeply moving, joyful and profound exploration of grief, motherhood and love with irresistible charm. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/bridget-jones-mad-about-boy-review-perfect-loved-3531205) ## Time Out — Phil de Semlyen Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 13 February 2025. Comfortably the best Bridget Jones outing since the first film, a front-to-back delight with a light heart despite its grief theme. Zellweger delivers the secret sauce in a wise, klutzy performance full of great gags, strong supporting turns from Grant and Thompson, and moving ghostly cameos. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/london/news/bridget-jones-mad-about-the-boy-review-021325) ## The AV Club — Caroline Siede Rating B+. 13 February 2025. The critic calls it one of the best entries in the series and a mature dramedy about grief more than a standard rom-com, praising its grounded tone, affectionate homages, and strong screenplay focused on loss and new chapters in life. They note the quiet, lived-in relationships with returning characters as a highlight while critiquing some pacing issues and underdeveloped new supporting players. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/bridget-jones-mad-about-the-boy-review) ## Empire — Laura Venning Rating 4/5. 12 February 2025. The critic finds it a heartfelt, charming and surprisingly mature story of an imperfect woman finding joy amid grief, singling out the touching scenes with Hugh Grant’s Daniel Cleaver. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/bridget-jones-mad-about-the-boy/) ## Radio Times — James Mottram Rating 4/5. 12 February 2025. May just be the best Bridget Jones movie to date, a splendid fourth feature that balances humour and emotion perfectly after the previous limp outing. Zellweger is effortless as a widowed single mother navigating dating apps, with strong support from Grant, Thompson and new cast members in a mature, incisive script. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/bridget-jones-mad-about-the-boy-review/) ## The Guardian — Wendy Ide Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 16 February 2025. The critic finds Bridget sharper, wiser and funnier than before, making this the most satisfying Jones film since the first. Returning characters like Hugh Grant’s Daniel Cleaver deliver the heart and humour, and the film is described as a joy like a big glass of pub wine. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/feb/16/bridget-jones-mad-about-the-boy-review-helen-fielding-renee-zellweger) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 12 February 2025. The review finds the film understatedly pleasurable as Bridget finally feels grown up and off the marriage-plot clock after tragedy, highlighting how it allows the character to be at peace with herself and rediscover desire. It singles out the warm reunions with the supporting cast, especially Hugh Grant’s evolved Daniel Cleaver, for praise while noting some predictable or fragmentary subplots. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/mad-about-the-boy-review-getting-older-with-bridget-jones.html) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 12 February 2025. An oddly comforting, leisurely and nostalgic trip through a quarter-century of singleton antics that checks cynicism at the gate. It delivers a warm-hearted Working Title romcom with resonance from grief, national-treasure casting and a happy ending for fans, though it is structurally loose and tension-free. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/bridget-jones-mad-about-the-boy-review/5201811.article) ## Little White Lies — Hannah Strong Rating 2/3/3. 14 February 2025. A pleasant but forgettable return that gives Bridget grief to process but lacks the bite of the original. Zellweger and Grant remain charming in fan-service moments, yet the film feels serviceable with some dated jokes and little excitement beyond aspirational interiors. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/bridget-jones-mad-about-the-boy) ## Evening Standard — Nick Curtis Rating 2/5. 14 February 2025. The critic pans the film as a bloated, mawkish sogfest that blunders through tired tropes, with Zellweger’s performance becoming exaggerated and alienating. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/bridget-jones-mad-about-the-boy-movie-review-b1210502.html) ## Sight and Sound Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 21 February 2025. The fourth Bridget Jones film is short on laughs and verges on self-parody, feeling like a concept that has run out of steam. It works at best as a moving meditation on ageing, grief and widowhood but lacks the sexual chemistry and comedy that defined the franchise. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/bridget-jones-mad-about-boy-comedy-absent-from-bridgets-return) ## The Independent 15 February 2025. The critic calls it the best Bridget Jones sequel yet, praising Renée Zellweger’s sensational performance as a more vulnerable and honest widow navigating grief, parenting and new romances with subtlety. [Read the review](https://independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/bridget-jones-review-mad-about-the-boy-renee-zellweger-b2698803.html) ## The New York Times — Elisabeth Vincentelli Rating Critic's Pick. 13 February 2025. The film reconnects with the deft balance of bubbliness, high jinks and emotion that defined the original. Zellweger's return as the madcap Londoner is just as deliciously satisfying as the first movie, maybe even more. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/13/movies/bridget-jones-mad-about-the-boy-review.html) ## The Times Rating ★★★★☆. 16 February 2025. The series has improved with age and this may be the best one yet; it packs a surprisingly emotional wallop alongside the laughs as Bridget navigates widowhood, dating and family life. The film mines both light and dark notes perfectly. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/bridget-jones-get-better-with-age-review-dx6qf5nth) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 12 February 2025. The critic calls the film a total delight that delivers laughter and tears for fans, with Zellweger slipping effortlessly back into her signature role. They single out the strong supporting cast and the director's lush production values. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2025/02/bridget-jones-mad-about-the-boy-review-renee-zellweger-back-fourth-time-romcom-true-to-itself-1236286129/) ## Film Stories — James Harvey Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 12 February 2025. The critic calls it one of the best major UK rom-coms in years, crediting its authentic portrayal of grief and middle age while keeping the franchise's charm intact. Zellweger's performance and the vivid London setting stand out as highlights. [Read the review](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/bridget-jones-mad-about-the-boy-review-the-top-gun-maverick-of-rom-coms) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 13 February 2025. The critic welcomes the film as a heartwarming new chapter in one of the best franchises, praising its humor, romance, and maturity as Bridget navigates grief and new beginnings. They single out Zellweger's exceptional performance and the ensemble cast. [Read the review](https://thewrap.com/bridget-jones-mad-about-the-boy-review-renee-zellweger) ## HeyUGuys — Linda Marric Rating 4/5. 12 February 2025. Zellweger gives a charming and vulnerable performance as Bridget dealing with widowhood and new romance; the film blends heavier emotional themes with humor and features strong chemistry and a heartfelt script. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/bridget-jones-mad-about-the-boy-review/) ## Digital Spy Rating 3/5. 12 February 2025. The review calls the film warm and comforting fan service with fun new love interests and resilience, but notes some humor feels dated or reliant on the past. [Read the review](https://digitalspy.com/movies/a63754641/bridget-jones-mad-about-the-boy-review) ## NME — Nick Levine Rating 3/5. 17 February 2025. The critic finds the film delivers the expected belly laughs and emotional moments for fans, making Bridget relatable as a widowed mother navigating new suitors and middle age, even if some screenplay points feel trite. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/bridget-jones-mad-about-the-boy-review-big-heart-and-belly-laughs-from-a-90s-icon-3837334) ## Paste — Jesse Hassenger Rating 4.8/10. 12 February 2025. The film is a diluted but harmless return to the character as a widowed single mother, with some warm moments for fans but comedy that falls flat and upper-middle-class concerns that feel unrelatable. It praises Hugh Grant's character growth and notes the series seems to be wrapping up Bridget's story. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/renee-zellweger/bridget-jones-mad-about-the-boy-renee-zellweger-sequel-peacock) ## Collider — Emma Kiely 12 February 2025. The review calls the film a gimmicky and hollow farewell to the franchise, devoid of the original's humor and reduced to sanitized fanfiction for a narrow audience. It singles out Chiwetel Ejiofor and Hugh Grant's charming performances for praise while criticizing Renée Zellweger's infantilizing portrayal of Bridget. [Read the review](https://collider.com/bridget-jones-mad-about-the-boy-review/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/bridget-jones-mad-about-the-boy.md