Practical Magic (1998) – Film Review

Director: Griffin Dunne
Cast: Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Stockard Channing
Certificate: 12

By Roger Crow

Some films just pass you by, like a stealth camper van in a supermarket car park. They have mass, weight and some aesthetic appeal, but you just ignore them, even when Hollywood megastars Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman are driving said ‘vehicle.’

Director Griffin Dunne’s 1998 fantasy stars Ms Bullock and Ms Kidman as Sally and Gillian Owens, sisters descended from a long line of witches. The Owens women possess magical powers, but live under a curse: any man who falls in love with one of them is destined to die.

Sally responds by craving an ordinary life. Gillian runs in the opposite direction, leaving home in pursuit of excitement and unsuitable men. Inevitably, the sisters are reunited by a crisis involving Gillian’s violent boyfriend Jimmy Angelov (Goran Višnjić). An attempt to solve that problem with magic only creates a much larger one.

“Never settles”

It might sound like a great proposition on paper, boasting enormously charismatic stars, an eccentric pair of witchy aunts, a desirable seaside house and a plot involving romance, sisterhood, murder and the supernatural. Alas, there are too many ingredients in Practical Magic’s cauldron, and it never settles on what sort of film it wants to be.

A cosy comedy about an unconventional family one minute, a story about bereavement or domestic abuse the next. Throw in a murder farce, a police procedural, a love story and finally a possession horror and the resulting brew is very strange indeed.

Based on Alice Hoffman’s novel, the resulting concoction is usually what happens when too many producers and stars have their say on a project, therefore diluting whatever terrific mixture could have worked.

It’s not a bad film, and certainly boasts a terrific cast, including Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest, playing aunts Frances and Jet. Their mischief works wonders, though, as ever, Bullock and Kidman are the real reason the film almost works.

Alas, Aidan Quinn’s investigating policeman pretty one dimensional, and I spent most of the film waiting for it to get going, but that third act was a bit of a damp Catherine wheel when it should have sparked beautifully.

“Added bonus”

Practical Magic opened at number one in America, but earned only around $68 million worldwide during its original run, against a reported production budget of roughly $75 million. Financially, it did not so much demand a sequel as leave the possibility looking faintly absurd. And yet here we are. Twenty-eight years later, Practical Magic 2 has opened at the top of the North American box office with an estimated $30 million, also taking approximately $46 million worldwide over its first weekend.

I’m sure generations of fans of the original, who have no doubt enjoyed the movie most Halloweens for years, will have a great time, but I won’t be rushing to see the sequel, despite the presence of two of the finest actresses of their generation.

On the plus side, it looks and sounds about as good as a 1998 movie can look after the 4K UHD transfer. So, a little grainy in places, but sadly not as polished as most of the 007 Blu-rays from a few years ago. And there’s also the added bonus of Faith Kill’s killer track ‘This Kiss’, which shoehorned the phrase ‘centrifugal motion’ into a song with amazing dexterity.

Roger Crow( Writer )

Adopted Yorkshireman Roger Crow developed a passion for film and TV in the 1970s and 1980s. He has been a published film and TV reviewer since the 1990s; a world travel and restaurant critic since the noughties, and for the past decade has assessed the pros and cons of live gigs and theatre productions around the UK. His ideal day would involve reviewing a performance of Bat Out of Hell, followed by a Pad Thai while being serenaded by Texas on a cruise around Europe.
crowsfeat.com; nostalgiahhh film podcast

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