Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason reminded me of that classic scene from Annie Hall where Woody Allen is trying to duplicate that magic moment in the kitchen with the lobsters that he'd once shared with Diane Keaton. The scene where we learn that magic is a pretty tricky thing to recreate. The second go round with Bridge and the gang was another such lesson - only this one lasted pretty much the full length of the film. The original film is dear to my heart and I consider it to be among the top 10 greatest romantic comedies of all time, but when you consider what a disappointment the book itself was, I didn't exactly have high hopes for The Edge of Reason and I pretty much got what I was expecting.

It was painfully obvious that the sequel's creators were dead set on taking every element that worked so smashingly in the original and running it back up the flag-pole. As a result much of what's on display in the sequel feels like uninspired rehash and much of what passes for a whole new chapter in this story comes off as labored contrivance. All just obvious set-ups designed to allow the characters to jump through the same hoops that were so delightful in the original, but so stillborn in the sequel. None of the chief players were given the chance to develop in any significant way, thus the performances were spotty carbon copies from the original.

To be fair, I will say it was nice to revisit these characters that I feel I know so intimately (I must have seen the original at least 20 times), but other than the odd surprise here and there, everything about the follow-up was predictable and thin. The excuse cooked up to throw Bridget back into Hugh Grant's clutches, was weak at best, and I couldn't help but notice how godawful Grant looked throughout the picture. Every time he was on screen I couldn't help but notice how drawn and bloodshot he looked - like he was in some sort of perpetual hangover. Actually a reasonable assumption given the material he was expected to work with. Of all the cast, Grant looked the least interested in trying to get the thing the craft off the ground again - the boyish guile and undeniable charm he brought to the party in the original, looked as if it had been bled out of him by leaches.

As for the Midnight Express scenario that ultimately brings our two star-crossed lovers back into step seemed a pretty desperate stretch and even the moments where Bridge bonded with her fellow cell-mates failed to give this flaccid mess the shot in the arm it needed. I guess I felt the most sorry for Zellwegger - after all she had to pack on the requisite 25 pounds again (which she certainly did manage to shed in record time) given the tepid nature of the project it hardly seemed worth all the binging and purging.

You can't really fault the producers for pushing for a sequel, after all it was based on a best-selling novel - rather than a hastily lashed-together screenplay, I guess the problem really lies in the regrettable fact that the book itself felt about like a cheap bid to cash-in rather than a genuinely inspired literary effort. Myself, I'm just going to back away from the Edge and just watch the original again. It's all that's needed to cleanse one's palette and the beauty part is that I don't even have to go to the video store - for some Reason I'm in possession of two copies of it.