Practical Magic - Movie Review

I have enjoyed books and movies dealing with magic or witches. In 1998, Practical Magic, a movie about witch sisters was released. I've seen the movie several times since then and I still enjoy it when I watch it.

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The women in the Owens family have been witches for a few hundred years, usually treated as outcasts by the people around town unless they needed some sort of help. In addition to be witches, the women in the family had to deal with a curse that would cause any man they loved to die. Sally and Gillian were raised by their aunts Frances and Jet because their mother died not long after their father. Sally decided as a child that she never wanted to fall in love while Gillian was looking forward to it.

Sally did fall in love, get married, and had two daughters, Kylie and Antonia. Sally was very happy until Michael died in an accident. Sally took Kylie and Antonia and moved in with Frances and Jet even though she had turned her back on magic and didn’t want her daughters ever doing it. Sally and Gillian had a very strong bond and were there for each other even though they had lived far apart for several years. Things turned bad for Gillian in her relationship with Jimmy Angelov and Sally rushed to help her sister. The way the sisters handled things caused them new problems, including the arrival of officer Gary Hallet who Sally was drawn to.

Practical Magic was based on the book of the same name written by Alice Hoffman. I’ve never read the book so I don’t know how close to it the movie stayed. I’m guessing some things were changed since that usually happens when books are turned into movies.

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Magic was important to Practical Magic without it being the main focus of the movie. Francis and Jet were very open about being witches and freely used magic, even doing spells for townspeople at times. Gillian never denied what she was and wished that she had more natural talent like her sister. Sally was trying to turn her back on magic and her ability. She was struggling at times to accept what she was. Her daughters were very interested in magic even though she didn’t want them having anything to do with it. They were starting to show signs of some natural abilities. The characters used magic for different things, some more important than others.

I really liked how magic was shown to be a very natural part of Francis, Jet, and Gillian. It was made very clear that there were no evil connections with their abilities even though some spells were considered darker than others. I did enjoy the magic that was included in the movie even though there wasn’t as much of it as I had thought there would be before seeing the movie. Anyone wanting to see a movie that is more focused on magic or witchcraft may be disappointed. People that don’t like movies that deal with magic in any way may want to avoid this one. Some special effects were used to show some of the magic that was being done. I thought the effects were well done without being distracting from the plot.

There wasn’t any action in Practical Magic. There was a small amount of mystery added connected to what was going on with Jimmy and exactly how everything would work out. The mystery was interesting even though it wasn’t that strong. There really wasn’t any suspense in the movie though I was wondering what would happen mSally and Gillian had a very close connection and a good relationship despite the fact that Gillian had left several years before. It never did say for sure how long she was gone. The sisters did keep in contact, exchanging letters and they would be there for each other when things happened. The relationship and connection they had was very important to the plot. The movie did spend a lot of time exploring feelings and emotions which could bore some people. I thought that worked fine for the movie. The movie was serious for the most part with a little bit of humor added in at different times. There were several scenes that were just fun, like the scene when the women share midnight margaritas.

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Sally had been happy in her marriage before Michael died. She was devastated when he died and it took her a while to get motivated to go on without him. She had no idea how to deal with the feelings she had for Gary when he turned up. I did think the connection they had was believable. Gillian had been looking for love for years, going from man to man until she ended up with Jimmy. Their relationship did seem a little volatile even before things went bad. There were a few minor sexual discussions and situations without there being any actual sex scenes or nudity. There was some swearing, but nothing too extreme or excessive. I don’t remember hearing the word that rhymes with luck.ore than once. The pace was a little bit slower, especially earlier in the movie when time was taken to share some background connected to the family in general and Sally and Gillian in particular. I don’t think the movie would have worked as well if those things were shared. I didn’t think that the pace was too slow, but others may feel differently.

Sally and Gillian had a very close connection and a good relationship despite the fact that Gillian had left several years before. It never did say for sure how long she was gone. The sisters did keep in contact, exchanging letters and they would be there for each other when things happened. The relationship and connection they had was very important to the plot. The movie did spend a lot of time exploring feelings and emotions which could bore some people. I thought that worked fine for the movie. The movie was serious for the most part with a little bit of humor added in at different times. There were several scenes that were just fun, like the scene when the women share midnight margaritas.

Sally had been happy in her marriage before Michael died. She was devastated when he died and it took her a while to get motivated to go on without him. She had no idea how to deal with the feelings she had for Gary when he turned up. I did think the connection they had was believable. Gillian had been looking for love for years, going from man to man until she ended up with Jimmy. Their relationship did seem a little volatile even before things went bad. There were a few minor sexual discussions and situations without there being any actual sex scenes or nudity. There was some swearing, but nothing too extreme or excessive. I don’t remember hearing the word that rhymes with luck.

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Sally and Gillian were the main characters and most developed. They were very different even though they were sisters, both in looks and temperament. Sally was more responsible and serious. She’d had issues with being a witch for years, mostly because of how the people around town treated her, Gillian, and their aunts. Sally yearned for a normal life. Sandra Bullock was very good in the part and made Sally a believable character. Kylie and Antonia were in several scenes, though they were more in the background or even missing at times. The girls were very interested in magic, and Kylie especially seemed upset about her mother turning her back on his ability. Evan Rachael Wood and Alexandra Atrip were fine in the parts. Mark Feuerstein was in a few scenes as Michael.

Gillian fully embraced being a witch even though she didn’t have as much natural talent. She was more of a free spirit than her sister and didn’t seem to have or want any sort of responsibility. Gillian didn’t try to avoid falling in love and instead tried to find it. She didn’t always have the best judgement when it came to men. Nicole Kidman was very good in the part. She and Bullock worked well togther and were believable as sisters. Gillian had been involved in Jimmy for a while before things turned bad. He was controlling and dominated her at times. He was obsessed with Louis L’Amore for some reason. Goran Visnjic was fine in the part.

Francis and Jet lived together in a huge house. The sisters got along well with each other and they were happy to take in their nieces when needed. They were very talented with magic and not always the most practical when it came to other things. They were kind but could be strict about certain things. I really liked Diane Wiest and Stockard Channing in the parts. They made believable sisters. Gary was a police officer who turned up because of a connection to Jimmy. Gary was kind and rather open minded about some things. I did like Aidan Quinn in the part.

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I really enjoyed Practical Magic and think it is a very entertaining movie. It would have been nice if there had been some more magical elements but I still think the movie is worth watching.