Colin Firth Was Done Dirty In Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy, But Here's Why I'm Making My Peace With It

SPOILERS are ahead for Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy, now streaming with a Peacock subscription. No reading ahead in the diary until you’ve seen it yourself!

2001’s Bridget Jones’s Diary is not only one of the best romantic comedies I’ve ever seen, it’s also such a comfort movie for me. While the quality of the sequels have certainly been debatable, I was very excited to see Renée Zellweger back in the role after nearly a decade. I was, however, unprepared to learn that the premise of the movie includes Bridget coping with the death of Colin Firth’s Mark Darcy after having two kids together. But, I really wasn’t prepared for Mr. Darcy to be done dirty like this – especially for what is likely the conclusion to the franchise. Lucky for the movie, I really enjoyed it, and I’m beginning to forgive it for the lack of Darcy for a few key reasons.

Now, for some context, Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy is based on the 2013 novel of the same name from Helen Fielding. Just like the movie, it takes place two decades after the events of the first Bridget Jones storyline, where she is in her 50s and has been a widow for four years. It should also be noted that the events of the story are inspired by Fielding’s own experiences dealing with the death of her partner, TV writer Kevin Curran, who died at the age of 59 of cancer. They had two children together as well.

Between Fielding's motivations and the execution of Mad About The Boy, it’s not so much that I’m upset that Mark Darcy died at all, but more so the lack of Colin Firth. Here, I’ll share my complete thoughts on the subject.

How Do You Hire Colin Firth To Play Mark Darcy Again, And Give Him Zero Lines?

So, here’s my main issue with how Mark Darcy was handled. It’s one thing to make a plot decision to kill off a character in order to tell the story about grief and moving forward amidst it – which, by the way, I think Mad About The Boy does tell well. But it’s another to literally hire Colin Firth and bring him on the set of the movie alongside Renée Zellweger after 20 years of legacy with the beloved rom-com character, and not give him a single line.

I understand the character is dead, but even awarding audiences one more flashback sequence of the last year of their life or some funny quippy line to break the tension would have been most welcome. Instead, all we get is him standing next to her for a moment and then clapping from across the room later in the movie. Don’t get me wrong, his presence was effective, but it feels a bit wasteful for the Oscar winner, doesn’t it?

I’m Making Peace With The Blunder For One Big Reason

The main reason I can think of to forgive the movie for having Firth’s Mr. Darcy only being seen and not heard in his last appearance in the franchise is pretty heartbreaking. From a story perspective, if it’s been four years since the death of Darcy. So perhaps having him not talk to her from the other side is there to symbolize that at this point in the loss she only imagines and misses his presence rather than it being so vivid that she imagines him talking to her.

I’m also not necessarily fond of those movies where the dead character talks to them from the other side, or the widow and dead person have full-on conversations in one’s imagination – especially since it’s become such a cliché. That goes back to the frustration I have over there not being a little flashback scene with dialogue to at least give fans more closure on the character.

And, I Wouldn't Trade One Emotional Scene For A Bigger Darcy Moment

Another reason why I’m starting to make peace with Darcy being majorly short-sighted comes back to a scene in between Bridget and her father, Colin (played by Jim Broadbent). In the scene early in the movie, Bridget looks at a picture of herself and her late father, and looks back to a time when he was in the hospital and he asked her to promise him to “live.” I think it’s the scene that made me tear up the most because I could relate to my own experience with my grandfather imparting his own wisdom on me before passing away.

There was something powerful about Bridget’s flashback scene that inspired her to move forward in her life being from her father rather than from Darcy, so I wouldn’t necessarily choose a Darcy scene over that if I had to pick between the two. It makes me think that maybe there was a flashback scene with Darcy that was filmed, but the filmmakers cut it in order to balance out the emotions of the movie, which could lean heavy sometimes. But I also can't imagine poor Colin Firth being cut from a Bridget Jones movie!

At Least The Movie Dealt With Darcy’s Death In A Careful Way

While I’m still upset that Darcy didn’t get his own last word in the franchise, I was happy to see the storyline carefully handle Bridget and her kids’ grief in a way that felt true to life. Because it was four years after his death, it made sense to be somewhat removed from the characters being so in the middle of it that it turns into a drama film. I was especially touched by the ways in which the movie handled the kids’ storylines. I am not surprised at all that Fielding was pulling from experience considering the conversations within the movie about keeping Darcy alive within the family.

And, Hugh Grant Clearly Had A Blast Adding Some Humor To It All

Then, there is what we did get out of the romance of Mad About The Boy. I did really enjoy the movie keeping the lighthearted fun of a Bridget Jones movie as the character navigates online dating and attempts to put herself out there in the ways of love and romance. I was totally in regarding Bridget Jones’ love story with Chiwetel Ejifor’s Mr. Walliker. When she kissed him in the snow, my heart fluttered, and Ejifor's character was so sweet and earnest. But I especially loved seeing at least Hugh Grant’s Daniel Cleaver get to have some memorable scenes throughout! Another Bridget Jones just wouldn’t have been the same without one of them interacting with Bridget. I got such a kick out of Daniel coming over to babysit and teach the kids to make a “Dirty Bitch”.

All in all, Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy is one of my favorite 2025 movies thus far. I just wish I wasn’t so mad about the piping hot lack of Mr. Darcy.