Bridget Jones' Diary at 25: How Well Has the Classic Rom-Com Aged?

Recently, I rewatched Bridget Jones’ Diary. The classic 2001 rom-com, starring Renee Zellweger as the hapless 30-something, is now turning 25 years old. These days, it’s no exaggeration to say that Bridget is a legend — after all, she has her own statue in Leicester Square. The movie was also a roaring success, spanning three sequels: Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, Bridget Jones’ Baby and Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy. 

There’s a lot to love about the first film, from its laugh-out-loud moments to Bridget’s relatability and awkward charm. However, it is also very 2001 in a way that I wasn’t really prepared for. It’s obvious that some moments are meant to make us cringe, but, watching the film in 2026, I ended up cringing for entirely different reasons. 

In light of some of these ‘yikes’ moments, here’s a rundown of just how well Bridget Jones’ Diary has aged, looking at the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Fatphobia and Diet Culture as Supporting Characters

First of all, let’s address the elephant in the room. Or, to put it more bluntly, the fact that everyone seems to treat Bridget as an elephant when she can’t be more than a size 14.

To be clear, even if she was on the heavier side, that shouldn’t really matter, but the movie really drums it into us that she is ‘fat’ from the very beginning, as she records her weight at 136lbs in the diary and vows to lose 20 pounds as a New Year’s resolution. Throughout the movie, she tracks her weight in her diary, which demonstrates just how much diet culture dominates her life. In addition, Daniel Cleaver’s (Hugh Grant) other woman, and even one of her own friends, make unsolicited comments about her weight. 

When I said that this movie is very 2001, this is exactly what I meant. With its size 0 models, high fashion promoted a very specific body type back then. When women didn’t meet this (literally) slim criteria, they were criticised. These days, the content on Bridget’s weight would be classed as fatphobia — so I applaud the film’s director for dumping this message for good in the 2025 sequel, Mad About The Boy.

Her Relationships With Daniel Cleaver and Mark Darcy

Given that the handsome Hugh Grant plays him, few women would likely be able to resist the charms of love rat Daniel Cleaver. However, if we look back on Daniel’s behaviour today, it definitely gives creepy vibes.

The main problem with Daniel and Bridget’s relationship is the way it started, with Daniel sending a ‘cheeky’ email about Bridget’s short skirt. Sure, she was into it, and they had a playful back and forth, but it’s worth noting that, in all likelihood, Daniel wasn’t actually aware of her crush. 

With this context, his initial email feels less flirtatious and more akin to sexual harassment. The fact that Bridget reciprocated means he got lucky, but that doesn’t negate the fact that, if there was an HR department at their workplace, they’d be on this like bees to a honey pot.

Still, other facets of Daniel and Bridget’s relationship feel timeless and relatable today. Although there wasn’t a term for it back then, Bridget and Daniel were effectively in a situationship. Her frustration over his philandering and avoidant attachment style is no different to the kinds of relationship problems we find ourselves in nowadays. 

Clearly, the stoic Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) is a much better choice for Bridget. He says he likes her just as she is, saves her skin with the TV interview, and even helps her with her blue soup. However, I personally can’t get over how rude he is about her at the beginning of the film. In this day and age, the rise of “therapy speak” means that people have more boundaries and are less inclined to tolerate other people’s poor behaviour. It’s very much a “one strike and you’re out” kind of deal. So, if Bridget Jones’ Diary were released today, I’d be surprised if Mark was even given a chance after that. 

Bridget’s Questionable Career Trajectory

Bridget starts the movie as a publicity assistant at a publishing company. With the rise of remote working, seeing people actually interact in an office is a novelty in itself. However, Bridget doesn’t seem to get a lot of work done, and Daniel himself even criticises her job, describing her as someone who “fannies about with the press releases.” While this is framed as an insult, I don’t see Bridget really do much else apart from talking to friends on the office phone and trying and failing to deliver a speech at a press event. All in all, the film isn’t exactly a glowing representation of the publishing industry, and some might call it an over-generalisation.

However, the most poorly-aged aspect of Bridget’s career is how quick and easy it is for her to switch to journalism. As one myself, I can say from experience that the job market is pretty horrific these days, so being able to waltz into a broadcast studio and get an on-screen reporting job based on vibes alone, as she does, is pretty unrealistic. Where are the decades of work experience and NCTJ?

This aside, she is also genuinely awful at that job. In the modern day, she’d have never passed her probationary period.

Bridget’s ‘Cringe Comedy' Moments

A huge part of Bridget Jones’ character is her knack for saying and doing the completely wrong thing. Some of her most cringeworthy moments include her derailed fireman station interview, her previously-mentioned awkward speech at the press event and, of course, her Playboy Bunny outfit for the “tarts and vicars” party.

I am pleased to report that the first two examples still hold up today. I got so much second-hand embarrassment that I had to watch through my fingers. Because we’ve all been in Bridget’s shoes (albeit, probably not climbing up a fireman’s pole), the cringe factor remains evergreen and ages pretty well. The only difference is that these first two examples would’ve likely gone viral if the film were made today.

However, the costume bunny is slightly more controversial. These days, we often strive to uplift women rather than using slut-shaming language like “tarts,” which makes the theme in itself pretty problematic. 

Bridget Jones’ Diary’s Overriding Feminist Message

Despite all this, at its core, Bridget Jones’ Diary still stands the test of time as a feel-good movie that every woman should watch at least once.

Its feminist overtones are evident in scenes like the one where she proactively works on herself after her break-up with Daniel, which culminates in her unceremoniously quitting the job she hates in front of everyone and telling Daniel exactly what she thinks of him.

Then, when Daniel tries to win her back in the end with a half-hearted gesture about making it work, Bridget surprises everyone by sticking to her guns and not falling back into his arms, demonstrating just how much she has worked on herself and, most importantly, how much she respects herself and her standards for a relationship. Being single no longer scares her, as she knows she can do just fine on her own.

Ultimately, Bridget encourages us to embrace our imperfections and to not be afraid to take up space. And that’s a message that never grows old.