There are three kinds of sequels. The good ones, the bad ones, and the ones nobody asked for. Somewhere down the motion picture studio production line, somebody thought it would be a good idea to do a follow-up to 1998’s “Practical Magic.”
Here’s the catch, “Practical Magic” was a critical and box office failure. Allegedly, it had developed a cult following over the years because of home video, but the first time I read about this specific aspect of its legacy was in the publicity for the new sequel, which is titled “Practical Magic 2” and is playing in theaters. Ah, those clever little publicity gremlins at Warner Bros. Pictures.
Regardless, there was supposedly high demand for a sequel. In today’s Hollywood publicity mill, 16 sixteen-year-olds dancing coordinately in a social media video is considered a groundswell.
The first “Practical Magic” was billed as an “American fantasy romantic comedy drama,” therefore touching upon a number of genre bases that ultimately didn’t appeal to enough people. “Practical Magic 2” is being called an “American romantic fantasy film.” Somewhere along the way, it lost the descriptive words comedy and drama. How should we describe it? Well, it is a movie, of that we can be certain, but it’s not much of anything and too much of what it offers. Which, as I just wrote, is “not much of anything.”
The original “Practical Magic, which clocked in at 104 minutes and cost $60 million to make, told the story of the Owens sisters of Massachusetts. They are the free-spirited Gillian (Nicole Kidman) and the straitlaced Sally (Sandra Bullock), who were raised from childhood by their spinster aunts Frances (Stockyard Channing) and Jet (Dianne Wiest). As with all of the women in their family, the aunts were victims of a curse, which ensured that something horrible would eventually befall anyone with whom they fell in love. As the original story played out, the audience realized that all four of the women truly were cursed witches.
Both films are based on books by Alice Hoffman, with the new edition being drawn from her 2021 novel “The Book of Magic.” Running 130 minutes, “Practical Magic 2” cost $75 million to make and is playing in theaters. From a production standpoint, it doesn’t look expensive, but I did feel its extended length. Why? Because not much is different from the first feature, except that every adult is infinitely older, practically 30 years older, and that includes Gillian and Sally, as well as Aunt Frances and Aunt Jet. The aunts are still capable of telling delightful tall tales about life, and they look suitably elderly. For some reason, actresses Bullock and Kidman often look younger than they did in the first film.
Director Susanne Bier and her three screenwriters, Akiva Goldsman, Georgia Pritchett, and Kelly Marcel, have no qualms about exploiting the past. However, the past wasn’t all that interesting. Yes, men were cursed and bad things happened to them, but there is a rickety bit of flat tire-rumbling in the sequel’s attempt to reconfigure what came before.
The nasty fate that befalls the men in the Owens family is still hanging over everyone’s heads. Sally, a widow, has two daughters, Antonia (Maisie Williams) and Kylie (Joey King). Sally makes a portentous decision. She decides that she is giving up on romance. She also casts a spell on her girls so they will no longer have deep and depressing thoughts about being witches. Does it work? Kylie is dating a young fellow named Gideon (Xolo Mariduena), who adores her. She says: “I love you.” Before you can say “Bell, Book and Candle,” Gideon falls into a coma.
Mama Sally is bereft and she searches for a spell to save Gideon. It’s off to London. As in England, not Ontario. The movie has worn out its welcome in Massachusetts. New surroundings, new hopes, and new people are necessary. The already overstuffed film gets overly crowded with characters. The creaky screenplay can’t handle the chaos. It’s as if we’re watching all of them wrangling cats. Yes, of course there is a cat. Gillian has a favorite pet. She and Sally desperately try to resolve the latest convoluted crisis that has befallen them.
In England, they encounter some interesting men. Uh-oh. Run, guys, run. None of the men are all that impressive, but they are around. Then something concrete and potentially constructive happens. Sally and Gillian meet the handsome and sexy Ian Wright. Get it? Say mister and then his last name. I groaned at that point in this three-ring circus of a movie.
Wright is a very scholarly academic whose special field is the dark arts. You know what I mean: magic, witchcraft, and all of that hocus-pocus stuff. Wright is played by Lee Pace, whose delightful performance very nearly saves the film. His good looks and dashing style have Sally reconsidering her pledge of no more romance. They really do make for a good team. Additional scenes between Sally and Ian would have been quite helpful.
The acting by the primary female cast, all six of them, is good. It was lovely to see Wiest and Channing, who are genuinely accomplished actresses who always disappear wonderfully into whatever roles they are acting. Regarding Kidman and Bullock, although they are playing virtual copies of their original characters, they manage to deliver satisfying performances. As noted, Pace offered hope that the movie could be saved. Unfortunately, it couldn’t, but I point to him for altering the meandering flow of this unnecessary motion picture. However, regarding director Bier, she didn’t seem to know how to approach the material and where to go with it. While watching “Practical Magic 2,” I noticed that a strong understanding of whimsical fantasy was missing. Sequels are tough cinematic nuts to crack. The supernatural realm is clearly not Bier’s forte.