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Bridget (Renee Zellweger) is a thirty-something bachelorette. She drinks too much, she smokes too much, she weighs too much, and she's frequently stricken with verbal diarrhea that invariably results in a fatal case of foot-in-mouth disease. As the film opens, Bridget is visiting her parents for a holiday party. Suffering from self-esteem issues she allows her mother to cow her into changing into a tasteless outfit before being introduced to yet another eligible bachelor, the handsome but oh so earnest Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), recently divorced and attending under protest. It's hate at first sight. Before the afternoon is done, Bridget will overhear him describe her as a "verbally incontinent spinster."

Romantic opportunities seem a bit more hopeful at work. At first, she instinctively avoids the notion of getting involved with her appealing and flirtatious boss, Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant). But how can she possibly resist such saucy e-mails as, "You appear to have forgotten your skirt. Is skirt off sick??" She succumbs after the briefest and most transparent resistance; they start an affair. Unfortunately, Daniel has the emotional maturity of a two year old. Selfish and needy, he's unable to make a commitment beyond his quest for pleasure. Bridget and Daniel and Mark orbit one another, attracted and repelled. Bridget falls back on the advice of her tight circle of cynical thirty- something friends, and sees her plight reflected in her mother's mid- life crisis of an uncharacteristic fling.

This is a warm and funny film, and as I watched it, I couldn't help be reminded of other tales of frustrated romance and English social mores as told by Jane Austen. It wasn't until I viewed the featurette that it became clear that Ms. Fielding had structured her novel on Pride and Prejudice. In hindsight, the Austen allusions became more obvious, not the least of which is the lifting of a character directly from the novel Mark Darcy. Not coincidentally, Colin Firth was cast in the role of Mr. Darcy in the British miniseries of Pride and Prejudice.

Dispelling the controversy over the casting of a Texan to play Bridget, Renee Zellweger is adorable, endearing, and a convincing Brit. She moved to England months before the shoot, worked with a dialog coach and maintained her British speech patterns throughout her stay, was employed by a publishing firm, and - in the best tradition of DeNiro's Raging Bull - was reported to have gained over twenty pounds for the role. She became Bridget. Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, and the supporting cast are consistently excellent. A delightful ensemble effort with an outstanding performance by Ms. Zellweger.

Video: How Does The Disc Look?

The film's theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 is presented in anamorphic video. This is another fine transfer from Buena Vista Home Entertainment. Edge artifacts may be seen occasionally in some scenes of high contrast, but in general, they are not intrusive. There is no ringing, so small object detail is maintained. The overall impression is film-like. The worst example of halos and some mosquito noise may be seen on Bridget's computer screen as she reads an e-mail message from her boss () but these visible problems are the exception rather than the rule.

Colors are richly rendered with no noticeable chroma noise. Brightness and contrast are great, and track well through the full video dynamic range. Shadow detail during night scenes is fine. Other than those mentioned, I noticed no compression artifacts.

Audio: How Does the Disc Sound?

The Dolby Digital 5.1 track is quite nice. Patrick Doyle's light and jazzy score is presented with pleasingly accurate timbre across a very broad soundstage noticeably wrapped into the surrounds. Source elements - songs - are a bit more sonically confined. Sound effects, surround effects, and deep bass are not an issue here. We're treated to crystal clear dialog that is the essence of the film's wit and charm. Ms. Zellweger narrates Bridget's story, and her narration is recorded so dryly and with so much presence that a great loudspeaker will create the illusion of in-the- room.

There is a second audio track in French and the audio is supported by optional English subtitles and English Closed Captions.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

First up on the Bonus Menu is the screen-specific audio commentary. Ms. Maguire offers a warm and informal feature-length commentary that touches on production details, but focuses mainly on character motivation, plot, and her actors' approaches to various scenes. She reveals that this is her first feature film (and a very fine feature debut, at that) in which she was in a collaborative effort with her talented cast. It sounds like it was a fun set, and this is a nice track.

Next is the Behind The Scenes featurette cleverly entitled "DVD-Featurette." Light hearted and tongues gently placed in cheeks, we hear from the author, the director, and the cast. Shots of scenes being staged and filmed run under some of the principals' reminiscences. The featurette runs a little under ten minutes, but does add to a richer understanding of the Bridget Jones. It's here that I discovered that the author borrowed the plot from Jane Austen...

There are two music videos included on the disc; the first is Shelby Lynne's "Killin' Kind." The second is Gabrielle's "Out of Reach." There are nearly twenty screens of witty text from the original Bridget Jones's Diary newspaper columns.

And then there are the deleted scenes. Seven are included and - unlike all the rest of the full screen video supplements - they are presented in anamorphic video. You may play them individually or, by selecting a menu choice at the bottom of the screen, all sequentially. Some are expanded versions of scenes from the film. Most are new and previously unseen. Each is a little gem that was discarded for pace. The seventh may be thought of as an alternate ending. Simulated home movies are shown with the closing credits in the American release found on this disc. The seventh deleted scene is a montage of Bridget's friends and Daniel speaking to the camera; this was the material shown with the closing credits in Britain. Very droll.

The main menu also offers a choice of Sneak Peeks. Here you'll find seven fullscreen or non-anamorphic widescreen promos and trailers. Trailers include: About Adam; Robert Louis Stevenson's St. Ives; Shake, Rattle and Rock; Blow Dry; and Chocolat. Promos include the CD Soundtrack for the film and Miramax Films.

Parting Thoughts