Brits ‘a great distance aside on romance’ as lady evaluate themselves to Bridget Jones
A whopping 27 percent of females identified with the Renee Zellwegger character from the 2001 film about a big pant wearing, calorie obsessed singleton
BRITISH women liken themselves to hopeless-in-love Bridget Jones in the rom-com movie series, a new study reveals.(Image: Mike Partridge / SWNS)
British women liken themselves to hopeless-in-love Bridget Jones in the rom-com movie series, a new study reveals.
More than a quarter of females identified with the Renee Zellweger character from the 2001 film in a poll of UK film fans conducted for the Freeview channel Great Romance.
The results were revealed as the original Bridget Jones’ Diary comes back to UK cinemas to mark the 25th anniversary of the iconic mushy movie
Meanwhile, from a long list of lead characters, British blokes felt their attitude to love most resembled that of relationship sceptic Harry Burns, played by Billy Crystal in the 1989 classic When Harry Met Sally.
Burns famously rejects the notion that men and women can truly be friends, although eventually ties the knot with Sally – played by Meg Ryan – who he has been debating it with for 12 years.
A sixth (15%) of UK men chose Harry Burns while one in 10 saw themselves as awkwardly English William Thacker, played by Hugh Grant in the much-loved 1999 flick Notting Hill.
And rounding out the top three, a self-assured 7% of British men see themselves as Marc Darcy, the wealthy, handsome human rights lawyer played by Colin Firth in the iconic 2001 global smash Bridget Jones’ Diary. Whether their partners agree is perhaps a study in itself.
For women, 27 per cent likened their love life to Bridget Jones, while Sally Albright – played by Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally – was the second most popular choice (7%).
Joint third place sharing just 4% of the votes were Martine McCutcheon’s character Natalie from Love Actually, Meg Ryan again as Kathleen Kelly from You’ve Got Mail and Meryl Streep’s Donna Sheridan from Mama Mia.
When it comes to films that best represent Brits’ love lives, the 2016 hit How to be Single claimed top position, voted for by one in ten adults (9%).
Romantic movies are one of the most popular film choices for Brits, with the average adult watching four a month, as many as 52 per year, according to the same nationwide study.
Great Romance commissioned the research as part of their commitment to showing beloved, nostalgic romance films found on Freeview channel number 52.
The romance-centric channel shows romantic films all day, every day, including the likes of Love, Romance and Chocolate, Love by Chance and One Perfect Match.
Kate Gartland, Marketing Director at Great, said: “The top choices suggest British men and women are a long way apart on romance, but it’s reassuring to remember both Harry and Bridget do eventually find their happy ever after.”
Top 5 Romantic Movie Characters who best depict Brit’s love lives – Men
Harry Burns (When Harry Met Sally, 1989) 15%
William Thacker (Notting Hill, 1999) 10%
Mark Darcy (Bridget Jones’s Diary, 2001) 7%
Andrew Paxton (The Proposal, 2009) 6%
Charles (Four Weddings and a Funeral, 1994) 5%
Top 5 Romantic Movie Characters who best depict Brit’s love lives – Women
Bridget Jones (Bridget Jones’s Diary, 2001) 27%
Sally Albright (When Harry Met Sally, 1989) 7%
Natalie (Love Actually, 2004) 4%
Kathleen Kelly (You’ve Got Mail, 1998) 4%
Donna Sheridan (Mamma Mia, 2008) 4%
