Bridget Jones's Diary is a film released in 2001 that was highly appreciated by audiences around the world. The film centers on Bridget Jones, a young British woman in her thirties, played by Renee Zellweger, who fears dying "fat and alone", Bridget struggles with self-confidence, which comes from struggling with her weight and her affinity with drinking and smoking. Bridget Jones works in advertising at a book publishing house in London. The film follows her relationships with two men, Mark Darcy, played by Colin Firth, and Daniel Cleaver, played by Hugh Grant, and how her communication with each man shapes her relationships with them. At the beginning of the film, we are introduced to Bridget as her mother tries to set her up with Mark Darcy, who she has known since they were young, and overhears him saying unkind things about her. He then decides to "change his life" and the film's plot follows his activities controlling his life and pursuing a more confident sense of self. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The film is relatable to young women as it addresses the social pressures of dating and self-confidence. There are a huge number of messages in the media describing how women "should" look, impossible beauty standards that are assumed to be desirable. There are also standards by which women should choose as a desirable partner. The film shows this through Bridget's desire to be with her handsome and successful boss. Daniel Cleaver, Bridget's boss, shows that although the idea of the handsome, successful man may seem like the best possible partner, there are risks when aiming for the partner society deems "perfect." This is shown in the film when Bridget finds out that Cleaver is cheating on her. Bridget was so excited about her relationship with Cleaver and was initially in disbelief that they were together. When she discovered him with another woman, it shocked her greatly and led her to have even more doubts about herself and her beauty. The social idea of a desirable partner is also explored through the subplot of Bridget's mother's affair. Bridget Jones' interpersonal communication skills are less than desirable. Because he mostly reveals his true thoughts and feelings only in his diary, he is not easily able to communicate his true feelings out loud. She is not good at making small talk with acquaintances or on dates. She turns out to be a particularly clumsy public speaker, until she achieves success in her television work. While Bridget isn't entirely to blame for her lack of interpersonal skills, she often finds herself having to deal with embarrassing questions and direct hurtful comments from family and friends. She tries to answer to the best of her ability, but often comes across as shrewd and unfriendly. The film depicts Bridget Jones as having needs that she works to satisfy. He feels the need for love and belonging. “Initial short-term attraction initiates relationships, but the process of moving to long-term maintaining attraction involves working through a series of stages, each reflecting changes in attraction, self-disclosure, and 'intimacy' (Beebe, Beebe, Redmond 2014). Bridget wants to feel loved by a partner and has a 'normal' sense of family belonging. People in a relationship have "complementary needs," which is when each partner contributes something to the relationship that the other needs. Bridget's relationship with her boss, Cleaver, is not an equal contribution, as Bridget is more emotionally invested in the relationship than Cleaver. “If you can meet the needs ofsomeone, then you have the power” (Beebe, Beebe, Redmond 2014). Cleaver initially meets Bridget's needs on a superficial level, which allows him the power to influence her emotions, but as she gains more self-confidence and experiences much more genuine fulfillment of her needs with Darcy, she realizes that did not meet his needs. This change in Bridget's attitude is shown after Darcy hits Cleaver and Cleaver wants to have a relationship with Bridget again and she rejects him, as she realizes that she deserves better in an interpersonal romantic relationship. Bridget's relationship with herself, however, evolves into a much more balanced one, in which she becomes much more aware of her own needs and how to satisfy them. Her needs are met as her relationship with Mark Darcy expands. It gives her a sense of belonging that she doesn't get elsewhere. Bridget makes several mistakes throughout the film. The biggest mistake is that she relies heavily on the opinions of others to influence her opinion of herself. While it is normal for people to be influenced by their families, Bridget is particularly influenced by the opinions of her mother, who focuses too much on Bridget's personal life for a woman with a daughter in her thirties. Placing an emphasis on self-help books is another mistake Bridget Jones made. Believing what is written in these books, Bridget does not allow herself to believe what is best for her with her genuine desires, she lets these books tell her what is best. When Darcy states, "I like you just the way you are," Bridget is stunned to learn that this person she initially disliked, and believing she feels the same about her, causes a change in Bridget's confidence. This idea that she is perfect just the way she is is not something she is familiar with, but something she learns to believe. Bridget's relationship with her mother is strained as it is shown how her mother constantly tries to set her up with "nice young men". For Bridget, this only solidifies her underlying belief that she isn't perfect the way she is. Having her mother constantly remind her of her lack of a partner creates a tense relationship. As the film progresses and Bridget's mother leaves her father for another man, we are shown that her mother is also just another woman who goes through the struggle of trying. to find what is best for her and try to maintain standards of perfection. Bridget interprets Daniel's behavior impractically, as she initially believes his intentions are to cultivate a positive relationship with her, only to discover that he is not a good person and does not have the same intentions as her. On the contrary, he interprets Darcy's behavior very realistically. From the first scene of the film where we see Bridget and Darcy interact at her mother's turkey curry Christmas party, she takes his words literally and believes his intentions are in line with his behavior towards her. As their relationship expands, she begins to use him for emotional support in her quest for self-acceptance. The ending of the film feels really rushed. Suddenly, Darcy is willing to give up everything and be with Bridget. Then, just as quickly as he confessed his feelings for her, he reads her diary and is apparently upset and leaves her apartment without saying a word. Then, just as quickly as he's gone, he's not mad and is buying her a new journal and they kiss and seem happy together. I wasn't entirely convinced that Darcy would behave as heroically as he did, but that may be due to the lack of context. Did Darcy date his colleague Natasha? If he was, he left her.
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