I’ve never been big on spooky season. However, I have always enjoyed Practical Magic. The witchy 1998 drama blended romance and sisterhood into an entertaining brew, and now definitely feels like the right time of year to finally get a sequel. Though the story needs improvement, Practical Magic 2 conjures viewing pleasure through the chemistry among the actors and the strong production design.
Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman are back as Sally and Gillian Owens. When we left these tight-knit sisters, young widow and mother Sally (Bullock) had opened herself up to love again despite the curse that haunted their family for centuries. Any man who loved an Owens woman was doomed to die. But Sally’s new love, Gary (Aidan Quinn), didn’t believe in curses and her bond with Gillian could see her through anything. Especially after Sally helped Gillian free herself from an abusive (and accidentally dead) ex-boyfriend. These two were sisters and witches above all.
Given that it’s been 28 years since the first film, the plot of Practical Magic 2 was naturally going to try to expand to incorporate Sally’s daughters into the narrative. The script does not accomplish this smoothly. The cast and the design of the film do a lot to draw the audience in, though.
MORE: If you want refresher course about this film, just read our breakdown of Everything We Know About Practical Magic 2!
“No magic is stronger than sisterhood.”
Pairs of sisters are a trademark of the Owens family. Sally and Gillian were raised by their aunts, Jet (Dianne Wiest) and Franny (Stockard Channing), and now Sally’s daughters, Kylie (Joey King) and Antonia (Maisie Williams), are young women making their way in the world. One strength of the first film was the way the story emphasized how this connection had power. The story in this film shifts toward a mother and daughter’s relationship, and that inconsistency is a flaw. I understand you don’t sideline Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman for a younger generation. But the theme of the sisterly bond isn’t as well supported as it is in the first film.
One reason why that happened is because of the plot itself. A prologue informs us that Sally lost Gary, just like her first husband, and her pain led her to shut magic out of her life for good. That included not telling her daughters about magic at all. She had the same reaction against magic when she lost her first husband, so this fits her character. The problem comes when Kylie falls in love. Shortly after Kylie and her boyfriend Gideon (Xolo Mariduena) exchange “I love yous” for the first time, he is hit by a car and ends up in a coma. I know Sally was trying to protect her daughter. But keeping the truth from Kylie was too naive, particularly because Sally has lost more than one love to the curse.
MORE: Reminisce about our first glimpse of the Owens sisters’ return by reading our thoughts about Nicole Kidman’s sharing a first look at the production of Practical Magic 2!
“You came for the wrong family.”
This doesn’t let Kylie off the hook, though. Her behavior after learning the truth is irritating. I realize she is grieving, but to blame her mother to the point of not speaking to her feels extreme. Like the drama has been accentuated on purpose instead of building a natural conflict. Remember in the first film, when Kylie insisted her mother couldn’t understand when the other kids picked on her, though we know Sally went through the exact same thing? With the same taunting rhyme and everything? It’s like Kylie hasn’t matured that much since then. It doesn’t help that King, though talented, doesn’t have much commanding presence.
In fact, most of the supporting cast can’t steal any focus from Bullock and Kidman’s movie-star auras. They’ve reached the pinnacle of their profession for a reason. Mariduena is the younger cast member who makes the best impression. There’s an appeal about him that makes you care, overcoming the fact that he spends most of the film unconscious in a hospital bed. I’m so glad he’ll be back as Blue Beetle in future DCU projects! Other new cast members have to do their best with characters who aren’t very interesting. Even Lee Pace can’t do much to distinguish his character outside of being Bullock’s new love interest. I missed character actors Margo Martindale and Chloe Webb from the first film, too.
MORE: The world of Practical Magic has always been about sisterhood and we had thoughts all about that topic in the first film!
“The past won’t be silenced.”
All of this doesn’t diminish the entertaining elements of this film. Bullock and Kidman are still a fabulous combination, and the references to the first film (midnight margaritas!) are fun. Also, even though director Susanne Bier doesn’t craft any ostentatious camera work or anything, she knows what the aesthetic here should be and she makes sure it ends up on screen. Most of that comes through the sets and costumes. The Owens house is as beautiful as ever, and I’d love to live in it. I like that the locations expand in this film to include England. I guess that’s what they mean when they say sequels should go bigger.
Besides that, other flaws in the script are minimized next to a few good choices. It is completely in character for the Kylie we know from both films to immediately rush off to break her family’s curse. I like how distant Owens family history is brought to bear on the resolution. Plus, you know what? Seeing the Owens women fighting for each other and protecting each other is everything. Practical Magic 2 gives us that, just like the first film did. The film’s imperfections do exist. But so do its pleasures, and in the end, the film offers more to enchant than not.
Practical Magic 2 is now playing in theaters.
