Parents' Guide to

Bridget Jones's Diary

By Nell Minow, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Single gal's romantic mishaps are fun for older teens.

Movie R 2001 97 minutes
Bridget Jones's Diary Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 14+

Based on 2 parent reviews

age 14+

This title has:

Great messages
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
age 13+

Fabulous Zellweger, lots of smoking.

How could someone look into Renée Zellweger's big, beautiful eyes and not be immediately charmed by her? Sure, there is a lot of swearing (particularly the F word, a lot), lots of drinking and chain smoking, and sex. But if you can see past all that, you'll find a great, truly hilarious comedy , led by a great leading lady.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2):
Kids say (25):

Renée Zellwegger is irresistible as Bridget Jones, in this delectable romantic comedy with some sly references to that uber-romantic comedy, Pride and Prejudice. From the opening credits of , when we see her singing along with the radio to "All By Myself" in her flannel pajamas, we know that she is destined to find someone who loves her as much as we do already, and that we will have a lot of fun on the way there. Hugh Grant seems positively relieved not to have to be the stammering, adorable, truehearted "Notting Hill" guy anymore. He plays the part of Daniel, "a disaster with a posh voice and a terrible character," with such relish that viewers enjoy seeing Bridget fall for him almost as much as they enjoy seeing her tell him off.

Like his namesake in Pride and Prejudice, though, Darcy turns out to have more tenderness and humor than one would think. And so do the filmmakers. Firth, who played Darcy in the television miniseries Pride and Prejudice, appears as this Mr. Darcy as well, and his sly and subtle variation on the character is another of the great pleasures in Bridget Jones's Diary.

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate