Moms and Dads

Single Parents Will Relate To Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy

by Alexa Villano
February 13, 2025

The fourth film in the Bridget Jones franchise, Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy, shows the challenges of being a single parent and finding love.

Being a parent is tough, especially as a single parent or widow. Bridget faces this situation in Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy, the fourth installment in the franchise.

If you are a fan of the books by Helen Fielding, you know Bridget’s (Renée Zellweger) adventures involving her two love interests, Mark Darcy and Daniel Cleaver. In Mad About The Boy, Bridget, this time, is charmed by a young man, Roxster (Leo Woodall), and finds herself in an interesting interaction with her son’s Science teacher, Mr. Wallaker (Chiwetel Ejiofor).

A single parent’s dilemma

Balancing being a mom and dad is no easy feat. Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy opens with Bridget, now a mom of two, attending to her son Billy and daughter Mabel. We discover that Bridget is a widow after her husband, Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), is killed in Sudan on a humanitarian mission.

Waking up in pajamas and with unkempt hair, Bridget’s actions concern her friends, including Dr. Rawlings, Shazzer, Jude, Tom, and Miranda. Dr. Rawlings encourages Bridget to get her life back on track. Miranda also reminds her about the outside world, telling her it is time to show herself out there.

One scene shows Bridget asking for five minutes for herself and eventually getting it, thanks to Miranda, who calms Billy and Mabel. She tries to turn things around and hires a babysitter, Chloe, whose impeccable system with her kids makes her conscious.

Chemistry and Sparks in Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy

If attending to her kids was not enough, Bridget found herself in an awkward situation. When her kids can’t go down after climbing the tree, she tries to help and is seen by Wallaker and Roxster. She refuses Wallaker’s help, and Roxster helps all three of them. Sparks fly between her and Roxster, and they exchange text messages. They go on a date and spend the night together.

The relationship ignites Bridget as she starts dressing up, fixing herself, and enthusiastically working as a producer in Miranda’s show. Her friends were initially skeptical of Roxster. But when he rescues a dog owned by one of Bridget’s colleagues, they take a liking to him.

As their relationship turns serious, Roxster suddenly gets cold feet and ignores Bridget’s messages. Confused by his sudden coldness, Bridget focuses on her work and kids. When she is invited as a guest for a show-and-tell, she finds herself in a heated discussion with Wallaker, who acted as the guest for the make-believe show.

She also gets a surprise call from her former love Daniel (Hugh Grant), who we discover has a son and is divorced. The two got to talk about the past and have since become good friends.

In a parent-teacher meeting, she and Wallaker talk, and he expresses his concern about Billy. It’s discovered that Billy misses his dad and wonders if he’s doing him proud. In that short conversation, viewers see that Wallaker seems attracted to Bridget, despite their cordial relationship.

A chance at love

When Roxster returns, he realizes he does care about Bridget and confesses his feelings. Bridget, however, realizes that as much as she loves him, he is not meant for her and doesn’t get back with him.

She then accompanies Billy’s class on a camping trip, and she and Wallaker get to know each other a bit more. After she checked on Billy’s classmates, Billy sat down with his teacher about his dad, and Wallaker assured him that Mark was proud of him no matter what.

At a school presentation, Billy surprises Bridget when he sings a song recalling her and Mark’s story. She then approaches Wallaker, who tells him that he has boosted Billy’s confidence and made Bridget understand the importance of her life with her kids. She invited him to their gathering, and before he could even talk to her further, other parents approached him.

At the pub, Bridget sees Wallaker outside, but he hesitates and leaves. Billy then points in his direction. When they finally catch each other, in between his Science babbling, Wallaker confesses his feelings to Bridget. Surprised by his confession, she kisses him, confirming her attraction and chance at love again.

Sometimes you need to put yourself out there

If the past three films showed us about Bridget’s single life, Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy tackles the decisions one makes. One scene shows her looking at Mark’s watch, one of the objects that reminds her of him. She will always love Mark but also knows she has to move on with her life for the sake of their children.

Although she had hesitations, Bridget embraced the challenge of doing better not just for her children but also for herself. After all, taking care of others starts by taking care of oneself.

Like Bridget, single parents out there looking for love need to put themselves out there. Who knows? You might meet the person you are meant to be with. After all, love is always about meeting and knowing if you do click.