Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)

Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001) changed everything. The novel this movie is adapted from launched the “chick lit” revolution, and brought new words into the vernacular, such as singleton, which sounds a lot nicer that spinster, which is what it means. The movie, of course, was inevitable. The casting of Renee Zellweger, however, was perfect. She embodies just the sassy, average girl body that is not model-thin, but moan-making in her womanly curves, which she shows off amply here (though, sadly, never nakedly). The premise is deceptively simple: a year’s worth of diary entries as our heroine seeks to improve herself and her love life. Those are the solid bones on which this fleshy treat hangs. Renee even beefs up to add heft to the part, but it’s anonymous unknowns who give us brief skin.