It is a truth universally acknowledged, as Bridget Jones herself might write in her diary, that at the end of any Bridget Jones movie, our heroine has triumphed over all doubts and obstacles and is finally happy — with a man.

Well, so far, with one particular man: Mark Darcy, the stuffy-yet-dashing man of her dreams.

This is not a spoiler for the new fourth movie, “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.” If you’ve seen the trailer, you’ll know that Bridget (Renée Zellweger, still pretty delightful), who finally married Mark at the end of the third film, is now a widow.

What makes “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy” especially enjoyable — and the best since the 2001 original — is that Bridget still makes us care so darned much.

There are various possible explanations for how the character endures. One is Zellweger herself, who has brought her character gracefully into her 50s, retaining Bridget’s goofiness and deep-set optimism while reflecting hard-won life experience.

And there are subtle changes to the equation. The relationships in this latest film are more interesting — old ones and new.

Bridget’s relationship with herself is more interesting, too, and healthier. Sure, she can swig a full bottle of Chardonnay on a bad night. But the smoking is gone, and so is the ridiculous weight obsession.

This latest installment, directed by Michael Morris and based on Helen Fielding’s novel (Fielding also co-wrote the script), begins four years into Bridget’s widowhood. She’s living in Hampstead with her kids.

Bridget is getting dressed for a rare night at a dinner party, awaiting the sitter. That sitter is Daniel Cleaver himself, back after missing the third film, which contained his funeral. (He wasn’t dead!) Hugh Grant is less adorable than in the beginning, more grizzled, still slightly creepy but more vulnerable — and a devoted friend.

At the party, all the couples want to know how Bridget is moving on with her life. She escapes, and at a bar later with her stalwart friend group (the gang from the previous movies), says she’s done with romance.

Of course, that will prove untrue. Bridget will meet her new love interest in the most Bridget Jones of ways: stuck awkwardly on a tree in the park, trying to rescue her children, also stuck.

To the rescue comes a dreamy park ranger (Leo Woodall), who also happens to see on Bridget’s phone that her friends have set up a Tinder account: “Tragic Widow Seeks Sexual Awakening.”

And thus, Bridget’s new love interest is 29-year-old Roxster McDuff. The two embark on a steamy courtship. But can their relationship triumph over the considerable age gap? It’s a subject — older woman, younger man — that’s a hot topic in current movies. Also raised here is the question of how one moves on from deep grief to live fully again.

The lessons of this last — or so they say — Bridget Jones chapter speak to how one adjusts expectations and finds the right way to live in the world.

It’s hard not to feel like she’s family — and to be proud of how she found her way.

MPA rating: R (for language and some sexual references)

Running time: 2:04

How to watch: Peacock