The “Bridget Jones” franchise is long beloved by fans, due in extremely large part to Renée Zellweger’s portrayal of the title character. So, yes, the actress was a resource director Michael Morris turned to a lot while making the fourth film — and there was one particular insight from the Oscar winner that he says unlocked the whole thing.

I wish "Mad About the Boy" took more aggressive fun in plugging Bridget into the fads and tropes of the present day. The movie, by design, has a sentimental middle-aged softness to it. It's the first "Bridget Jones" movie to be released on a streaming platform (in this case,