‘Practical Magic 2’ Review: We Come to This Place For (Practical) Magic (2)
Fans adore the scene in the original Practical Magic where the Owens family enjoys some midnight margaritas to the sounds of Harry Nilsson’s “Coconut.” While the song is an iffy choice for that particular scene — Nilsson was definitely not singing about margaritas — it’s a perfect match for Practical Magic as a whole, which is both a heartwarming drama about the unbreakable bond between sisters and also a surprisingly dark comedy about witches, curses, murders, family trauma, and bodies buried in shallow graves. It’s all clashing tones and genres. It’s all tart and sweet blended together.
Parts of Practical Magic 2 work, and others do not. But if nothing else, this long-awaited sequel definitely recreates that lime in the coconut mix, with fan service giving way to romance followed by mystical fight scenes that suggest the Owens sisters might be distant cousins of Doctor Strange. It’s a strange and unpredictable combination — which, in its own quirky way, makes it faithful to the first film.
A true late ’90s oddity, Practical Magic owes its longevity to its singular qualities. There are very few movies, then or now, that explore sister relationships with such earnestness. There are also very few movies like this period, ones with big stars and warm lighting and drinking montages and the occasional poisoning and/or bludgeoning.
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It’s also got Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as witchy sisters Sally and Gilly Owens, who stand by each other’s side through dead husbands and abusive boyfriends and that aforementioned family curse that ensures any man they love will die. With Bullock and Kidman back together for the first time in decades, Practical Magic 2 relies heavily on their undeniable onscreen rapport, which keeps this sequel afloat through some very questionable plotting.
Some 30 years after the events of the first film, Sally and Gilly are still together and still cursed. Sally’s two daughters Kylie (Joey King) and Antonia (Maisie Williams) are now grown up, with no clue they’re descended from a long line of powerful witches. (Sally was so devastated by the loss of her husband that she renounced her gifts and swore the rest of the family to secrecy.) That pact held until Kyle fell for a sweet guy named Gideon (Cobra Kai’s Xolo Maridueña) and, well, the lime goes back in the coconut all over again.
One of Practical Magic’s pleasures — and a big reason why it is so rewatchable and became such a basic cable classic — are its cozy vibes. The Owens’ Victorian house, the sisterhood, the late night cocktails poured around the island in that fabulous kitchen. It’s an oversized sweater of a movie; it doesn’t fit great, and it’s a bit of a mess, but it’s comfy as hell.
Practical Magic 2 reconjures that very appealing world and its residents, and the early scenes nicely capture that same relaxed energy. Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing both return as Sally and Gilly’s aunts Jet and Franny, and there are lovely little moments between the various generations of Owenses as they bake, booze, exchange gifts, and look at books.
Regrettably, a story must inevitably commence. Multiple Owens family crises converage, and send the sisters off to England. There, they enlist the aid of a handsome professor of magical history named Ian Wright (“Mr. Right,” tee hee), who Sally and Gilly discover in his London apartment naked and in the throes of a mysterious magical spell. Once saved by the sisters, Ian (Lee Pace) is so distracted by Sally’s luminous beauty that he can’t be bothered to figure out who tried to kill him. (Seriously: If you were nearly murdered by a deadly hex, wouldn’t you at least be a little curious who did it and why?)
The England sequences separate a lot of the cast from one another; in classic legacyquel fashion, there are more characters than the screentime can comfortably allow, and so a few get pushed to the margins. Also in classic legacyquel fashion, Practical Magic 2 nods at handing off this series to the next generation of Owens sisters, then focuses most of its energy on the A-list talent whose faces are on the film’s posters and whose names are above the title. Bullock and Kidman trudge through the English countryside until they arrive at an incongrously effects-heavy conclusion that almost turns their characters into unofficial superheroes.
Susanne Bier, replacing Griffin Dunne as franchise director, finds far more success in less bombastic moments, the ones where we get to appreciate the genuine connection between Bullock, Kidman, Wiest, and Channing. Does the whole film hold together? Not quite, but if we’re being honest Practical Magic didn’t really hold together either. Something about its messiness — and the way that messiness reflects something authentic about life for those of us without magical powers — makes it appealing. Practical Magic 2 might be a slight step down from the original, but with time (and enough midnight margaritas) I could see it becoming another home-video hit.
RATING: 5/10
