Bridget Jones's Baby

It's been 15 years since Bridget Jones first graced the big screen. She's the lovable Londoner whose adventures in life, love, and self-doubt have won readers over in the series of books by Helen Fielding. Audiences fell in love with Bridget immediately. It's been over a decade since she last graced the big screen, and despite a setback in 2004, Bridget Jones is back and almost as good as ever in "Bridget Jones's Baby."

Settling into her forties, Bridget no longer depressingly eats her birthday cupcake listening to "All By Myself." After a brief throwback to the original song, this time she switches to House of Pain's "Jump Around." A decade after the disastrous "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason," we find our titular heroine at her ideal weight, working as a successful television producer, and all around having a great, albeit single, life. Things don't stay simple for long, however. Bridget finds herself the center of a future "Maury Povich" episode when she gets pregnant and isn't sure whether the father is on again, off again beau Mark Darcy or the handsome Jack Qwant (Patrick Dempsey), whom she met while at a music festival.

Despite the history that Bridget and Darcy have, Jack is a formidable suitor. Each of the men who have battled for Bridget's heart has been clearly defined and different from the others. With Daniel out of the picture (Hugh Grant's absence is quickly explained and includes several fun sight gags about his cad character), it is hard to choose who should end up being the father, though the choice might be generational. Longtime fans will probably want to see Bridget and Darcy get their happy ending, while newer fans will probably be more Team Jack. Both options are good, but in the romantic comedy cage match of the year, only one can come out as the Daddy.

Perhaps why "The Edge of Reason" failed was because it felt like a way to cash in on the Bridget Jones character. It was obviously made for financial reasons and that showed as it felt like much of the heart was missing. "Baby," which isn't an adaptation of one of Fielding's books, offers a much better completion for the trilogy. Fans of who felt burned by the previous film will find exactly what they are looking for in this one.

Renee Zellweger, who earned an Oscar nomination for her initial portrayal of Bridget, hasn't missed a step in the years that have passed. She slips back into character as if she never left. Zellweger, having battled weight and plastic surgery tabloid stories herself, might actually be better suited to play the character now because of the stories written about her changing appearance. She seems more comfortable in her skin and that comes across onscreen. Whereas she used to be fidget and always seem like she was thinking or plotting, now everything comes across as effortless -- and that is not even meant as a Botox innuendo!

Emma Thompson, who also helped polish the script, joins in the fun as Bridget's doctor. Thompson seems to be having the most fun of all the actors. Dripping with sarcasm, the always exquisite actress pivots as needed to be nurturing and tender towards the parents to be. Both Thompson and Dempsey inject a playful amount of fun into the film, leading it to broader comedy pieces.

While not every joke lands as it should, there is plenty to like about this "Baby." From an amusing cameo by Ed Sheeran to the political standing of ageism in the workplace and what defines a modern family, the film has its cake and eating it too by taking on political statements while never taking itself too seriously. This balance is thanks, in part, to the return of director Sharon Maguire behind the camera. She sat out for "Edge of Reason" and, in hindsight, it shows that she was a leading force in the franchise.

It's always an iffy bet to try to re-launch a film franchise after it has been dormant for a decade. If it's seen as a sequel being made just to make some money -- hello, "Independence Day: Resurgence" -- audiences will stay away. Fortunately for Bridget Jones fans, "Bridget Jones's Baby" comes across as a labor of love from the actors, filmmakers and studio. Maybe it's their way of apologizing for the sequel that left a bad taste in people's mouth, or maybe they just wanted to revisit their old friend one more time. Either way, make sure to visit this bundle of joy when it's delivered in theaters.