This article contains spoilers for “Practical Magic 2.”
Every year, fall brings an indulgence in the nostalgic comfort movies that set the mood for the season. The cult classic “Practical Magic” brings together a cozy and witchy aesthetic, making it a fan favorite that trends every autumn. The beloved ’90s rom-com gained a sequel: “Practical Magic 2” on Sept. 10. Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman reprise their roles as sister witches Sally and Gillian Owens. The film rehashes the curse from the first movie through the love life of Sally’s daughter Kylie (Joey King) who is now an adult. For generations, Owens’ women have been subjected to a curse: If they love a man and he loves them back, he will die an untimely death. This film takes elements from the original while failing to replicate its charm. Both films are based on the book series by author Alice Hoffman. “Practical Magic 2” is based on “The Book of Magic” but largely ignores the novel’s detailed plot and instead settles for a cheap copy of its predecessor film.
In the opening sequence of the film, Sally narrates, asking: “What good is a story if it just ends up right back where it began?” This line is a prophecy for the film that follows. The plot picks up in essentially the same place as it did in the first movie, with Sally’s character development upended by a spousal death. She has once again sworn off magic following the death of her second husband and lost all the confidence and strength that she previously gained.
At the end of “Practical Magic,” Sally thought her family curse had been broken but it is revealed that it still persists. Consequently, she has cast a spell that erases magic from her daughters’ memory and banishes it from her own life. She claims the memory wipe will protect them and, yet, no warning of the existent curse will surely doom them to heartbreak. Yet it seems to come as a shock to Sally when Kylie’s boyfriend falls into a coma after a bike accident, which happens the morning after she tells him she loves him.
Kylie finds a powerful and dangerous spellbook called “The Book of the Raven” which contains a spell to break the love curse and save her boyfriend before he dies — but the pages are sealed. In order to use the spell, she must uncover her family origins in England, so she impulsively goes on a quest that leads her to dark secrets. This part of the plot and Kylie’s perspective was the most interesting part of the film. Joey King’s performance was the best among the cast. Her emotional reaction to her boyfriend’s accident and breakdown when she finds out her mom has been lying to her for her entire life is a standout moment.
Sally is once again prone to nervousness, but while her cautious, shy nature was charming in the first film, it’s been morphed into something else this time around. Her character has been subjected to a sort of flanderization — which is when a single trait from a character is exaggerated until it completely defines them. Sally is now unbearably anxious and frantic, short-tempered and obsessed with controlling everything around her. This quality butchers her relationship with Gillian. Gillian practically can’t get a word in without Sally interrupting her and telling her to be quiet. Their natural banter is gone and replaced with an exhausting dynamic that consists almost entirely of Gillian reacting to Sally’s panic. Their sisterly bond was the most significant theme of the first film, yet it’s hard to believe in it when they spend so much time bickering.
Gillian’s distinct, rebellious personality was lost in the sequel at the mercy of Sally’s antics. In the first movie she was free-spirited, rebellious and witty. The sisters’ contrasting dispositions is what made their dynamic so enjoyable. But in this sequel, she’s a shell of her former self. She is reduced to Sally’s sidekick, following her around and echoing whatever she says. In fact, the film clearly prefers Sally — and Gillian brings this up, joking how even though she is the one who does most of the work in casting the pivotal spells, Sally is given all the credit for it. In the original novel, Gillian is given her own character arc in which she finds a stable relationship, which juxtaposes with her obsession with exciting, volatile relationships from the first movie. This was completely cut out, yet Sally still kept her romance. Sally and Gillian meet a professor of magic history and folklore, Ian (Lee Pace). He instantly becomes obsessed with Sally and their flirtation takes up quite a bit of screentime. Gillian’s original storyline is not replaced with anything else. She seems to exist only in the context of her sister, lacking her own career, house or individual purpose.
Another oversight by the writers and editors is that the plot is stretched too thin in the 130 minutes of runtime. Breaking the curse is the only part of the film that has high stakes and drives the story forward but moments of action are constantly broken up by excessive dialogue scenes. The dialogue in this film, especially in scenes with Gillian and Sally, sounds unnatural. They seem to constantly repeat what was just said. Jokes are drawn out to the point where they’re no longer remotely funny. A lot of the comedy is just Sally incessantly stuttering and repeating herself. The dialogue is so strange that it breaks the immersion.
Everything about this film feels forced. Sally and Ian are rushed into falling in love with scarce explanation and little chemistry. The bizarre dialogue and jokes are forced into scenes they don’t belong in. The film ends with Kylie’s boyfriend surviving and mother and daughter reconciling their relationship. The happy ending is sealed with the sequel’s version of the iconic midnight margarita scene from the first film, but this version feels overly choreographed instead of spontaneous. After all of it, the story ends in the same place as it did in the predecessor film. “Practical Magic 2” unfortunately meets the same destiny as many recent sequels to classic movies. It bets on nostalgia and loses hard.
Ayiana Grana is an Arts & Entertainment Staff Writer. She can be reached at angrana@uci.edu
Edited by Avani Kumar and Tracy Sandoval.
