Bridget Jones is back and blazing a new path as a widow navigating single parenthood, dating apps, and grief. Unlike most romcom widows, she’s not waiting for society’s approval to love again. In Mad About the Boy, Bridget breaks the mold by showing that healing doesn’t have to be quiet reflection – it can also look like great sex with a younger man.
In romantic comedies, women’s grief is often pitched as a problem to be solved, requiring deep self-reflection before desire can return. However, this narrative can be alienating for real-life widows who don’t fit the mold. Bridget Jones defies this trope by swiping right on her 29-year-old park ranger partner before finishing her tears.
The film’s portrayal of a male widower would have been met with little comment if it followed the same script. Society teaches men to be seen as eligible after a spouse’s death, while women are viewed as wounded. In contrast, Bridget’s messy and unpredictable nature is refreshing and unapologetic.
As someone who has experienced loss myself, I found this film to be personal and poignant. The scene of Bridget dancing with her children resonated deeply, highlighting the struggle of being a solo parent left behind by grief. The film also tackles well-meaning but conflicting advice on grieving and rebuilding love lives, offering a radical alternative.
While Mad About the Boy isn’t perfect, it dares to show a widow who isn’t waiting for permission to be happy again. It acknowledges that grief is messy and contradictory, sometimes requiring sex with a hot partner simply because you want to. This portrayal of healing as messy and desirable without moral dilemmas is a significant step forward in representation.
As Stacey Heale, author of Now is Not the Time for Flowers: What No One Tells You About Life, Love and Loss, notes, the film lets a woman be funny, desirable, and worthy after loss – without making it feel like a moral dilemma.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/feb/15/bridget-jones-film-widow-heroine-grief