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. Practical Magic 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 Practical Magic is excellent, a nice ensemble to back up the two main stars. Sandra Bullock (Speed, While You Were Sleeping) 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 (Eyes Wide Shut, Far And Away) 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 (Grease, Safari 3000) and Dianne Wiest (Bullets Over Broadway, The Associate) play the aunts with a wonderful charm, and bring some great laughs to the movie. Also appearing on the cast are Chloe Webb (Twins, Sid and Nancy), Aidan Quinn (Michael Collins, This Is My Father), Evan Rachel Wood (Digging To China), and Goran Visnijic (Welcome To Sarajevo). 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?
The visual transfer looks excellent, in a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. This is one good transfer, even the print looks gorgeous. Colors look rich and full, with no bleeding or oversaturation to be found. Black levels are correct, no detail loss present at all. Flesh tones look natural, and no serious compression errors were present.
Audio: How does it sound?
During the exorcism scene, the sound fires up, and will put your system into overdrive. It will be a wake up call to your speakers, however, because the rest of the movie is dialogue driven, save some music that is slightly active. Dialogue sounds great, no problems whatsoever.
Supplements: What are the extras?
You get a running commentary with director Griffin Dunne, producer Denise Di Novi, actor Sandra Bullock, and composer Alan Silvestri, which is fun, but void of much insight. If you can solve the cauldron game, you gain access to two documentaries, “Making Magic” and “Casting The Spell,” which are nice to have, but again, lack substance. A large trailer gallery (11), television spots, and production notes are also included.
