All the Easter eggs in Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy as fourth film pays homage to the 2001 original with sweet and nostalgic references
Bridget Jones returned with a bang this week, with Mad About The Boy widely praised by critics as the best yet of the film series.
Renee Zellwegger returns to her most famous role in the film, this time playing Bridget in her fifties and a single mother of two following the death of her husband Mark Darcy (Colin Firth).
Set in the years after Mark’s tragic death, film Bridget finds herself in the middle of a battle for her affections between boy toy Roxster, played by Leo Woodall, and Chiwetel Ejiofor’s teacher character Mr. Wallaker.
Yet while Bridget may be in a different stage of life two decades on from 2001’s Bridget Jones’ Diary, eagle-eyed fans will spot several sweet and funny references to the original.
The fourth film is littered with Easter eggs paying homage to the original movie, from repeated outfits to turns of phrase and clever camera trickery.
Read on to discover all the Easter eggs in Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy.
Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy follows Bridget two decades on from the original film but eagle-eyed fans will no doubt spot all the sweet and funny references to the original
Bridget’s timeless wardrobe
Bridget famously sang along to All By Myself while sitting in her flat clad in a pair of red penguin pyjamas in the first film.
Two decades on and Bridget still has her cozy pjs, this time wearing them on the school run with her two children.
Also making a return is her famous sheer shirt.
During Bridget’s flirtation with Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) in the first film, the pair share a saucy email exchange over the length of her skirt.
As she attempts to get Daniel to notice her in the office, the following day Bridget finds herself wearing another racy outfit this time pairing her mini skirt with a sheer blouse.
While Bridget may be older and wiser in the fourth film, she proves she hasn’t changed her style too much – pulling the sheer blouse out of her wardrobe.
Bridget’s pair of red penguin pyjamas are back but this time she’s taking them on the school run rather than wearing them in her flat singing All By Myself
Bridget famously wore a sheer blouse with a tiny mini skirt when trying to get Daniel Cleaver’s attention and when trying out options for a date in the new film, it’s revealed she still has it
When Bridget appeared on screen in a pair of enormous tummy-control knickers she was mortified when they were uncovered in a moment of passion – but she still owns them!
Also making a brief cameo in the film – those pants.
While sifting through her wardrobe, Bridget is reminded of her time with her giant knickers.
Her time wearing her giant pants is also referenced in another scene in Mad About The Boy.
During her moment of passion with Daniel in the first installment, he tells her: ‘Now these are very silly little boots, Jones. And this is a very silly little dress. And, um, these are, f*** me, absolutely enormous panties.’
Proving his son has inherited his chat up lines, … tells … about her ‘silly little boots’.
More ‘smug married couples’
Bridget finds herself surrounded by married couples in the fourth film after becoming a widow
As Bridget foretold in the first film – the only thing worse than smug married couple? Lots of smug married couples
As Bridget foretold in the first film – the only thing worse than smug married couple? Lots of smug married couples.
In Bridget Jones’ Diary, the singleton found herself quizzed on why there are so many single women in their 30, staring down a sea of ‘smug’ couples.
This time around, Bridget is still surrounded by couples as she attends a dinner party on the anniversary of husband Mark’s death.
The famous blue soup
While attempting to whip up a delectable birthday feast for her friends in the first film, hapless cook Bridget ended up with blue soup, this time, the gang enjoy blue cocktails
While attempting to whip up a delectable birthday feast for her friends in the first film, hapless cook Bridget ended up with a menu of blue soup, omelette and marmalade.
Bridget’s blue soup – dyed because of her use of colourful string – has become a cult classic – with recipes to replicate the meal (safely) appearing online.
Her cooking skills haven’t improved by the fourth installment – with Bridget somehow managing to set pasta on fire.
Yet this time around the filmmakers pay homage to her blue soup blunder with a shot of Bridget and her friends making a toast with vibrant blue cocktails.
Still All By Herself… somewhat
Bridget famously sang along to All By Myself while sitting in her flat alone, now she uses the song’s title as her Netflix password
Bridget famously sang along to All By Myself while sitting in her flat downing a bottle of the wine in the first film.
This time, while she doesn’t belt out the hit, it is referenced as one of Bridget’s many password variations as she attempts to log into her Netflix account.
The situation in Chechnya
While trying to impress Daniel in the first film, Bridget reads up on the Second Chechen War. Her reading proved useful for the fourth film because one of her colleagues is from Chechnya
While trying to impress Daniel with her knowledge of global affairs in the first film, Bridget reads up on the Second Chechen War.
At first, her newfound knowledge appears wasted, as when asking for Daniel’s thoughts, he shuts her down by proclaiming: ‘I couldn’t give a f**k, Jones.’
Yet it seems her reading ultimately proved useful, as during the fourth installment she reveals one of her colleagues is from Chechnya.
A bottom ‘the size of Brazil’
Bridget meets love interest Roxster (Leo Woodall) bottom first after getting stuck in a tree. In the first film her bottom, which she claims is the ‘size of Brazil’, knocks over a cameraman
When Bridget decides to quit her job working for Daniel in the first film, she makes the move from publishing to television.
Her first TV role doesn’t go to plan, however, and she ends up knocking the camera out with her bottom – which she claims is the ‘size of Brazil’ – while sliding down a fireman’s pole.
While there is no pole in the fourth film, the camera angles up at her famous behind when she finds herself stuck up a tree attempting to rescue her children after they got stuck while playing in the park.
Declarations of love in the snow
Bridget gets a happy ending in the snow once again as she kisses Mr Wallacker (Chiwetel Ejiofor) in a scene reminiscent of her kiss with Mark in the first film
Her commute to walk also sees her walking back along Tower Bridge once more
After a will they/won’t they romance, Bridget and Mark finally declare their love for one another when a trouserless Bridget chases after him in the snow.
Paying homage to the iconic scene, the fourth film sees Bridget heading out in the snow again – this time fully clothed – to share her feelings for Mr Wallaker.
In another nod to filming locations, Bridget is also seen walking along her old street, but this time for her date with toyboy Roxster.
Her commute to walk also sees her walking back along Tower Bridge once more.
Mark Darcy’s jumper
There is a nod to Mark and Bridget’s first meeting in the ending of Mad About The Boy, with the couple’s son wearing his famous reindeer jumper
In the opening scenes of Bridget Jones’ Diary, Bridget finds herself face to face with love interest Mark Darcy at her mother’s annual turkey curry buffet on New Year’s Day.
While she at first believes it could be love at first sight, one glance at the reindeer jumper on Mark has her thinking ‘maybe not’, after all.
There is a nod to the couple’s romance in the ending of Mad About The Boy, with their son wearing the famous jumper.
The beginning of the end
While the first film begins with Bridget and Mark meeting on New Year’s Day, the final film proves things have gone full circle as it ends on New Year’s Eve with Mr Wallacker
Bridget and Mark’s will they/won’t they romance began on New Year’s Day at her mother’s annual turkey curry buffet
While the first film begins with Bridget and Mark meeting on New Year’s Day, the final film proves things have gone full circle as it ends on New Year’s Eve.
This time however, with Mark no longer alive, Bridget spends the holiday with her new love interest, Mr Wallaker.
Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy is available to watch in cinemas in the UK and Australia now.
In the US, the film is streaming exclusively on Peacock.
