Practical Magic casts a Spell of Befuddlement, offering not so much a movie as a bubbling cauldron of confusion into which a mess of ingredients have been tossed. Begin with a cup of Thelma & Louise in the female empowerment fable of two witchcraft-practicing sisters (Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman) who kill an abusive lout while he is in the process of assaulting one of them, then get interested in a good-hearted cop (Aidan Quinn) who tries to help them. To that, add a dash of The Frighteners, as the sisters are required to kill the abusive lout a second time after bringing him back to life, resulting in a restless soul who provides sporadic, jarring bursts of supernatural nastiness. By this time, you'll be wondering who took your saucy romantic comedy and dipped it in The Witches of Eastwick, assuming you still care after tasting its smidgen of Hope Floats. Bullock, who now appears to be in her pensive, sorrowful single mother phase, and is seen here frumping about in hornrims, doesn't mesh with her co-stars (particularly Kidman) who appear to be having a heck of a lot more fun. Practical Magic is never a bore, but it doesn't really come together as anything more than a casserole of clashing flavors, a supernatural stew with a fairly bland taste. Not a necessary purchase. (S. Renshaw)
Practical Magic
(Warner, 104 min., PG-13, <b>DVD</b>) Vol. 14, Issue 2
Practical Magic
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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