TheBridget Jonesmovie series is one of the most popular and beloved ones in the rom-com genre, and there are many other movies that are great companions to them for different reasons. Based on the novels by Helen Fielding, theBridget Jonesmovie seriesbegan in 2001 withBridget Jones’s Diary, which introduced the audience to the title character, played by Renée Zellweger. The movie kicks off when Bridget decides to turn her life around, so she attempts to quit smoking, stop drinking, lose weight, and find the right partner, keeping track of it all in a diary.
In allBridget Jonesmovies, Bridget has been in a love triangle, most of them involving Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), who eventually becomes her husband and the father of her children. However,Mark Darcy diesfour years before the events ofMad About The Boy, and in this movie, Bridget has a relationship with a much younger man named Roxster (Leo Woodall).TheBridget Jonesmovies are all about romance, comedy, and a bit of drama, and there are other rom-coms that make great companions to Bridget’s adventures through the years for various reasons.
10Ps. I Love You
Ps. I Love You Was Released In 2007
Ps. I Love Youis a rom-com directed by Richard LaGravenese. It’s the story of Holly (Hilary Swank) and Gerry (Gerard Butler), a married couple.When Gerry dies of a brain tumor, he arranges for a series of letters and gifts to be delivered to Holly, which give her a reason to continue living as his death sends her into a deep depression. Despite not being well-received by critics,Ps. I Love Youwas a box office success, and its themes are what make it a good companion to theBridget Jonesmovie series.
Like theBridget Jonesseries,Ps. I Love Youwas based on a book, written by Cecelia Ahern and published in 2004.
AlthoughBridget Jones: Mad About the Boyis a rom-com, it’s emotionally heavier than its previous movies due to the topics it addresses.Mad About the Boyis mostly about grief, as Bridget keeps adapting to parenting and life in general without Darcy, and Billy struggles with his grief as well.Ps. I Love Youis a different look at grief, as both Bridget and Holly do what they can to process their feelings and move on in the best way for them.
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Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy sees Bridget coping with grief and dating again, but the world has changed a lot since she got married and had kids.
9Love, Rosie
Love, Rosie Was Released In 2014
Love, Rosieis a rom-com drama directed by Christian Ditter and based on the 2004 novelWhere Rainbows End, also by Cecelia Ahern.Love, Rosieintroduces the audience to Alex (Sam Claflin) and Rosie (Lily Collins), childhood friends who end up developing romantic feelings for each other. However,their different plans for college, along with Rosie’s unplanned pregnancy, and more get in the way throughout the years.
The obstacles Rosie and Alex come across through the years are reminiscent in tone to those between Bridget and Darcy.
Although there isn’t a love triangle inLove, Rosielike the ones in theBridget Jonesmovies, the obstacles Rosie and Alex come across through the years are reminiscent in tone to those between Bridget and Darcy. While Rosie does know who the father of her daughter is,her attempts to juggle life with being a mom could have very well happened to Bridget, too, even though the latter was a lot older than Rosie when she had Billy.
8Clueless
Clueless Was Released In 1995
Cluelessis a coming-of-age teen comedy written and directed by Amy Heckerling.Cluelesstakes the audience to Beverly Hills to meet Cher Horowitz (Alicia Silverstone), the most popular girl at her wealthy high school. When she picks new girl Tai (Brittany Murphy) as her new makeover “project” and plays matchmaker for her teachers,Cher decides to find love for herself as well, but that includes a lot of self-reflection. Despite this,Cluelessis very comedy-driven and fires shots at “snob” teenagers in the 1990s.
Cluelessis a loose adaptation of Jane Austen’s 1815 novelEmma.
One of the most charming and entertaining things about theBridget Jonesmovies is how clumsy Bridget Jones can be.While she’s not clueless like Cher, the situations Bridget gets involved in could have very well happened to Cher and vice-versa.Cher also finds herself involved in a couple of messes in her love life, and like Bridget, her “Mr. Right” was one that she initially didn’t have the best relationship with.
Clueless Cast & Character Guide: Where They Are Now
Clueless is one of the ’90s most iconic teen movies, with its legacy being cemented only further by its talented cast, led by Alicia Silverstone.
7Notting Hill
Notting Hill Was Released In 1999
Notting Hillis a rom-com directed by Roger Michell and written by Richard Curtis.Notting Hillfollows Will Thacker (Hugh Grant), a divorced man and owner of a travel book store in Notting Hill, London. One day, Hollywood actress Anna Scott (Julia Roberts) arrives at his shop, and after another casual encounter on the street, they begin to connect. However,Anna’s status as a Hollywood actress begins to mess with their relationship, leading Will to make some painful decisions for his and Anna’s benefit.
Throughout theBridget Jonesmovie series, Hugh Grant plays playboy Daniel Cleaver, who has zero interest in his partner’s feelings, so much so that he cheats on Bridget more than once. Even throughoutMad About the Boy, Cleaver continues to be a playboy and refuses to settle down, dating much younger models and more.Notting Hillsees a much kinder and sensitive Hugh Grant, following him through romance and heartbreak and some heartwarming rom-com twists.
6The Holiday
The Holiday Was Released In 2006
The Holidayis a rom-com written and directed by Nancy Meyers.The Holidayfollows Iris (Kate Winslet), a columnist in London, and Amanda (Cameron Diaz), the owner of a production company in Los Angeles. After they both go through heartbreak (in very different circumstances), they find each other at ahome swap websiteand agree to switch houses for two weeks.Now in their temporary cities, Iris and Amanda find love in unexpected ways.
The Holiday’s Biggest Ending Mystery Was Already Solved 9 Years Ago (& It’s Perfect)
The Holiday’s ending, while heartwarming, left a huge mystery, but luckily, this was already solved by the director herself nine years ago.
Bridget, Amanda, and Iris have one key thing in common: they all desire a change in their lives after unpleasant events.While Bridget opts for a personal change, Iris and Amanda choose to change their environments, and just like Bridget, they end up finding the right partners for them.The Holidayhas a “feel good” vibe just like theBridget Jonesmovies, making it a fun and worthy companion to the series.
5Four Weddings and a Funeral
Four Weddings and a Funeral Was Released In 1994
Four Weddings and a Funeralis a rom-com directed by Mike Newell and written by Richard Curtis.Four Weddings and a Funeralfollows Charles (Grant), the eternal best man who is always late for weddings. Charles is accompanied by his brother David and their friends Fiona, Tom, Gareth, and Matthew, all of them unmarried but always attending their friends’ weddings. At one of these,Charles meets Carrie (Andie MacDowell), an American woman working in England, and they keep crossing paths at different events.
It’s not just how the characters are single and they all look for different things in their partners, but also the topic of grief is present when a tragedy hits the group.
Four Weddings and a Funeralis yetanother example of a very different Hugh Grant, one who is chaotic in a harmless way but still open to love. However, what makes it great to watch alongside theBridget Jonesmovies are the themes addressed in it. It’s not just how the characters are single and they all look for different things in their partners, but also the topic of grief is present when a tragedy hits the group, hence the funeral teased in the title.
4A Family Affair
A Family Affair Was Released In 2024
A Family Affairis a rom-com directed by Richard LaGravenese. It’s the story of 24-year-old Zara (Joey King), the personal assistant to demanding and self-absorbed actor Chris Cole (Zac Efron). After Zara quits and Chris goes to her house to offer her a new job,Chris meets Zara’s mother (and well-known author), Brooke (Nicole Kidman), and they end up falling for each other. Zara is unable to accept their relationship, so they keep meeting in secret.
Brooke and Chris’ relationship has different results than Bridget and Roxster’s, but both have the same concerns.
A Family Affairis one of two popular age-gap romance movies released in 2024(more on the other in a bit), and that’s exactly what makes it a good companion to theBridget Jonesseries. InBridget Jones: Mad About the Boy,Bridget has an age-gap romance with 29-year-old Roxster, and though he gets along with her children, Billy and Mabel, the former isn’t enthusiastic about his presence. Brooke and Chris’ relationship has different results than Bridget and Roxster’s, but both have the same concerns.
3The Idea of You
The Idea of You Was Released In 2024
The Idea of You is a rom-com drama directed by Michael Showalter and based on the novel of the same name by Robinne Lee.The Idea of Youfollows Solène (Anne Hathaway), a divorced gallery owner who ends up going to Coachella with her teen daughter and her friends. There she meets boy band member Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine), and to everyone’s surprise, she starts a relationship with him – but, of course, there’s a significant age gap between them.
How Old Are Anne Hathaway & Nicholas Galitzine? The Idea Of You’s Age-Gap Explained
Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine star in the age-gap romantic comedy movie The Idea of You, but how old are they compared to their characters?
UnlikeA Family Affair,The Idea of Youleans more toward drama.The Idea of Youfocuses a lot more on the obstacles and challenges that Solène and Hayes have to face due to their age difference, both the ones she faces as the oldest one in the relationship (and the one with a daughter) and the ones he faces not just for being younger but also for being a public figure. These themes, of course, are like those inBridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.
2Love Actually
Love Actually Was Released In 2003
Love Actuallyis a Christmas rom-com written and directed by Richard Curtis.Love Actuallytells the stories of different characters connected to each other in different ways. Through them,Love Actuallyshows different types and aspects of love, such as that between a rockstar and his manager, a man in love with his best friend’s wife, and a long-time marriage that falls apart due to infidelity. Like many other movies on this list,Love Actuallywasn’t a critical hit, but it was a box office success, and it has developed a loyal following.
Love Actuallyand theBridget Jonesmovie series share a couple of actors,most notably Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, and Chiwetel Ejiofor. As such,Love Actuallyis a different look at these actors, all of them going through love-related situations that are very different from their stories in theBridget Jonesseries – and, of course,Love Actuallyalso has a “feel good” vibe that matches that of theBridget Jonesmovies.
1My Big Fat Greek Wedding
My Big Fat Greek Wedding Was Released In 2002
My Big Fat Greek Weddingis a rom-com directed by Joel Zwick and written by Nia Vardalos.My Big Fat Greek Weddingfollows Toula (Vardalos), a 30-year-old Greek-American woman in a large and loud Greek family. Toula is constantly pressured by her family into finding a man and forming a family, and she longs for independence from them (and she also works at her family’s restaurant).Toula decides to turn her life around and attends the local college, gets another job, a makeover, and meets the love of her life.
My Big Fat Greek Weddingbecame a trilogy, with sequels released in 2016 and 2023.
Like Toula, Bridget wants to get herself together in every movie and turn her life around, and both she and Toula achieve it. Both women also find their perfect partners and form a family, and though Bridget doesn’t have a big and loud family, she does have her best friends who are also her family, and they are definitely loud.
