The film, The Edge of Reason, is much of let-down in the ways that the first film was such a pick-me-up and success. It seems the film’s directors felt that if a line worked the first time, then it would work again. Hence, the literal delivery, the same line delivered by the same character in much the same exact scenes doesn’t work this time around, except here, the lines and the scenes are amplified to tacky and often tasteless effect. For one, there is more gratuitous foul language in this film and while that normally wouldn’t bother me, here it seems unncessary and not quite believable (why would Bridget suddenly become the sort of person who swears a lot? It’s a small personality detail, but it makes a difference if we are to believe in the character.)
Here, the plot, Bridget has finally settled down with the once-so-elusive Mark Darcy into a “real” relationship that looks to have potential until it is somewhat self-sabotaged by a series of small, but believable arguments. This, however, is complicated by the lovely and leggy Rebecca, who works with Mark and seems to show a keen interest in him, which Bridget assumes, and with reason enough, to be a full-fledged affair. Yes, her assumption does seem a bit, hasty (a voicemail left on an answering machine combined with other factors leads to this conclusion along with Mark’s seeming autistic inability to explain things as any smart guy would), but then, Rebecca also just happens to be present on a skiing trip the two take, a fact Mark neglected to mention. It makes sense that any self-respecting woman would demand an answer or at least an explanation. Since Bridget has neither (explanation/answer), she dumps Darcy, finds herself single again and back at work at her television reporting job for Sit Up Britain. This time, the hitch, the over-sexed and irascible Daniel Cleaver now also works as a television reporter and has his own program about world travel called The Smooth Guide and the caveat, Bridget’s Boss wants her to head off on a shoot to Thailand to do a co-shoot as The Smooth Guidess.
Newly single, though still hating / lusting Daniel Cleaver for past deeds, Bridget heads off to Thailand bringing along her standby and single friend Shazzer as protection (from Cleaver). It is really at the Thailand portion of the film (and the book, for that matter), that the film really begins to fall apart. It seems unlikely that Cleaver would have quit his publishing job, for one. Even more unlikely that he would find himself in the Sit Up Britain offices and somehow arranging a co-production with his ex-employee and lover, Bridget, and more, that Bridget would “just happen” to be newly single and free of her (one true) great love, Mark Darcy.
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