As an elder millennial, Bridget Jones is a character I’ve been familiar with for much of my life. Early aughts controversy about her being “fat” (she was not) aside, after four films and many relatable lessons, 47-year-old Bridget (Renee Zellweger) gets her groove back in Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.

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Saying Bridget has been through a lot in her career and personal life would be an understatement. From her ups and downs as a television producer to the scandalous relationship with her boss Daniel (Hugh Grant), to finally finding love with Mark Darcy… we had to know the good times could never last. And true to the book series on which the films are based, tragedy befalls our beloved Bridget when her husband Mark (Colin Firth) is killed tragically while on a business trip.

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Now a widow and a single mom-of-two, Bridget is stressed out and trying her best to raise happy and well-adjusted children: a cute little daughter named Mabel and a son named Billy who in both looks and mannerisms is the spitting image of his late father. Bridget is in a rut. She’s made a habit of showing up to her kids’ school in pajamas, much to the chagrin of Billy’s handsome yet stern teacher Mr. Wallaker (Chiwetel Ejiofor), and she is struggling to keep her head above water. Thankfully she still finds time for impromptu dance parties with her kids, because she wouldn’t be Bridget Jones without that, would she?

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It’s here in the tumultuous midpoint of Bridget’s life that she teaches us one of her most important lessons of all: you can be tired, flustered, and not super young – and still have a fun, exciting, and romantic life that’s full of adventure.

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The main promotional point of the movie is Bridget’s relationship with a younger man, Roxster (Leo Woodall), but what is more important than the relationship itself is what it represents. It shows that the pain of loss, no matter how excruciating, does ease up, and that it’s never too late to begin a new chapter. I’ve often wished there were more coming-of-age stories about people in their 30s, 40s, and beyond – and that’s what this is. Bridget Jones sweetly shows us that coming-of-age and middle age can successfully coexist.

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Bridget Jones’ fourth installment serves up a huge dose of nostalgia by bringing back most of the previous films’ usual suspects, such as Emma Thompson as Doctor Rawlings, and my personal favorite: Tom, the one-hit wonder. It also works as a story independent of Bridget’s illustrious lore since so much of what she goes through is part of the universal experience. I can confidently say that our girl Bridget is back in her best film since the very first Bridget Jones’ Diary.