‘Bridget Jones’s Baby’ Delivers a Sassy, ‘Knockabout Comedy,’ and 7 Other Delightful Reviews

“Renée Zellweger feels back in charge of the character again,” one reviewer says of third installment of the franchise

Lovable, accident-prone Brit, Bridget Jones, trying to figure out who fathered her unborn child is a return to the charm of the original “Bridget Jones’s Diary” — and away from the silliness of 2004 sequel “Edge of Reason.”

“Bridget Jones’s Baby” received a solid 83 percent on Rotten Tomatoes as most critics found Renée Zellweger‘s 12-year hiatus from the role based on Helen Fielding’s novels didn’t stop her from returning in a blaze of glory — and raucous laughter.

TheWrap’s movie critic Jason Solomon said Zellweger “still delivers choice comic expressions and re-creates a much loved, lived-in character.”

[...] she becomes entrapped with trying to figure out who the father of her child is.

“The real stand-out is Emma Thompson who wrote and created her own part as Bridget’s doctor and shamelessly steals every single scene with a wonderful collection of one-liners,” wrote Empire Magazine‘s Terri White.

Director Sharon Maguire expertly handles the humor (intricate misunderstandings, exquisite slapstick), but her greatest strength is establishing a balance: ‘Bridget Jones’s Baby’ is a romantic comedy that’s truly both.

Apart from Bridget’s obvious dilemma, they draw on her insecurities about balancing motherhood with a career and ageing in an industry that prizes youth — and YouTube — above experience.

The real stand-out is Emma Thompson who wrote and created her own part as Bridget’s doctor and shamelessly steals every single scene with a wonderful collection of one-liners (most memorably advising the expectant fathers to leave the delivery room as her ‘ex-husband described it as watching his favourite pub burn down’).