Review: 'Practical Magic 2' isn't a sequel we needed, 28 years later, but Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman make some sisterly magic
I had utterly forgotten about “Practical Magic,” the 1998 darkish comedy with Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as sisters who were witches and living under a curse that killed any man who fell in love with them. I found my review in the archives and discovered I hated the movie, giving it a paltry 1½ stars.
So it was a pleasant surprise, albeit a small one, that “Practical Magic 2” wasn’t the unnecessary slog of a legacy sequel I feared it would be — but instead a fairly enjoyable reunion with two charming actors 28 years after they first teamed up.
The curse on the Owens women remains strong, as the first scene shows Sally Owens (Bullock’s character) and Gillian (Kidman) at the grave of Sally’s second husband, Gary — the part Aidan Quinn played in the first movie. Graveside, Sally extracts a promise from Gilly, that she will never tell her daughters that they are witches. Sally has suppressed her magic abilities ever since.
Cut to an indeterminate number of years later, and Sally is organizing a family party for their aunt, Jet (Dianne Wiest), who continues to live with her sister, Aunt Franny (Stockard Channing). Gilly arrives late, and Sally’s adult daughters — doctor-in-training Antonia (Maisie Williams) and art history student Kylie (Joey King) — arrive just a bit later. A surprise guest arrives: Gideon (Xolo Maridueña, from “Blue Beetle”), Kylie’s boyfriend.
There’s another unwanted guest: A death beetle, whose clicking indicates that someone in the house will die soon. Jet knows it’s her turn to go, and she passes shortly after the birthday party. Jet leaves gifts for everyone, with a special one for Franny. It’s a book of magic spells that might, if worked properly, hold the secret to lifting the family curse.
The secret is soon needed, when Gideon is hit by a car and put in a coma — the day after Kylie finally said she loves him. Gilly forces Sally to reveal the family secret to Kylie and Antonia, and a distraught and desperate Kylie grabs the magic book and heads to London. Sally and Gilly follow her, leaving Antonia to watch over Gideon (and leaving poor Williams abandoned for most of the movie).
In London, the Owens women meet two men who become important to the story: Prof. Ian Wright (Lee Pace), an expert in witchcraft in general and the Owens’ legend in particular; and Tom Lockland (Solly McLeod, from “House of the Dragon”), who tends to the manor where the sisters’ ancestor lived and died, starting the curse.
Director Susanne Bier, who worked with Bullock on the apocalyptic “Bird Box,” creates the best moments when each pair of sisters — Sally and Gilly, Jet and Franny, and Kylie and Antonia — pair off, demonstrating that the sisterly bond is the purest form of magic. This pays off particularly well with Bullock and Kidman, who have a loose chemistry that wasn’t so evident in their first pairing 28 years ago. King (in the role Evan Rachel Wood played at age 11) carries her half of the movie quite well, too.
“Practical Magic 2” has its share of flaws, mostly in the cobbled together script (credited to three writers) and in the unnecessary fan service references that I’m guessing few fans will actually remember. It’s not a movie we needed, but as long as it’s here, it’s enough to enjoy Bullock and Kidman making a little magic.
——
‘Practical Magic 2’
★★★
Opens Friday, September 11, in theaters everywhere. Rated PG-13 for some violent content, suggestive material and brief strong language. Running time: 130 minutes.