The gales of laughter which met the first Bridget Jones movie in the midst of the deadening Saturn opposition Pluto of 2001 are being revived as No 4 Mad about the Boy hits the screens in the UK to appreciative audiences. Coincidentally Jupiter has returned to Gemini for where it was for the first BJ Diary. The fourquel has just earned the best box office opening ever for a romantic comedy in the UK and Ireland, with top rankings in Poland, the Netherlands and Norway. The USA missed out since it appears not to be to the American taste and over there is going straight to streaming.
The Bridget world appears to have moved on from the alcohol-fuelled, chaotic world of publishing of number one movie to a tale of a widowed single mother, navigating the challenges of parenthood, work and modern dating. Hugh Grant and Emma Thompson reappear, Colin Firth briefly as the deceased spouse, with two new love interests including Chiwetel Ejiofor, who was memorable in the TV Dancing on the Edge drama series – and voicing Scar in the Lion King. He also has Jupiter in Gemini.
Novelist Helen Fielding, 19 February 1958, whose creation it was from the start, has a creative New Moon in Pisces in a determined opposition to Pluto and in an ambitious, optimistic trine to Jupiter, North Node and Neptune in Scorpio; which latter trio are further emphasized being on the focal point of a Fixed T Square to Venus opposition Uranus.
Renee Zellweger, 25 April 1969 2.41pm Houston, Texas, is a different temperament though she acts the shambolic, accident-prone heroine well. She has an emphasized Saturn in final degree Aries conjunct a Taurus Sun on the focal point of a yod inconjunct Neptune sextile Uranus, Virgo South Node, Jupiter (Pluto) – she lacks Helen Fielding’s optimism with her heavy Saturn. Her Fire Grand Trine should give her a lift of faith and confidence except her Leo Moon sits in the 12th trine a 4th house Mars trine an 8th house Venus in Aries -so it may take a while through life before she frees up her inspirational streak.
Her Midheaven in Gemini is appreciating tr Jupiter moving through her 10th as it did for the first BJ movie.
Chiwetel Ejiofor, 10 July 1977, London, with a stream of awards behind him for stage and screen work, is a Sun Cancer square Pluto; with a disciplined, hard-edged Saturn in Leo square Mars in Taurus and Jupiter in Gemini. He’s on his Jupiter Return this year as is the Bridget Jones movie phenomenon.
A piece of flim flam is a welcome relief in all the swirling uncertainty and fear.
Renee Zellweger is a good actress and I really should watch the Bridgit Jones Diary films.
I remember back in 2001 when all of my friends went to go see the first time. At that time, I didn’t think I would be interested. However, after 24 years and 4 films later, I’m definitely reconsidering!
Huge fan of Ms Zellweger. She comes across as throughly pleasant and intelligent in interviews and on screen.
I particularly love the way she’s often photographed at airports pulling her own luggage off the carousel and carrying it herself. Very unstarry.
Think Renee’s English accent is excellent. It’s very correct but not so much that it appears affected. However, accents are becoming looser very quickly so it might have dated a bit by the next film (were there to be one – think not).
I’ve always been fascinated by the accent of the character. What would you native Brits say – how well did she do it? I know for the first film her accent coach was Barbara Berkery, but I couldn’t find who was the coach for this version – if there was one in the first place.
Thank you Marjorie. I loved the first Bridget Jones but I never watched any of the sequels because I don’t like messing with an original happy ending. I also love Renee Zellweger as an actress. I admit to having fears about her health from a few years ago. I had read some items that had connected her to Harvey Weinstein and considering some her health issues previously I am happy to see that she has a new hit. She is also a lifepath 9 like me so I have a soft spot for her.
Thanks for the much needed touch of lightness. I think we all need it. (Written with a loving teenage orange kitten in lap, best kind of orange!)