The popular
romantic comedy Bridget Jones: The Edge
of Reason leaves viewers with a note of sarcasm and satisfaction as Bridget
Jones closes this chapter of her life with, “so as you can see, I’ve found my happy
ending at last. And I truly believe that happiness is possible, even when
you’re 33 and have a bottom the size of two bowling balls”(Kidron & Bevan,
2004). Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason is an
energetic film starring Renee Zellweger that was released in 2004. It is the
second installment in the trilogy of Bridget Jones films based off of the
popular novels written by Helen Fielding. The film focuses on the romantic
relationship between Bridget Jones, a lovable, yet very eccentric, broadcast
journalist and Mark Darcy, a handsome human rights lawyer.
Summary
 |
| Universal Pictures |
The narrative begins with a
portrayal of a stable relationship between Mark and Bridget quickly escalating into
chaos as Bridget’s eccentricities and jealousy for Mark’s beautiful, young new
intern, Rebecca, enter the picture. Many other issues arise in Mark and
Bridget’s relationship throughout the film that eventually result in a breakup.
Some examples of these issues are differences in political ideals, constant
bickering and fighting, and Bridget’s insecurities about her weight and
appearance. In addition to all of these issues, the reentrance of Bridget’s
ex-boyfriend, Daniel Cleaver, complicates the plot even further as the two are
placed on assignment together in Thailand. Despite all of these complications
and relationship problems, the story unrealistically concludes with the newly
engaged Mark and Bridget walking lovingly into the snowy, picturesque distance,
with Bridget talking about her happy ever after and bottom the size of two
bowling balls. In analyzing the romantic relationship portrayed in the film, it
is important to note the sarcastic undertones, such as this last example, that
are prevalent throughout the whole film. Bridget serves as the most ironic
character, who’s eccentricities and derisive comments signify to the audience
that this film is not intended to be interpreted for it’s literal values. It is
because of this irony and sarcasm that the viewer, depending on their ability
to interpret the sarcasm, knows not to take all of the film’s messages about
heterosexual relationships too seriously.
Excerpt 1: “Jellyfisher Alert”
This scene communicates
a few portrayals about what men and women want in relationships. One particular
message communicates that men are obsessed with women’s physiques and have an
uncontrollable need for sex. This is demonstrated multiple times in this single
scene, but one very blatant example is when Bridget’s friend holds up a book
she is reading titled What Men Want Today
and comments that “if a man is going out with a woman with large breasts, he
will bed a woman with small breasts” (Kidron & Bevan, 2004). This narrative
implies that men objectify and obsess over women’s bodies through the lines
about breasts, but also that men actually want to have sex with both of these
women, as well, by “bedding” both of them. Not only does this single scene communicate
what men want in relationships, but it also portrays a message about women. It portrays that women should objectify and value themselves on the basis
of their physical appearance. Through Bridget and her friends' lines about the
importance of having large breasts, long legs, and being young, a common sexual
script is portrayed about women's appearances being an important, if not sole,
component of their ability to attract men.
This type of narrative is quite
relatable to the heterosexual script discussed in Janna Kim et al’s article “From
Sex to Sexuality: Exposing the Heterosexual Script on Primetime Network
Television.” In this article, Kim et
al discusses elements of heterosexual scripts that are popularly utilized on
network television to portray masculinity, femininity, and how men and women use
these elements in courtship and commitment strategies respectively. One key element
of the heterosexual script that Kim et al found used most often was “depictions
of sexuality being a defining component of men’s masculinity” (2007, p. 150). The
researchers also found that men are portrayed as “preoccupied with
women’s bodies” and are “constantly consumed by sexual thoughts, fantasies, and
urges” (Kim et al, 2007, p. 150). This directly relates to how men are being
portrayed in this excerpt, as it is implied men want to “shag” women they are
committed to, but also women they are not committed to, and are obsessed with women’s bodies.
In addition to this, Kim et al found that women are portrayed in a way that
says that “they should, can, and do objectify themselves and that they are valued
for their physical appearance more than their intelligence, personality, or
attributes” (2007, p. 151). All of these various elements of the heterosexual
script that focus on the objectification of women’s bodies and sexuality are
quite prevalent in this first excerpt.
Excerpt 2: “So, Mark,
Bridget, when are you two lovebirds going to name the day?”
 |
| Universal Pictures |
The second,
short excerpt begins with Mark and Bridget visiting her parents for a brief holiday. The scene opens with Bridget’s mother asking the couple, “so, Mark, Bridget, when are you two lovebirds going to name the day?” After a moment
of silence on behalf of the couple and a comment made by a family friend, “come
on, Bridget, you must want to hear those ding-dong bells,” Mark fills the
silence by stuttering, “well, we’re certainly not thinking about that yet. Are
we, Bridget?” Bridget quickly, but not wholeheartedly, responds, “No. God, no.
Of course not”(Kidron & Bevan, 2004).
This scene communicates an obvious statement
about how women and men should get married when they are in committed relationships,
especially women. Bridget is specifically addressed by a family friend who implies that Bridget should want to get married. A subtler, but equally as important,
portrayal is demonstrated for how men and women should act in relationships, as
well. The scene portrays that men should be the dominant partners in the heterosexual
relationship and, in this case, answer the questions for their female
counterparts. When Mark says, “isn’t that right Bridget,” he subtly indicates
to her that she should agree with what he is saying. Alternatively to Mark’s dominant
portrayal is Bridget’s, who assumes a submissive role in this exchange. She agrees
with Mark quickly, but is obviously not content with her answer, suggesting
that she is submissive to Mark and will agree with him if only to keep him
pleased.
Adrienne
Holz Ivory et al addressed similar gender role manifestations in the research article
“Gendered Relationships on Television: Portrayals of Same-Sex and Heterosexual
Couples.” In this study, Holz Ivory et al found that “dominant acts tend to be
related to the concept of agency, or the male gender role, whereas submissive
acts tend to be related to communion, or the female gender role” (Holz Ivory, Gibson,
& Ivory, 2009, p. 173). Furthering this idea, the researchers found that male members of heterosexual couples tend to
exhibit more dominant behaviors than the female members in prime-time
television (Holz Ivory, Gibson, & Ivory, 2009, p. 183). While this is not a
completely dichotomous relationship, this arguably has an overall negative
affect on viewers because it provides them with gender role scripts that
suggest to men that they have to be the dominant one in the relationship and to
women that they should assume the submissive role.
Excerpt 3: “The
Breakup”
While
excerpt one marked the beginning of Mark and Bridget’s breakup, this last
excerpt signifies the end. In this scene Bridget gives Mark three reasons why
they can’t be together. One of which is that Mark does not want to marry her. Consequently, by the end of the scene, the couple separates.
The reasons Bridget gives speak
volumes about how men and women should act in relationships. Firstly, only
allowing three problems into a relationship is not necessarily realistic and communicates
to both the male and female audience that there should be a maximum of three
issues in a relationship, otherwise end the relationship. Secondly, the first reason Bridget gives is that she
is embarrassing to Mark. Not only does she criticize her own body by saying she
“will always be a little bit fat” (Kidron & Bevan, 2004), she also
criticizes her own intelligence and athleticism. This perpetuates the thin
ideal even further for the women watching the film, but also communicates that
women should be intelligent, athletic, and thin. The second reason Bridget
gives is that Mark is never spontaneous or affectionate and that he is a
perfectionist who “looks down on people” (Kidron & Bevan, 2004). This scene
is interesting in that it communicates to men a message that is often not
communicated, that they should be affection and romantic, but also that they do
not need to be perfect. Finally, the last reason Bridget states for breaking up,
which is cut out of the clip above, is that Mark cannot answer whether or not
he wants to marry her. This portrays to women that they should want marital
commitment in relationships and that men should avoid commitment, even
if that means breaking up and losing someone they love.
The reasons
Bridget provided for breaking up with Mark are very similar to the themes and
messages about sexuality Monique Ward found in her study, “Talking About Sex:
Common Themes About Sexuality in the Prime-Time Television Programs Children
and Adolescents View Most.” Ward found that women were often portrayed as
knowing “that looking good is an important asset for attracting partners and
for success in life” (Ward, 1995, p. 605). While none of Mark's affection and perfectionist issues translate into Ward’s themes about
male sexual roles, there were similarities between the themes Ward found for
relationship and marital orientation. For example, Ward found that “messages about
the downside of relationships, about the pain, conflict, anxiety, and
responsibility” were somewhat prevalent in the primetime television shows she coded
(Ward, 1995, p. 609). This particular scene in the film shows that
relationships are not easy and that conflicts do arise in relationships.
Conclusion and
Overall Narrative of Film
The overall
narrative of the film is most successfully expressed through media
myths about love that Anne Bader discusses in her analysis “Love Will Steer the
Stars and Other Improbable Feats: Media Myths in Popular Love Songs.” In her
article, Bader discusses Galician’s 12 Mass Media Myths of sex, love, and
romance that are frequently portrayed in love songs. While Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason is not a love song, it certainly
expresses many, at least six, of these twelve troubling myths throughout the
films entirety. This is important to address because Galician, the original
researcher, found that these myths provide unrealistic romantic expectations
for both men and women viewers and that “men appear to be even less realistic
in their romantic attitudes than women” (Bader, 2007, p. 147).
The mass
media myths apparent in the film from Bader’s 2007 article are as follows:
“All you need is love, so it doesn’t matter
if you and your lover have very different values.” This myth was
communicated during the film when Bridget found out that Mark was a
conservative voter and she is very liberal. Despite this difference in
values, the couple still ended up engaged at the end of the film.
“Bickering and fighting a lot mean that a
man and woman really love each other passionately.” Mark and Bridget spend quite
a bit of the film arguing and fighting, but in the end their love overcame this
issue.
”Your perfect partner is cosmically
pre-destined, so nothing/nobody can ultimately separate you.” This was made
evident through Mark’s intern who became a point of jealously and a reason for
Bridget breaking up with Mark. It was also supported through Daniel Cleaver,
Bridget’s ex-boyfriend, who kissed Bridget a couple of times in the film while
her and Mark were separated. In the end, this did not matter and the couple
still got engaged.
“Your true soul mate should KNOW what
you’re thinking or feeling (without you having to tell.)” This was
exemplified a couple of times in the film, especially when they were arguing
about not getting married and Bridget assumed that Mark knew what she was
saying. Bridget said, “did you mean what you said back there about that thing”
(Kidron & Bevan, 2004), and Bridget was a little frustrated when Mark did
not know what “that thing” was that Bridget was referring to.
“To attract and keep a man, a woman should
look like a model or a centerfold.” This media myth was brought up
repeatedly throughout the film, especially in two of the excerpts above, where
Bridget readily objectifies her own body and says she is not thin or tall
enough.
“The right mate ‘completes you’- filling
your needs and making your dreams come true.” The ending lines of the film
suggest this media myth when Bridget concludes that she’s “found her happy
ending at last” and now believes “happiness is possible.” This line suggests
that happiness was only made possible because her and Mark got engaged, communicating
an unrealistic message about love and happiness to the viewer.
 |
| Universal Pictures |
In
analyzing the film’s overall narrative, the myths above were so prevalent that all
of them were the central communicated messages for what men and women should
want and act like in relationships. But, this is not without exception. It is
important to note that if a viewer understood the irony in this film, the
messages communicated about how to act in a relationship would not have been interpreted
in the same way as someone who internalized these messages literally. This is
an important distinction to address because it showcases that not every viewer will
receive the same messages about how men and women should act in relationships
and that the main objective of the film is definitely not to tell people how to
act in relationships. I think that if anything, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason serves as an ironic portrayal,
and arguably a critique, of how men and women are stereotypically portrayed in
media and relationships today.
References:
Bader, A. (2007).
“Love will steer the stars” and other improbable feats: Media myths in popular
love songs. In M.-L. Galician & D. L. Merskin (Eds.), Critical thinking about sex, love, and romance in the mass media
(pp. 141-160). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Holz Ivory, A.,
Gibson, R., & Ivory, J. D. (2009). Gendered relationships on television:
Portrayals of same-sex and heterosexual couples. Mass Communication & Society, 12(2), 170-192. doi:
10.1080/15205430802169607
Kidron, B.
(Director), & Bevan, T. (Producer). (2004). Bridget Jones: The edge of reason. [Motion picture]. United
Kingdom & United States: Universal Pictures.
Kim, J. L.,
Sorsoli, C. L., K., Zylbergold, B. A., Schooler, D., & Tolman, D. L.
(2007). From sex to sexuality: Exposing the heterosexual script on primetime
network television. Journal of Sex
Research, 44(2), 145-157. doi: 10.1080/00224490701264660
Ward, L. M.
(1995). Talking about sex: Common themes about sexuality in the prime-time
television programs children and adolescents view most. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 24(5), 595-615. doi:
10:1007/bf01537058
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.