Practically Magical Again

Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman Making Midnight Margaritas for PM2

Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman stir up the same magical potion of chemistry for the return, almost 30 years later, to the Owens family that captivated audiences back in the day. Yes, this review will contain spoilers so…SPOILER ALERT. There is just no way for me to review this film in detail and critique it as I like to do without going into the details. Now, before you all run off who don’t want specific plot point discussions, I will go ahead and grade this film a B plus. Let me be frank and say I was not one of the fanatics of this original piece to which this film is a sequel, (and we will get into whether anyone asked for this one later), but here I am because these two actresses are two of the best leading ladies and physical comedians onscreen of our time. Bullock can improv with the best and make brilliant throwaway lines that hijack a scene and take it into a totally different direction, often leaving the audience in stitches. Kidman is quite the clown under the mask of a great beauty, and she loves to surprise with her comic chops, showcasing a range that balances both heartfelt moments and genuine humor. There is a running joke with her suitcases where she shows the physical comedy chops of John Ritter and I just about lost it every time she struggled with her luggage from locale to locale, (I noticed I was the only one laughing in the theatre, there is no accounting for poor taste and people being ignorant of references) and she was a scream! Aided again by screen icons Stockard Channing and Diane Wiest who provide the dramatic inciting incident and add depth and gravitas to the narrative, this venture into the Owens Family curse brings along a few delightful twists and unexpected turns that enhance the already rich storyline. Moreover, the film explores themes of sisterhood, love, and the complexities of family relationships, prompting viewers to reflect on their own connections while being entertained by the delightful blend of magic and mayhem. Women and all their variations of age, young girl, middle age, older grandma/aunt- and to put it bluntly, virgin, whore, crone to put it in the male gaze vernacular – are presented and turned on their head a bit.

By now, any fan of the film knows the big news,

Cast of Practical Magic 2, but we are missing one person…

Evan Rachel Wood was replaced by Joey King in the role of Kylie.

It is odd since though Wood is older by 12 years, she looks to be college age -18-25. That was the reason the director gave for recasting her in the role, that she did not look college-age, and the book/script required her to be so. This seems like the kost ridicukous excuse considering the Tinder Swindler” conviced 50 year old women to give up their money freely and that is what this college age woman does in the film, foolishly believe a handsome stranger abroad- which gets her into some demonic/dark side trouble concenring powers she has that she does not understand.

No, age cannot be the reason. I think a PLAUSIBLE reason for why the director may not have wanted Evan Rachel Wood to reprise her role is that she – perhaps even more than Kidman and Bullock is a visual reminder of the past and the strong plot of the first film, with points we have to forget the characters have learned for this plot to work. For this plot to make sense, not only do we have to suspend our disbelief- I mean they are witches and magic etc, but we have to forget that we know what the chracters know from the previous film- what they have learned we have to believe they have unlearned. Even the Bullock and Kidman characters. Despite the convenient “forgetting spell” their mother cast in an effort to save them from harm, the daughters have seen too much to not remember something from the “jumping/lying off the roof for the whole town, their aunt being possessed by the demon of the man her aunts killed and buried, and the Karens of the town all bringing brooms over to exorcise the demon and set him back to hell. I dont think a spell can make you forget all that, and it turns out, I was right as memories of her magic start to come back to Kylie as she is beguiled and bewitched by the book of dark magic.

There is a very pretty baddie character and a false baddie character, and I will not ruin those, you get to choose which one you think is which.

All in all Bullock and Kidman carry the film with their strong chemistry that makes them movie stars. You cannot take your eyes off their charm, empathetic eyes, wit, and charisma. You believe the ridiculous and wacky and sometimes scary and creepy and downright spooky “witchy” 😉 situations they get themselves into because of their acting and charismatic prowess. Where the script fails (and it often does), their sheer willpower keeps you engaged and along for the ride. What I also noticed was director Susanne Bier and her choice of silence in scenes. That is something so missing from American films these days. She is not afraid to let the acting do the work. There is a scene with Bullock and Pace in a pub near the end of the movie that is stunning because their acting beats do the work and not underscoring or background noise. Kudos to the Oscar winning director for trusting her old pros to fill the silence with acting. What a concept! I had so much fun and teared up for the controversial ending. I won’t give too much away, but like the original, it is NOT a film for children. Several mothers brought kids, and there are scary witch battles, dark magic, and risqué scenes. This is to be expected if you remember the original film. I give it a Bplus and not an A minus only because the script drags in some places and fisnishes strong but has some scenes that needed to be cut far shorter and interesting scenes that needed to be much longer. It had some odd editing in places. This is NOT Hocus Pocus ok? Go see the film and support women directors, actors, and producers- Kidman and Bullock produced this movie. It is a wonderful intro to the Fall spooky season. I did not ask for this film, but I am surely glad to be with the Owens Sisters again.