Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy
(15) 125mins
★★★★☆
WHEN new heartthrob actor Leo Woodall was asked if he felt “objectified”, he replied that he couldn’t help asking himself, “Am I that guy?”
Judging by the fourth and (allegedly) final Bridget Jones movie, he need not spend any more time agonising over that question.
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Because, really, the 28-year-old star of One Day is just eye candy.
Charisma or screen presence certainly aren’t among Leo’s attributes.
But his character, Roxster, is key to some of the biggest gags in this very welcome return for the much-loved bumbling Bridget.
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A scene where the toned actor takes immediate action on seeing a helpless dog paddling for dear life in a pool is comedy gold.
That is one of many times when the director decided it was absolutely essential for “the Roxster” to get his top off.
As always, though, it is the brilliant Renee Zellweger as Bridget who drives the humour along.
At the start, the avid diary keeper is four years widowed following the death of her husband Mark Darcy.
While stuck up a tree trying to rescue her two young children, our heroine first meets the chivalrous Roxster.
As that passionate romance burns brightly, Bridget develops a simmering mutual affection for her kids’ science teacher Mr Wallaker (Chiwetel Ejiofor).
Cue lots of moments of embarrassment, with Mr Wallaker seeing sexual health leaflets falling out of her daughter’s bag or standing behind Bridget as she buys condoms.
Chiwetel, who also goes topless, is everything Leo isn’t — a strong actor able to find depth and empathy in the most ridiculous lines.
The problem is, that as his character comes more into Bridget’s life, the humour starts to drop off.
That’s not Chiwetel’s fault, as the script often veers towards tear-jerking moments about coping with grief when Mr Wallaker is around.
But director Michael Morris carefully plays his comedy trump card to ensure Mad About The Boy never gets too mawkish.
Hugh Grant also pops up as cad Daniel Cleaver.
There’s little that is original, but good old-fashioned bawdy humour and pratfalls are rare in film these days.
It is a riot of silliness that sticks two fingers up at anyone worrying about men being “objectified”.
GRANT ROLLINGS
CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD
(12A) 118mins
★★★☆☆
5
KEEPING up with the Marvel universe can be difficult if you are not a massive fan.
In the fourth Captain America movie, super soldier Steve Rogers has been replaced by regular military veteran Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) as the man wielding the Stars and Stripes shield.
Sam, previously the Falcon in The Avengers films, doesn’t have his predecessor’s incredible strength – but does have the advantage of hi-tech wings and a few other fancy gadgets.
Even more confusingly, Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross is now being played by Harrison Ford rather than William Hurt, who died in 2022. So far, so new.
But this is definitely not a “brave” take on the superhero format, because Brave New World is a repeat of the many punch-ups Marvel has given us before.
We get lines such as “no dying, copy that”, an uninspiring prison break and a strange alien object.
The underlying theme that if you want to stop a war, you need to be prepared to fight, is also a well worn one.
Thankfully even at 82, Ford is able to rescue this with his considerable charisma.
A duel between Ross and Captain America is just about worth waiting for.
GRANT ROLLINGS
HEART EYES
(18) 97mins
★★★☆☆
5
STANDING in front of a huge heart-shaped flower arrangment, a young man proposes to his girlfriend.
But this is definitely not a Valentine’s Day movie.
Well, not a traditional one anyway. The couple are the latest target for the Heart Eyes Killer, who always strikes on February 14.
Wearing a mask with eyes shaped like hearts, the mysterious murderer’s preferred weapons are a machete or crossbow.
The two central characters in this comedic slasher movie are marketing executives Ally (Olivia Holt) and Jay (Mason Gooding), who get caught up in the slaughter after going on a business lunch together.
They tell the masked passion killer they’re not a couple and shouldn’t be killed.
There are some good gags in this anti-romcom, including Ally’s tasteless jewellery advert and an amorous woman shrieking for the wrong reason.
But Heart Eyes has an 18 certificate for a reason – and that’s the gruesome deaths of two young women. That doesn’t sit well with what develops as Ally and Jay get to know each other.
Only take your partner to see Heart Eyes if they’ve got a dark sense of humour.
GRANT ROLLINGS