Plot: What’s it about?
Sally and Gillian Owens are cursed. Actually, all of the Owens women are cursed. A centuries old curse by an ancestor that states when an Owens woman falls in love, the guy is gonna die, sooner or later, usually the former. Oh yeah, one little minor detail I forgot…the Owens women, they’re witches. Yeah. So anyway, even though Sally (Sandra Bullock) is very talented at her magic, she refuses to use it, but Gillian (Nicole Kidman) loves to flaunt her tricks all the time. They live with their aunts (Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest), and the entire town in which they live gossips about them non stop. To make things short and sweet, Gillian is a slut who goes through men like a hot knife through butter, and finally meets a man who just might make her settle down. But, he’s an abusive type, and starts beating her and what not. Sally comes to the rescue, and the two sisters accidentally kill the man. They use their supernatural powers to bring him back to life, but then they kill him again. They bury him in the yard, thinking he’s gone for good, but his spirit haunts the house, coming after Gillian. There’s a probing cop looking for the man, and he is very suspicious of the sisters. The man’s spirit takes over Gillian’s body, and Sally can’t save her sister alone. The aunts have a plan, but it might take the whole town to save Gillian…
Practical Magic is at heart a romantic comedy, as Sally searches for her true love, but worries about the curse taking him away from her. It also looks in-depth at female relationships, be it the aunts, Sally and Gillian, or the women in the town. That being said, yes this movie packs a powerful estrogen punch, but I think guy will enjoy it too. It’s better to watch with a female than alone, but this is not a “chick flick,” it’s a light hearted comedy with some supernatural moments. The film has a cool visual style to it, with excellent framing and camera work. This is at times a very funny movie, and even has some decent suspense in certain parts. Now, On The Waterfront, this is not. Very airy and paper thin, this movie deals with sappy subject matter, and lacks character depth I would have liked to have seen. But, for romantic comedy fans, like myself, this film offers a fresh spin on the genre, so you’ll end up liking it after all.
The cast of is excellent, a nice ensemble to back up the two main stars. Sandra Bullock gives her usual decent performance, but like most of her characters, Sally is never explored at all. This shines badly on Bullock, but it’s not her fault, this is more of a surface picture than a character study. Nicole Kidman is delightful in this movie, bringing a very entertaining character into the mix. She uses her sexual charisma to the fullest, and really steals the show from Bullock. Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest play the aunts with a wonderful charm, and bring some great laughs to the movie. Also appearing on the cast are Chloe Webb, Aidan Quinn, Evan Rachel Wood, and Goran Visnijic. All in all, a funny movie, filled with charm and wit. If you like light comedies with a twist, check this one out.
Video: How does it look?
This film was one of the early day-and-date releases to the then fledgling DVD format. Flash forward nearly three decades and we’ve now got this in 4K and depending on your view of plastic surgery, both Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock look…pretty much the same. Granted this is a review of the film and not how these two stars have aged (or lack thereof) since its release. The 2.39:1 HEVC 4K image looks a lot more clean, dirt and debris are gone, detail has been improved and the color spectrum has a lot more range. It’s odd that so many “little” things can make for an overall very pleasing image. If you’ve been waiting for this in 4K – that wait is over and I’d say it was worth it.
Audio: How does it sound?
This isn’t the kind of film that’ll shake the walls, though there is an exorcism scene that I found pretty intense. We’ve got a new Dolby Atmos track that’s sure to leave an impact on the viewer, but by and large this is a dialogue-driven film and it’s before Nicole Kidman started whispering all of her lines to sound more American. At least that’s my take. Surrounds are prevalent, but not overpowering. It’s a good-sounding track that’ll satisfy.
Supplements: What are the extras?
All of the supplements from the original disc have made the leap and we’ve even got a new one to boot.
- Audio Commentary – Director Griffin Dunne, producer Denise Di Novi, star Sandra Bullock and composer Alan Silvestri combine for a track that’s good, but not great. Dunne tends to dominate it, but it’s also nice to hear from a producer/actor and composer perspective.
- The Power of Practical Magic – This is the lone, newly-produced feature that’s more of a retrospective on the film. We see some familiar faces (some have aged, others have…not) as they regale us with tales from the set and what makes the movie so memorable.
- Casting the Spell – Director Griffin Dunne and producer Denise Di Novi, along with stars Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Aidan Quinn and Goran Visnjic, reflect on the joys of bringing Practical Magic to life.
- Making Magic – We go behind the scenes with the cast and crew of Practical Magic as they share their insights on bringing Alice Hoffman’s novel to the screen.
The Bottom Line
I’ve never quite seen the appeal in this one. I’m a fan of both Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock, but I never really could get into it. While it’s nice to have this in a 4K edition and with a new supplement, I feel it’ll sit on my shelf for quite some time before it gets another viewing.
