Bridget Jones's Diary

I've never really been one for romantic movies, but if there's one thing Bridget Jones's Diary gets right, it's the handling of love. Although it's a little sappy here and there, or outright cheesy, it's still romantic and it's still fairly realistic.  One of my favourite things is the way Mark is written and characterised - he's a fairly repressed character that keeps to himself and doesn't say a whole lot, and when he does, he tends to say things that point towards the entire opposite of what he's actually feeling. In part, this is due to those around him looking down at Bridget, and as such, he doesn't remotely get close to her. When he does eventually get over it, you get to see how actually, he finds her embarrassing qualities endearing, and he really finds her quite funny. Although he had to wear a mask and feign some kind of superiority over her potentially immature behaviour in public, it feels like maybe, underneath it all, he just wants to express the same playful behaviour. Mark helps Bridget find a more mature side of herself, and in turn, she brings out the fun in him. They're both battling the same insecurities - Mark has a reputation to uphold, and his job pushes him to appear as relatively uptight. He cares too much about what other people think and focuses on appearances as opposed to what he actually wants to do. He's spineless at points, and goes with what other people expect from him. He doesn't talk when Daniel is there, because he's too nervous to stand up for himself. Bridget cares about what other people think too, in the form of her weight, or embarrassing herself on TV and in person. The major difference is that Bridget continues to take it in her stride and try again. She is not quiet or reserved, despite the judgement she gets. It's not that it doesn't get to her, but she will carry on despite it, and not suppress her emotions. The final scene with Bridget and Mark in the snow is fucking great, because neither of them care what anyone around them thinks.  Bridget is near enough naked, and probably freezing her tits off, but none of that matters, because she has to go and tell Mark that she loves him, despite everything she said in her diary.  Mark says it before, but he does actually love her unconditionally, and he doesn't care about the things she wrote down. He doesn't care that he's stood in the snow, being stared at by about twenty people when he kisses Bridget. He likes her, just the way she is.