The treat of the film both then and now is the chemistry of Taggart and Arkin as the parents. Their part of the plot is window dressing, but it’s done so well, it lifts the rest of the material.
Ultimately this is the story about Bridget Jones and Mark Darcy. In that respect, it feels more stilted than ever. Someone took happily ever after and broke it up only so they could make a couple of sequels. If it were only possible to make a happily ever after sequel that didn’t involve the split ups.