On The Big Picture podcast, guest of the show Yasi Salek described the original 1998 film, Practical Magic, in the perfect way: “like Gilmore Girls but with a supernatural element.” That captures the movie exactly. It’s more about the vibe than the plot, it has the rich, warm coloring of the 90s and early 2000s, great outfits, great soundtrack, great house. Watching it feels like the changing leaves of fall and makes you want to snuggle up with a blanket and a warm cup of coffee or bowl of soup. And, at its core, it’s about sisterhood and female bonds above all else. That being said, I’d take Gilmore Girls over Practical Magic any day. I like the movie but it’s never been one from that time that’s particularly sacred to me (I have plenty of those). It’s a fine movie with entertaining performances and good witchy vibes to get into the spooky season mood, but doesn’t have much substance in its meandering plot. The film was only a modest hit upon release but gained a cult following over the years. Now, 28 years later, the sequel has arrived. And, as Variety said in their review, “sometimes the best way to let a beloved experience live on is by leaving it behind in one’s memory.” (Hey, every single studio developing remakes right now, did you hear that???)
The story of the original Practical Magic centers on a generations-old curse within the Owens family. A family of witches, they were cursed by their ancestor so that anyone they fall in love with will die. The first film seems to end with the notion that maybe the curse is broken and they can live happily ever after. Practical Magic 2 tells us that is not the case. Sally Owens’ (Sandra Bullock) second husband died shortly after the events of that movie and the curse is alive and well, now setting its sights on Sally’s daughter Kylie (Joey King) and her boyfriend Gideon (Xolo Maridueña). To complicate matters further, Sally had also cast a spell on her daughters to make them forget that they are witches in the hopes that ignoring the curse and all magic would make it go away, swearing her sister Gillian (Nicole Kidman) to secrecy as well. But Gideon’s brush with death brings everything to the surface and Kylie sets out on her own to save his life and end the curse once and for all. Sally and Gillian follow her to England, link up with British academic Ian Wright (Lee Pace), and try to track down Kylie before her newly-rediscovered powers get her into more trouble than she can handle.
The plot is fine at a glance, predictable while watching, and nonsensical once you start to poke holes or interrogate it at all. The problem (or at least one of many) is that the magic becomes the main plot driver in the sequel when, in the first film, it was merely the backdrop to a story of sisterhood. When we arrived at a third act climax scene involving people shooting magic out of their hands like this was Harry Potter or a Marvel movie or something, I knew we had really lost the plot. We barely see magic in the first film aside from making small objects move or brewing up potions. Sure, there’s a possession and a human resurrection but my point is there are very few special effects used on screen to simulate visible magic moving through the ether. Both the original film and the sequel end with a circle of women banding together to conquer an evil force (a man). Which one is better? Probably the one with earned character arcs and without a magical battle. But even having so much plot in this sequel is antithetical to the nature of the original. Not to say aimless is superior to overwrought, but at least the original had a better idea of what the selling point of the movie was: the bond between our lead sisters and lead actresses.
When Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman were cast in Practical Magic in 1998, I don’t know if anyone could have foreseen they would continue on to be two of the biggest actresses of our generation. Sandra was at the peak of her 90s powers and Nicole was just about to break huge and their star-power and chemistry radiates off the screen in that first movie. They are enough to make you momentarily forget the flighty storyline. You just want to spend time with them (and their fun aunts played by Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest, of course) having midnight margaritas. That remains true of the sequel. These two beloved stars on screen together, playing off of each other, and just having fun is the draw of the film, the only thing holding it up. Buttressed by decades of real-life friendship, the joy and chemistry between Sandra and Nicole is palpable and totally enjoyable to watch. Sandra looks absolutely incredible for 62 and I’ve missed her on my screen during her brief hiatus from acting. Nicole is on my screen every other day because the woman never stops working but she was really funny as the comedy act to Sandra’s straight man. However, because they are both so well known as stars now, it’s more noticeable when they are bringing elements of their own personalities and senses of humor into the characters. Particularly in Sandra’s case, her own personal sense of humor and speech patterns were mirrored in her performance of Sally, much more than in the original film. I don’t necessarily know if that’s a bad thing, but it did feel like a shift in the character. Meanwhile, Nicole’s partygirl Gilly doesn’t seem to have changed at all in the past 20+ years. Variety pointed out this pattern in lega-sequels, comparing it to Anne Hathaway as Andie in The Devil Wears Prada 2. Just because you’re resurrecting a character from 20 years ago doesn’t mean you have to play it the exact same way for audiences to recognize it. It’s actually weirder if the character hasn’t had any emotional growth in the time since we’ve last seen them. These “frozen in amber” archetypes are less recognizable as real people, making these lega-sequels seem all the more forced and nostalgia-baiting.
Joey King as Sally’s daughter, Kylie, is almost co-lead of the movie with Sandra and Nicole when it comes to screen time. I thought she was fine in the role but I didn’t care about her character enough to have her centered in the film. Maisie Williams as Sally’s other daughter, Antonia, on the other hand, is totally underserved by the movie. She barely gets anything to do which is sad for Maisie as an actress but also disappointing for a movie about sisterhood to not feature the sister dynamics of the next generation. Xolo Maridueña is also fine (if a bit goofy) as Gideon but also barely has any screen time while the movie’s villain, Tom Lockland portrayed effectively by Solly McLeod, seems to have more chemistry with Joey King than the actor playing her boyfriend. But besides Sandra and Nicole, the most effortless chemistry in the film comes from Sandra and Lee Pace. While I do find it somewhat perplexing that between two movies Sandra’s character has had three (3) legitimate love interests while Nicole has had one (1) abusive boyfriend, the natural sparks between Sandra and Lee made the pairing undeniable.
Practical Magic 2 is not amazing by any means but it’s not terrible. It’s unfortunate that that’s the scale we have to measure these types of movies on but, if you’re really asking me, I don’t think they should exist in the first place. So for a totally unnecessary movie to be “not terrible” is actually decent praise. The movie was cute and entertaining to watch in theaters but overlong and I doubt I’ll ever revisit it. This sequel is too visually bright and emotionally deep (or at least attempting to be) to be as fun as the original. It’s an exercise in nostalgia, trying to recapture the vibe of an era that exists partially because of the passage of time. But I will say, this is still maybe my dream house and I will also give the movie extra points for including Olivia Rodrigo’s “the cure”. It was also effective in making me excited for Halloween and witchy season but I do wish it came a little closer to that time of year because I’m not ready to transition over yet. Practical Magic 2 isn’t a waste of time, but if you’re looking for these vibes, just watch the original.
2026 Count: 71 movies, 45 seasons of television, 1 special
