Bridget Jones returns—and this time, she’s navigating life, love, and loss in her fifties. Nearly a decade after Bridget Jones’s Baby (2016), Renée Zellweger reclaims her role as the beloved heroine in Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, the fourth and possibly final addition to the rom-com franchise.
The film, based on Helen Fielding’s 2013 novel of the same name, premieres exclusively on Peacock on February 13, making it the perfect Valentine’s (or Galentine’s) Day watch. And if advance U.K. box office sales are anything to go by—even topping Barbie’s presale numbers—Bridget’s comeback is shaping up to be a major cultural moment.
The latest chapter finds Bridget at a major crossroads. Following the heartbreaking death of her husband Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), who was killed on a philanthropic mission in Sudan, Bridget is left to raise their two children, Billy and Mabel, as a single mother. But as she grapples with grief, she also begins dipping her toes back into the dating world. Enter Roxster (played by The White Lotus’s Leo Woodall), a charismatic and flirtatious 29-year-old who offers Bridget an enticing summer fling. At the same time, she finds herself drawn to her son’s science teacher, Mr. Wallaker (Chiwetel Ejiofor), sparking another classic Bridget love triangle.
Hugh Grant’s Daniel Cleaver also makes a comeback—very much alive, despite the fake-out plane crash in Bridget Jones’s Baby. Other franchise favorites, including Emma Thompson as Bridget’s gynecologist Dr. Rawlings, Jim Broadbent and Gemma Jones as Bridget’s parents, and Shirley Henderson and Sally Phillips as her ever-loyal best friends, also return for this installment.
For Zellweger, stepping back into Bridget’s chaotic-yet-charming world was as emotional as it was familiar. “I don’t think I’ll ever let go of Bridget,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “I have conversations about her pretty much every day.”
Despite Bridget’s highly anticipated return to the screen, Zellweger has hinted that this could be her final outing as the iconic character. “Let me live in denial for a little longer,” she joked when asked about a potential fifth installment.
But if this truly is the last time we see Bridget, at least she’s going out in style—messy love life intact—and always ready to pick herself up after life throws yet another curveball her way.
Is Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy streaming yet?
The film will be available to stream exclusively on Peacock starting February 13. Unlike previous Bridget Jones films, which traditionally had theatrical releases in the U.S., this installment is skipping cinemas in America, instead leaning into the growing trend of straight-to-streaming premieres.
If you’re looking to do a full rewatch before diving into Mad About the Boy, Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001), Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004), and Bridget Jones’s Baby (2016) are all currently streaming on Max.
