| Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy | |
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 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Michael Morris |
| Screenplay by | |
| Based on | Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy by Helen Fielding |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Suzie Lavelle |
| Edited by | Mark Day |
| Music by | Dustin O'Halloran |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 125 minutes[1] |
| Countries |
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| Language | English |
| Budget | $50 million[2] |
| Box office | $140.4 million[3][4] |
Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy is a 2025romantic comedy film directed byMichael Morris from a screenplay byHelen Fielding,Dan Mazer andAbi Morgan. The sequel toBridget Jones's Baby (2016) and the fourth installment in theBridget Jones film series, it is based onthe 2013 novel by Fielding.Renée Zellweger,Hugh Grant,Colin Firth andEmma Thompson reprise their roles from previous installments, withChiwetel Ejiofor,Leo Woodall,Isla Fisher,Josette Simon,Nico Parker andLeila Farzad joining the cast.
In the film, Bridget Jones (Zellweger), now a widowed single mother, navigates the challenges of parenthood, work, and modern dating with the support of her friends, family, and former partner, Daniel Cleaver (Grant). As she re-enters the dating world, she finds herself pursued by a younger man (Woodall) while also forming an unexpected connection with her son's science teacher (Ejiofor).
Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy was released in cinemas in France on 12 February 2025 byStudioCanal and in the United Kingdom on 13 February byUniversal Pictures. In the United States, the film was released onPeacock on 13 February. The film received positive reviews from critics and grossed over $140 million worldwide against a production budget of $50 million.
Bridget Jones, now the mother of school-aged Billy and Mabel, prepares to go out for the first time in a long time. While Daniel Cleaver babysits her children, Bridget attends the celebration of life held for her late husband, Mark Darcy, who was killed four years earlier while on a humanitarian mission inSudan. She spends the torturous evening accepting condolences and being pressured to start dating again.
Billy and Mabel are still awake when Bridget arrives home. Mabel observes awhite owl that sits outside their window every night. Bridget reminisces about Mark singing to the children, and imagines seeing him do so. She then contemplates the often-contradictory advice and suggestions her friends and family offer.
Bridget recalls her father Colin's dying wish that she live life fully. Coupling this with Dr Rawlings's suggestion to return to work, Bridget is motivated to make a fresh start. After Miranda calls for suggestions on a live interview for her women's program, Bridget contacts Richard and again becomes a show producer.
Just as Bridget decides to re-enter the dating world, she meets 29-year-old park ranger Roxster, who pursues her onTinder, and, after days of texting, they arrange a date. Bridget's friends offer advice before they go out. Bridget and Roxster's relationship evolves over the summer, with Mabel quickly labelling him as their "new daddy". Billy, still struggling to cope with his father's death, is less enthusiastic.
Bridget is invited to Billy's class to discuss her job as a television producer. To demonstrate, she chooses a girl to act as producer, while she assumes the role as the presenter and interviews science teacher Scott Walliker. A seemingly simple explanation about an insect's life cycle turns more serious as Bridget asks questions about whether all living creatures have souls.
At a birthday party for Bridget's colleague, Roxster makes a grand entrance. As they enjoy the evening, Roxster makes an offhand comment about wishing for atime machine. The next morning, Bridget awakens to find him gone. He subsequentlyghosts her.
Daniel, hospitalised due to a heart scare, contacts Bridget, feeling she is the only person who might care about him. He reflects on how alone he is, mentioning how he has not seen his teenage son for over a decade. Bridget, who deeply misses her deceased father, encourages Daniel to see his son.
Roxster shows up at the studio to apologise to Bridget. He admits to having panicked, but declares that he is now ready to commit to her and the children. She then expresses the wish for a time machine so he could catch up, but she turns him down. That evening, after once again looking over her articles and memorabilia of Mark, she writes a heartfelt message to him. On Mark's birthday, Bridget, Billy and Mabel go to a park to release balloons with their messages to him attached.
On a school trip to theLake District, Bridget chats with Scott. He says he always expected to have children, but it never happened. When Bridget leaves to soothe a child, Billy confides to Scott that he fears forgetting his father. Scott assures him that his father is a part of him, so will never be fully gone.
At the school winter holiday pageant, Billy sings "I'd Do Anything" as a tribute to his father. Bridget knows Mark would have been proud. She thanks Scott for helping her family heal, and invites him to join them and her friends at a pub afterwards. Arriving at the pub, Scott turns around to leave, but Bridget catches him outside. He confesses he is drawn to her, much likeNewton's third law of being equal but opposite, before Bridget kisses him.
One year later, Bridget throws a New Year's Eve at her house for her family and friends, including Scott and Daniel, who has reunited with his 16-year-old son Enzo. After the party, as Bridget tucks the children into bed, they observe as the owl flies away, which Scott also witnesses downstairs. Scott helps Bridget unzip her dress, and they kiss.
In addition, UK broadcast journalistsGillian Joseph,Gamal Fahnbulleh, Daniel Heard andMaryam Moshiri have cameo appearances as themselves, in a montage of news reports in the film.
In October 2022, novelistHelen Fielding responded to reports about a fourth film in theBridget Jones film series, telling theRadio Times that a sequel toBridget Jones's Baby (2016) was in the works.[5] In April 2024, a fourth film in the film series based on Fielding's third book in theBridget Jones series,Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (2013), was confirmed, withRenée Zellweger,Hugh Grant andEmma Thompson set to be reprise their roles from previous installments, withChiwetel Ejiofor andLeo Woodall joining the cast.[6] It was also reported thatMichael Morris would direct the film from a script by Fielding with further contributions fromAbi Morgan andDan Mazer,[6] withTim Bevan,Eric Fellner and Jo Wallett producing under theWorking Title Films banner.[7][8] As withBridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004) andBridget Jones's Baby (2016),Miramax was confirmed to co-finance the film.[9]
In May 2024,Isla Fisher,Josette Simon,Nico Parker, andLeila Farzad joined the cast of the film, withJim Broadbent,Gemma Jones,Sarah Solemani,Sally Phillips,Shirley Henderson,James Callis andCelia Imrie reprising their roles from the previous films.[10]Principal photography began on 10 May 2024, at theSky Studios Elstree inLondon.[11][12] Filmingwrapped on 8 August.[13] In November 2024, the film's trailer revealed that Bridget's former love interest Mark Darcy, played byColin Firth, has diedoffscreen, leaving Bridget a widow.[14] However, Firth filmed several flashback anddaydreaming scenes.[14]
The score forBridget Jones: Mad About the Boy was composed by American pianistDustin O'Halloran.[15] His original music was released as the film's officialsoundtrack on 14 February 2025 through Back Lot Music, a division of Universal Studios Music.[16] The same day, Universal Music Recordings issuedBridget Jones's Diary: The Mixtape, a compilation of a selected songs from across theBridget Jones film franchise that was produced in collaboration with the franchise's music executive producer, Nick Angel.[17] Apart from songs from the first threeBridget Jones films, a selection of songs fromMad About the Boy were also featured, including recordings fromJessie Ware,Al Green,Raye, andDinah Washington as well asOlivia Dean's original song "It Isn't Perfect But It Might Be", which plays over the film'sending credits and served as the soundtrack's lead single.[15][16] The song has reached number 36 on theUK Singles Chart,[18] while the soundtrack peaked at number 64 on theUK Albums Chart.[19]
Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy began its international rollout on 12 February 2025 in countries such as Belgium, France and Switzerland, withStudioCanal distributing the film in France.[3][20] On 13 February, the film was released in cinemas in the United Kingdom and Ireland byUniversal Pictures and in the United States on the streaming servicePeacock.[21][22]
The film made $35.5 million from 71 countries in its international opening weekend, with the largest markets being the United Kingdom and Ireland ($14.8 million), Australia ($3.3 million), and France ($3.3 million).[23] By its second weekend, the film had a global gross of $67.6 million, including $34.5 million in the UK, $6 million in Australia, $4.2 million in Poland, $3.3 million in the Netherlands, and $1.9 million in Spain.[24]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 89% of 115 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's consensus reads: "A bittersweet romp about new beginnings with another sparkling turn by Renée Zellweger,Mad About the Boy gracefully closes the book on Bridget Jones' diary."[25]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 72 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[26]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gotham TV Awards | 2 June 2025 | Outstanding Original Film, Broadcast, or Streaming | Michael Morris, director;Tim Bevan,Eric Fellner, Jo Wallett, producers | Nominated | [27] |
| Outstanding Performance in an Original Film | Renée Zellweger | Nominated | |||
| Astra TV Awards | 11 June 2025 | Best TV Movie | Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy | Nominated | [28] |
| Best Cast Ensemble in a Limited Series or TV Movie | Nominated | ||||
| Best Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie | Renée Zellweger | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie | Hugh Grant | Nominated | |||
| National Film Awards UK | 2 July 2025 | Best Actress | Renée Zellweger | Nominated | [29] [30] |
| Best Supporting Actor | Chiwetel Ejiofor | Nominated | |||
| Hugh Grant | Nominated | ||||
| Outstanding Performance | Nominated | ||||
| Best Supporting Actress | Isla Fisher | Nominated | |||
| Emma Thompson | Won | ||||
| Best Comedy | Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy | Nominated | |||
| Best Drama | Nominated | ||||
| Best Feature Film | Nominated | ||||
| Best International Film | Won | ||||
| Best Screenplay | Helen Fielding,Dan Mazer, andAbi Morgan | Nominated | |||
| Best Director | Michael Morris | Nominated | |||
| Dorian Awards | 18 July 2025 | Best TV Movie or Miniseries | Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy | Nominated | [31] |
| Gold Derby TV Awards | 18 August 2025 | Best TV Movie | Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy | Nominated | [32] |
| Best Limited Series or TV Movie Actress | Renée Zellweger | Nominated | |||
| Best Limited Series or TV Movie Supporting Actor | Hugh Grant | Nominated | |||
| Online Film & Television Association Awards | 31 August 2025 | Best Motion Picture | Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy | Nominated | [33] |
| Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | 6 September 2025 | Outstanding Television Movie | Helen Fielding, Renée Zellweger, Amelia Granger, Sarah-Jane Wright, executive producers; Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Jo Wallett, produced by | Nominated | [34] |
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards | 19 November 2025 | Best Music Supervision – Film | Nick Angel | Won | [35] |
| Best Original Score – TV or Streamed Movie | Dustin O'Halloran | Won | |||
| Artios Awards | 26 February 2026 | Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Film, First Released for Television or Streaming | Lucy Bevan, Olivia Grant, and Lucy Downes | Pending | [36] |
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