Sharon Maguire
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Connections, in both directions
But this movie is just as inspired by fish-out-of-water high-concept family comedies like Enchanted and Elf, both of which are a) not streaming on Disney+ and b) much, much, much funnier, smarter, and more heartwarming.
While it subtly reminds me of Enchanted , it has a flair all its own.
Now streaming on Disney+, the film recalls the studio’s once-upon-a-time hit, “Enchanted,” although here, the conceit loses much of its charm.
Since the film is set around the Christmas holiday, elements from Hallmark Channel holiday movies feel like inspiration, and it is hard to watch all of this and not envision Amy Adams’ fantastic performance in 2007’s Enchanted , a notable and beloved Disney film.
Capturing the fairytale quality that will remind many of Enchanted , the film takes us through familiar notes for its characters to overcome before landing on its lesson.
In the same vein as Elf or Enchanted , whimsical Eleanor barges into the dull, downtrodden life of Mackenzie, her daughters (Jillian Shea Spaeder, Willa Skye) and her helpful sister (Mary Elizabeth Ellis).
Persuasion (2022)
Directed by Carrie Cracknell
influenced by Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)
Characters
That is why we get scenes where Anne falls over or cries in a bathtub (the latter reminding you of Bridget Jones’s Diary , another film inspired by Pride & Prejudice ).
Austen's books have inspired all kinds of adaptations both on stage and on screen, from the faithful (Ang Lee's luminous "Sense and Sensibility") to the slightly laid-back (hello, the iconic version of the BBC series from "Pride and Prejudice," infamous for its portrayal of Mark Darcy as a mischievous swimmer) and even from the light-hearted ("Bridget Jones's Diary") to the goofy ("Pride and Prejudice and Zombies").
All of those films – save for the modernized Clueless (1995) and Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001) – stayed loyal to the tone of their respective novels and the overall period piece accord.
Austen influenced “Bridget Jones’s Diary,” and now Bridget herself seems to have influenced Dakota Johnson’s thoroughly charming portrayal of Anne Elliot.
But this movie is just as inspired by fish-out-of-water high-concept family comedies like Enchanted and Elf, both of which are a) not streaming on Disney+ and b) much, much, much funnier, smarter, and more heartwarming.
Though well-intentioned, this take off of Elf can’t find its own way and is content with simply mirroring the premise and intent of that holiday classic.
In the same vein as Elf or Enchanted , whimsical Eleanor barges into the dull, downtrodden life of Mackenzie, her daughters (Jillian Shea Spaeder, Willa Skye) and her helpful sister (Mary Elizabeth Ellis).
A knockoff hybrid of "Elf" and "Enchanted" that doesn't even attempt to disguise its lack of originality, it stars Jillian Bell as Eleanor, a fairy-godmother-in-training who learns that her entire profession is in danger of elimination since no one actually believes in such things anymore.
I love Elf during the holidays, and This Christmas is a go-to every year.
It’s almost like Elf in a way.
I Feel Pretty thinks it’s radically expanding the idea of who gets to be considered a leading lady, but it’s not doing anything Bridget Jones’s Diary didn’t do 17 years ago, with a far less self-congratulatory pat on the back.
After all this, Renee gets home and strips down to her bra and her shapewear (a rom-com relic first canonized by Bridget Jones’s Diary , when Hugh Grant snaps Renée Zellweger’s “scuba suit”), and stands in front of a full-length mirror.
The new Disney+ film Godmothered would fall into the “re-imagining” camp; it’s not officially a remake of Cinderella, the 1950 film that made the concept of the fairy godmother feel like an iconic Disney creation.
Moira teaches everything we know from films such as Cinderella .
That said, “Godmothered” finds itself in the same narrative traps of most Disney fodder: ranging from the obligatory workaholic parent who continually misses precious childhood memories to unamusing musical numbers (the cast does a riff on “My Favorite Things” from “The Sound of Music” which now that Disney owns 20th Century Fox is perfect corporate synergy).
Plus, a lot of songs from “The Sound of Music,” because … why not?
So imagine if Mary Poppins and Buddy from Elf got together and watched Cinderella and The Sound of Music over some really strong eggnog and decided to write – oops, this is my floor!
What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: 27 Dresses , The Proposal , How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days , and even a bit of Bridget Jones’s Diary .
Four Weddings And A Funeral, Bridget Jones’s Diary , er… For whatever reason, Brits don’t do romantic comedies too often or too well, especially if you remove Richard Curtis and Hugh Grant from the equation.
As in “Bridget Jones’s Diary,” single life is presented as an obstacle course of undue social pressure even for women of an early certain age: Nancy is just 34, but as she informs her married, prying older sister, she’s already “too old for this s–t.”
Everybody Loves Somebody (2017)
Directed by Catalina Aguilar Mastretta
influenced by Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)
Themes
Bridget Jones's Diary would make for a great double feature with it.
They're joined by a cast that includes Margaret Cho and Conrad Ricamora ("How to Get Away With Murder"), in merely the latest attempt (see "Clueless" and "Bridget Jones's Diary") to dress up Austen in a more contemporary package.
It’s impossible to predict when something will stand the unforgiving test of time, but I’m confident that Fire Island earns itself a place among the Austenian ranks of Clueless and Bridget Jones’s Diary.
Anyone even remotely familiar with Pride And Prejudice , or Bridget Jones’s Diary for that matter, can guess what happens next.
Also less than satisfying is the subplot involving Jim Broadbent ("Topsy-Turvy," "Little Voice") and Gemma Jones ("The Winslow Boy," "Sense and Sensibility") as Bridget's parents whose marriage is on the rocks.
Grant, who, like Firth, has appeared in an Austen adaptation ( Sense and Sensibility ), is at home in the role.
How to Be Single (2016)
Directed by Christian Ditter
influenced by Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)
Themes
But at heart this is actually a sweet, sentimental film focusing on the adventures of four single women in New York City, and yes, there’s a “Sex and the City” reference here, as well as nods to “Bridget Jones’s Diary,” “Friends” and other recent pop-culture touchstones about single women trying to make a go of it in today’s crazy world.
Cut from the same cloth as “Sex and the City” and “Bridget Jones’s Diary” — both explicitly quoted — with a dash of “Girls” thrown in for whiny, self-defeating good measure, what should be a fizzy comedy of contradictory manners instead comes across as dutiful and unforgivably dull.
At one point, Mann’s Lucy tells Alice that she needs to stop expecting Bridget Jones’s Diary and episodes of Sex and the City to provide some window into what it’s really like to be single.
Gently poking fun at Bridget Jones’s Diary and Sex and the City (a show Tuccillo wrote for) makes for knowing and amusing moments and the evolving relationship between Alice and Robin delivers a satisfying denouement.
It features the heirs of “Sex and the City” (for which Tuccillo once wrote an episode) and “Bridget Jones’s Diary” — both of which are namedropped in the dialogue.
Romantic comedies have never gone away, but mainstream examples with A-list stars have been pretty thin on the ground since the glory days of the ’90s and early 2000s, when “Pretty Woman,” “Notting Hill,” “Love Actually” and “Bridget Jones’s Diary” ruled at the box office.
As directed by feature rookie Sharon Maguire (a TV and documentary vet who is pals with the author), the atmosphere of "Bridget Jones's Diary" does feel a bit too much like it was cast from a mold provided by producers Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner ("Four Weddings and a Funeral," "Notting Hill" ).
As adapted by Fielding, Richard Curtis (of Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill fame), and Andrew Davies, the film buzzes with sharp dialogue and rich characters.
Top British actors Hugh Grant and Colin Firth (both of whom are mentioned in the book) are Zellweger's male co-stars, and two of that country's cleverest screenwriters, "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and "Notting Hill's" Richard Curtis and "Pride and Prejudice" adapter Andrew Davies worked with Fielding on the script.
Isn't It Romantic (2019)
Directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson
influenced by Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)
Characters
In Isn’t It Romantic (opening ahead of this Valentine’s Day, but you can also watch Bridget Jones’s Diary drunk with me and my mom), Wilson, playing Natalie, a cynical slovenly architect, overlooked at work as well as by humanity except for the best friend who obviously loves her (Adam Devine).
I've seen 50 First Dates , My Best Friend's Wedding , and Bridget Jones's Diary more times than I'd like to admit.
Yesterday (2019)
Directed by Danny Boyle
influenced by Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), Bridget Jones's Baby (2016)
The screenplay is by Richard Curtis, known best for producing foundational romantic comedies ( Notting Hill , Bridget Jones’s Diary , Love Actually , About Time ), and it’s clear his writing favors Jack and Ellie, who are far more fleshed out than the actual tribute to the Beatles, beyond the major hits Jack would be more likely to remember and reproduce.
Written by Richard Curtis, known for romantic-comedy films such as Love Actually and Bridget Jones’s Diary, the couple’s journey does feel a bit basic at times.
Those familiar with Curtis’ filmography as a screenwriter – Love Actually, Bridget Jones’s Diary, Notting Hill – won’t be surprised at Yesterday’s second act pivot into romantic territory.
With Danny Boyle ( Trainspotting , Slumdog Millionaire ) behind the camera, and script-work from Richard Curtis ( Bridget Jones’s Diary , Love Actually ), one would expect Yesterday to feel more exciting than it does.
Considering that screenwriter Richard Curtis has redefined the blueprint for romantic comedies with hits like Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Love Actually and Bridget Jones’s Diary, one would expect this film to be full of richly drawn characters.
Never mind that neither Coldplay nor Ed Sheeran would be who they are without The Beatles; the point of the script from rom-com titan Richard Curtis ( Love Actually , Bridget Jones’s Diary , Four Weddings and a Funeral , etc.) isn’t to delve deeply into an alternate history without The Beatles (as well as, it turns out, without some other even more significant things).
As one of her suitors, Hugh Grant ("Mickey Blue Eyes," "Notting Hill") is equally terrific.
The problem here is that the film doesn't find a particularly fresh take for such an approach--as, to give one example, the wonderful and perennially underrated "Ella Enchanted" did once upon a time--and as a result, the whole thing feels too familiar for its own good.
The second film didn’t fare much better with Adam Brooks (writer of Practical Magic ) being thrown into the trio.
"Nanny McPhee" is full of the type of whimsical British morbidity that finds Cedric working in a mortuary with two gay assistants (Derek Jacobi, "Gladiator," "Gosford Park" and Patrick Barlow, "Bridget Jones's Diary") tending to old dead men with very gnarly feet.
Firth, the romantic-comedy stalwart of "Bridget Jones's Diary," "The Importance of Being Earnest" and "Love Actually," is just one of many talented names to grace a picture that doesn't deserve them (his bumbling is one of the film's saving graces).