Practical Magic

Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest indulge in some "Practical Magic," a 1998 film directed by Griffin Dunne. Bullock and Kidman play sisters, Sally and Gillian, both of whom are witches. One (Kidman) is free-wheeling and out in the world, and Bullock is a widowed mother with children who refuses to have anything to do with magic. One of their ancestors put a curse on any man involved with a woman in her family, and the curse lost the sisters their father and Bullock's husband. Her two aunts, however, Francis and Bridget (Channing and Wiest) still practice their spells. When Gillian takes up with the wrong man (again) (Goran Visjnic), she calls Sally. As a result of Sally's help, they find themselves in a lot of trouble and have to take drastic measures. Things don't work out as planned.

I'm not sure what the problem is - it appears that some people on IMDb expect every film to be Magnolia, and if it isn't, they reject it as junk. This movie is what it is intended to be - light, with some suspense, some scares, some fun, lots of warmth, and great characters. If you read the book, disappointment is more understandable, and I feel your pain.

The acting is excellent, with four top actresses as the stars, and the relationships between them are excellent as well. As others have mentioned, the best part of the film is when they start calling neighbors so they can have a coven.

Highly recommended.

I hate using labels like "chick flick", but one look at the IMDb voting demographics shows that this is literally a chick flick. As of the time I'm writing this, females rate it nearly 2 points higher than males, and in the under 18 group it's even more exaggerated.

Well I'm a guy, and I dug it. If you're flexible enough to appreciate the macho man cheesiness of "Commando" (like Arnold Schwarzenegger riding on the landing gear of a Boeing 747) as well as the chick flick cheesiness of "Pretty Woman" (like Richard Gere riding on the sunroof of a white limo) ...both of which are equal in amounts of cheese but from different perspectives... then I think you can have a fun time watching "Practical Magic". Why? Because it seems to hit us with both extremes.

On the surface, the story seems to be brewing a sinister dark comedy: the Owens women just can't seem to keep men long before they kick the bucket. Tons of potential for a slightly demented "Beetlejuice" kinda story, or even "Heathers". But instead of going in that direction (i.e. treating death as crazy joke), "Practical Magic" takes it quite seriously and is not afraid to get pretty sentimental on the subject. In other words, it takes a very morbid "guy flick" story but treats it with "chick flick" sensitivity.

And that's just the beginning. We haven't gotten to the other dark themes of wife beating, alcohol abuse, sexual promiscuity, murder and re-murder. So, you ask, if it has all these disturbing themes and refuses to make light of them, how the heck can this be a comedy? The answer is that the leading ladies, not just Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman but also their crazy aunts played by Stockard Channing and Diane Wiest, act their roles with playful humor and endearing wit. It reminded me a little of "Sex and the City", the way the stories can be downright upsetting, but the humor comes in the way the characters behave despite it all. "Practical Magic" doesn't rely on a silly story for its laughs but instead lets the acting pave the way for levity.

Roger Ebert gave this movie a mostly negative review, saying "the movie doesn't seem sure what tone to adopt, veering uncertainly from horror to laughs to romance." But I think Ebert failed to see that the film's charm is the fact that the characters can indulge in laughs and romance *despite* the horror.

Ebert also criticized: "'Practical Magic' is too scary for children and too childish for adults. Who was it made for?" The answer is it's made for adults who can indulge in childishness. Basically if you get the gist of my review, it's the idea that this film is an unexpected blend of opposites. I have to admit it caught me off guard for a while, but I eventually figured out the rhythm and had a fun ride.

Do NOT expect a sinister, dark comedy. Do NOT expect a totally light-hearted silly romp either. The best way I can describe it would be to compare it to some of the 80s horror-comedies like "Fright Night", "Vamp" or even "Gremlins" but with a dash of "Thelma & Louise". Throw em all together in a giant cauldron and have some fun.

Finally.....

Through this autumn's movie mediocrity, comes a fresh, fun and deliciously wicked movie by acclaimed actor/director Griffin Dunne. I must first point out that I did not read the book... and also that I am male (drawing attention to this fact since most of my male friends would not be caught DEAD in a male-bashing, chick flick dark comedy that reeks in the celebration of womankind!)

Sondra Bullock and Nicole Kidman are devilishly sexy as the spell-casting sisters doomed to be single for the rest of their natural life... and Stockard Channing and Diane Weist are also enchanting as their aunts that have raised them on chocolate cake and midnight margaritas! Aidan Quinn rounds out the superb cast as a detective determined to find out the truth behind the disappearance of a wanted killer.

With a terrific soundtrack and an equally impressive musical score, Practical Magic will surprise and delight many a filmgoer who delves into the fantasy and fun of being bewitched!

Let me start by saying that, overall, this was a pretty good movie. I'm usually not that interested in romantic comedies, but this is one of the better ones. I think the more important aspect of this movie, though, is how it presents modern Paganism (Wicca, in particular).

Coming from a Pagan point of view myself, I've been waiting for this movie to come out with many mixed feelings and misgivings. I was hoping that it wouldn't be another typical witch movie and I must say that I was really pleasantly surprised. It did glamorize the workings of the Wiccan Craft quite a bit, but that's to be expected. How many movies are there that don't do that to their subjects? Take X-files...I'm positive that there's a lot more paperwork than action in the FBI, but you can't make a movie out of filling out forms. If you look past the flashy stuff that was put in to draw audiences and make the movie appeal to the general public, you find a well-researched representation of what Pagans do day-to-day. So even though it wasn't totally true to today's form of Paganism, I must say that it was a step in the right direction of overcoming all the negative PR that Pagans have had to endure all these years. This is the kind of thing that is needed to convince the mass populace that we are not better or worse or dangerous, but just different. So, please, support this movie as part of the on-going campaign to get all of us out of the broom closet.

This is a "fun" movie, surprising and funny but much more for adults than children- it's too scary and graphic for little ones. Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman give star-powered performances- both deliver the goods here and you'll enjoy it whether you're fans of them or if you're not. They're simply charming and as much as people may want to dislike Kidman for being Ms. Cruise, she again proves she's a star in her own right.

Forget the critics and the Be-faithful-to-the-book drones, this is a good movie- hip, edgy and sometimes spooky. If this was a movie made by two unknown actresses, it would be a "gem" critics would recommend to audiences, but for some reason with Bullock and Kidman, it gets reviewed on a different scale and ends up short for people. Forget all that- it's great entertainment with yes, two pretty big stars- but they can't help that so get over it and enjoy the movie for what it is- a real "gem."