Film Analysis Essay on Bridget Jones' Diary

Introduction

This essay seeks to address the interpersonal communication that is depicted in Bridget Jones Diary movie, by examining Bridget's communication competence in how she reacts in situations, why and what she does. Interpersonal communication competence refers to the ability to select the most effective communication in a given case that enables the communicator to communicate appropriately. Bridget Jones character development is evident in her romantic relationships with Mark Darcy, her childhood friend, and Daniel Cleaver her boss (Whelehan, 2002). A person is considered a good communicator when they are effective in their communication, and the audience interprets their message as they are intended.

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Bridget Jones' Communication Competence

Bridget Jones is a 32-year-old woman whose life is in shambles and struggles to accept who she is. She resolves to get her life under control by trying to lose 20 pounds, stop smoking, drink less, and finally to find a decent man. She is pressured by her family and friends to settle down in marriage and to find the person who will fill her empty void in life (Whelehan, 2002). She experiences tough and rough times in relationships with Mark Darcy and Daniel Cleaver before she realizes that her perfect man will love her for who she is. In this movie, it is clear that Bridget Jones struggles with communication competence and she cannot express her feelings and desires to the two men because she does not know what she wants. She lacks the right communication appropriateness. According to the text, when a communicator lacks communication competence, they should consider time, place, feelings and attitude and the entire context of the message to the listener. Bridget in her first meeting with Mark Darcy at the Christmas party lacked the appropriate communication skills when she introduced herself as a drunkard and a smoker disregarding the occasion (Whelehan, 2002).

Another instance when she portrayed a lack of appropriate communication competence is when she started dressing short miniskirts, see-through shirts that exposed her bra to work to impress and attract the attention of her boss Daniel Cleaver. She furthered dared to exchange sexual emails with her boss during work hours. Even though Daniel tolerated her inappropriate behaviors, in real life situations, such practices may get you fired.

Mark Darcy's Behavior

The heroic behavior of Mark Darcy is not fully motivated, and the end of Bridget Jones' Diary is rushed because the movie producers wanted an easy way out with a quick ending to the emotional romance between Bridget and Mark. This is because when Bridget goes to change to something she feels comfortable, she asks Darcy to feel comfortable and read the magazines for entertainment. In the process, Darcy stumbles into Bridget's diary opened to a page that she had written all her negative thoughts about him (Whelehan, 2002). Darcy is disappointed, and by the time Bridget comes back, she finds him leaving. She runs after her half-dressed, and Darcy is shown coming out of a store with a new diary that symbolizes new beginnings, that eventually prompts the kissing and the happily ever after fairy tale (Whelehan, 2002). Even though the ending was rushed, Darcy behaviors were motivated in that he was internally prepared to respond to that situation. Darcy had feelings for Bridget and whatever actions he did; buying a new diary that symbolized new beginning was driven by his emotions. These emotional gestures would be very hard to show in real life situations, but movies make everything possible.

Bridget Jones Needs

Human perception and the need to interact with others influence our communication with fellow human beings. These needs are further classified into control, inclusion, and affection. The need for control is how much we desire to influence others and the extent at which we allow ourselves to be controlled by others. In this movie, Bridget had no control over her relationships, and that is why she was single for a very long time, and she was adamant to be helped by her mother during her introduction to Mark Darcy in the Christmas party (Whelehan, 2002). She used her diary which made her feel like she was in control of the spinster stage that she precariously wanted to get out. The need for inclusion drove her desires to be married like most people at the age of 30, and this pressured her to find the right man. She also got a lot of pressure from her friends and family to get married. She resolves to lose weight and to quit drinking and smoking hoping her decision will make her more beautiful to attract men. The need for affection drives her to believe that Daniel Cleaver was the man of her dreams when he began giving her all the attention and love she deserved.

Bridget Meets Her Needs

After so much struggle and desperation, Bridget finally meets a suitor named Mark Darcy who meets her needs by claiming that he loves her just the way she is. Bridget has spent all her life trying to meet social expectations of attractiveness, marriage, and control over her relationship, but Darcy accepts her for who she is with all her shortcomings and values her non-physical attributes. Bridget finally admits and embraces who she is.

Bridget Jones' Mistakes

Bridget Jones admits that she drinks too much, smokes too much and is overweight which contributes to loss of her self-esteem. She tries to measure her self-worth by her appearance and how much men pay attention to her, and this drives her to dress inappropriately and provocatively in an attempt to attract men. She concentrates too much on media appraisals and compares herself with pictures of thin models, self-help books, movies such as fatal attraction, and glamour magazines which make her feel wanted in the eyes of the society (Whelehan, 2002).

Bridget's Interpretation of Behavior

Bridget discovers that Mark Darcy is a fascinating man and regrets not hooking up with him earlier when her parents tried to set her up with him. She had eyes for Daniel Cleaver who frustrates her after finding him naked with another woman at his residence. Daniel defeats her to her a point where she decides to lose hope on finding a husband and decides to focus on career and ignore her family's pressure. Darcy, on the other hand, offers him a new job opportunity and considers him a very compassionate and exciting man. Darcy assures her that he loves her for who she is (Whelehan, 2002).

References

Whelehan, I. (Ed.). (2002). Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones's Diary. A&C Black.