For a movie about the power of sisterhood, “Practical Magic 2” has far too many men.
The filmmakers should really know better. Without the pairing of Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock, the original film would not have attained its considerable cult following nor would it have ever gotten a sequel. Their chemistry and collective charisma were enough to make for an entertaining watch, but not enough to overcome “Practical Magic's" problems.
After nearly 30 years, the creative team still have not learned anything. Get ready for our A-listers' talents to get lost in a sea of baffling plot points, exposition dumps, hideously soft-focus shots that ensure every set looks like a green screen and, worst of all, a bevvy of mediocre males constantly dividing attention.
“Practical Magic 2” returns to the story of the Owens family, namely three sets of women: sisters Sally (Bullock) and Gillian (Kidman), aunts Jet and Frances and daughters Kylie and Antonia. As you can probably guess, they all have magical powers (unfortunately scarcely amounting to more than activating a blender by gesturing towards it). Unfortunately, they are also saddled with a centuries-old curse that any man who they fall in love with will die.
That curse was thought to be broken in the previous “Practical Magic”, but Sally learns otherwise when her second husband dies an unspecified death between movies. As such, she’s sworn off magic and resolved to never tell daughters Kylie and Antonia about their heritage or the curse. If that sounds like a bad idea waiting to happen (both for a mother to withhold and for a movie premise), that is because it is. Kylie finds out as much when her long-term boyfriend is sent to the hospital mere hours after she professes her love to him. Armed with a spellbook, Kylie sets out to discover a way to break the curse and save her boyfriend, whilst Sally and Gillian resolve to find her and stop her from playing with dark forces she doesn’t understand.
That is my best attempt at a plot synopsis, but one of the problems is that this film does not really settle on one. Much like the Owens women inherit a terrible curse, “Practical Magic 2” retains its predecessor’s infamous penchant for scattershot and wildly clashing tones. At first, it seems like it is going for a cozy chick flick, before the ominous book of spells shows up and turns the movie into a supernatural thriller for a moment or two.
Then, we are back in fun lighthearted romp territory, then there is a tearful farewell, now they are joking at the funeral, before tragedy strikes, and then a little bit afterwards it is Sandra and Nicole bantering, but then a naked Lee Pace shows up with magical paralysis, and… you get the point. The apex of the tonal yoyoing is the accident of Kylie’s boyfriend–he buys flowers for his beloved girlfriend in a scene straight from the Hallmark channel only for a car to smash right into him seconds later. And yes, it did remind me of those iconic moments in Final Destination and Mean Girls. The difference is that “Practical Magic 2” tries to play it straight.
When it is not trying to decide what movie it wants to be, “Practical Magic 2” is content to ladle on way more lore and logistics than necessary. I’m unsure why the writers heard the phrase “family of witches” and decided that the “family” part is more interesting. We never learn how the Owens sisters’ powers work or what they are capable of, but we do learn the ins and outs of the abusive relationships and children of their 300-year-old grandmother. For reasons beyond my understanding, this whole convoluted nonsense becomes essential to our main villain’s master plan, a character who first appears well after the halfway point and also has nothing to do with breaking the curse.
With all that said, Kidman and Bullock are great to watch when they are allowed enough space to play off each other. Kidman, in particular, gets several solid lines and shows a real underutilized talent for comedy. In isolated moments, the story’s problems melt away and you can just enjoy two great actresses getting up to hijinks. And, for the film’s target demographic, maybe that’s all you’re looking for. Even the disjointed story has its benefits, from a certain perspective–at least it keeps you guessing. “Practical Magic 2's" sins up to this point are not excusable, but forgivable.
What I cannot forgive is the fact that this film supposedly about women is overly preoccupied with men. For the second movie in a row. One serves as the main plot catalyst, the anti-love curse is the central family angst and Sandra Bullock is forced to spend time with the extremely dull Ian (the aforementioned Lee Pace, a great actor who unfortunately has one of the least convincing British accents this side of Dick Van Dyke). In a movie about girl power and female bonding, why do we need two whole movies indirectly implying that these women need a man to be fulfilled?
Obviously, there is nothing wrong with wanting to fall in love, but it just plays as oddly regressive to imply that’s the primary option and not just an option. True, Gillian stays single and happy, but the main emotional journey follows Sally at attempt #3 to get the perfect man. Which, reminder, was also her journey in the last movie. Could they not think of anything else for her to do? Really, all of this wasted time with romantic subplots should have been spent on the family itself. Instead, both the kooky aunts and the second daughter are relegated to borderline cameos. In light of this, this movie’s message about the importance of family and female bonding rings a bit hollow. And, even better, it would have made for a more interesting movie if they played a role.
“Practical Magic 2” can thank the recent trend of legacy sequels for its existence. At their best (“Devil Wears Prada 2”), they understand why the original worked and still manage to take the story and characters in a new direction. To be fair, “Practical Magic 2” does recapture a lot of the original’s, er, “success"--the only real difference is the Netflix lighting. Perhaps that is enough to satisfy fans of the original, who are, after all, the main audience for this anyway. Your mother will have a decent enough experience. But I could not help but feel disappointed that a pitch as golden as “Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as witches” never comes together, even after a second attempt.
I wanted to join the “Practical Magic” coven of devotees, but clearly, it is only for the initiated.
