8 Reasons You Won’t Want to Miss Bridget Jones’s Baby
By G.G. Andrew
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 05: Emma Thompson attends the World premiere of ‘Bridget Jones’s Baby’ at Odeon Leicester Square on September 5, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Anthony Harvey/Getty Images)
Emma Thompson
Emma Thompson in Bridget Jones’s Baby is, as in all things, completely the best. Once Bridget turns up (surprise!) pregnant after using “dolphin-safe” vegan condoms while sleeping with both Jack and Darcy, she goes to see Dr. Rawlings, played by Thompson. The British actress, famous for her roles in Sense and Sensibility, the Harry Potter films, and Love Actually, is known for her dry wit. Here she’s as dry as a bone. When Bridget tries to surreptitiously suss out which of the two calendar dates she was more likely to have conceived on, and thus who the actual father might be, Dr. Rawling sees through her lies and drolly responds, “Do bring along the father if you can work out which one he is.”
Yet, despite Dr. Rawling’s Firth-like levels of emotional stiffness, there’s a feeling of warmth and support between doctor and patient that’s similar to Bridget’s relationships to her friends. Especially as the film moves forward, the doctor supports and encourages Bridget, even to the extent of lying on her behalf. As Bridget’s mother frets over her unconventional pregnancy, Dr. Rawlings is an older female character who stops Bridget from feeling like she’s the “Mary Magdalene of Middle England.” Her speech near the end is particularly sweet and warranted in a film about a single mother who may be staying that way.
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