Bridget is a 32 year old single woman facing various societal pressures to get married. This leads to Bridget taking stock of her life and deciding to find the “right” man for herself. Her approach to this problem is narrated through the pages of her diary.

We see the film begin where Bridget’s mother is constantly trying to set her up with people. This includes one Darcy who initially rejects her outright, because of her awkward behaviour. She works at a publishing house and has a massive crush on her boss, who is apparently not “good” for her. They still manage to strike up an office romance, until she discovers that he’s been cheating on her. She is devastated until she happens to meet Darcy again. He proceeds to slowly place himself into her life, with the obvious intention of dating her. However, Daniel also returns and asks Bridget to take him back. Darcy is infuriated and they have a scuffle, which doesn’t establish anything conclusive. Bridget later finds out that Daniel had been slandering Darcy behind his back and realizes how bad Daniel was for her. She goes back to Darcy to confess her interest and they start dating each other at the end.

The obvious theme of the movie is the idea that one should accept people for who they are instead of expecting them to change. Bridget knows that Daniel has a reputation for being a womanizer and a flirt, yet she gets into a relationship with him and trusts him more than he should, expecting him to change his ways for her. This of course backfires when he, very expectedtly leaves her for another woman. Bridget and Darcy both form a negative impression of each other on their first interaction, which harms whatever potential that their relationship has in store in the future. Resolving most of the misunderstandings as a result of this initial negativity is the primary source of tension in the film. We also see Bridget repeatedly try to control her alcohol and smoking habits, but she’s only able to do it effectively once she starts doing it for herself and not because some man will fall in love with her.

The second theme, if at all present, is the importance of communication in relationships. The subplot where Bridget’s mother leaves her father for a better man is once of the examples of this. Her Father fails to understand what he’s doing wrong because of the lack of intimate communication on the part of her Mother. This is in comparison to the very communicative relationship that Bridget has with her Father. This is also attributed in the pseudo-costume party scene where only some people are informed of the change in the theme, leading to an embarrassing situation for the remaining ones who do appear in costume.

Most of the comedy is situational and a result of Bridget’s knack of failing to execute specifically what is assigned to her. Later on in the film, Darcy’s efforts are what allow her to conduct an important interview that she would’ve missed otherwise. Essentially, Darcy’s presence acts as a counter to her clumsiness in everyday execution. This is again reflected in the scene where they both cook a terrible dinner, only to be rescued by Darcy’s omelettes.

Watch this one only if you’ve got time and are okay with plots having little relevance to the film title.

Rating: ★★★☆☆ (Average)