Publication Date: 08-12-2026

Practical Magic (1998) review

Dir. Griffin Dunne

By: Steve Pulaski

Rating: ★½

Witch movies are somebody’s bag, but they’re not mine. Now, I’m not trying to be the pot that called the kettle black. I’ve enjoyed movies featuring witches, such as Suspiria (1977) and most recently Weapons. But when it comes to movies about characters practicing witchcraft, toying with magic, experimenting with spells, and interacting with spirits of whatever-the-hell, my interest wanes faster than a child who is forced to stand in line.

Back in high school, in the month of October, I caught flak from many who knew I reviewed movies for never seeing Hocus Pocus. I didn’t realize I had such a blind-spot on my still-green resume. So, I watched it. And I gave it a two-star review explaining how the farcical premise and unpleasant characters didn’t work for me. Oh boy, did I catch the ire of my classmates. Even a teacher or two playfully chided me. That’ll turn you off from a certain type of movie more-so than you already were.

So, it’s no surprise I didn’t enjoy Practical Magic, though I could see it being somebody’s guilty pleasure. Not even the believable sisterly chemistry of Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman can elevate this bizarrely paced, multi-genre miscalculation that tries to tackle too much and effectively accomplishes nothing over the course of 100 plodding minutes.

Because of an ancient curse, the women in the Owens family have been witches for centuries. It seems that once the women find a man and have children, it’s time for their husbands to die. Now, in the modern day, sisters Sally (Bullock) and Gillian (Kidman) have had to navigate the curse since they were children, under their aunts’ custody. When Sally does grow up, marry, and have children, her husband is marked for death by the sound of a beetle. Alone again, naturally.

Meanwhile, Gillian has been traveling all over Massachusetts, living life and sleeping around, careful not to get too attached due to the inevitable fate any long-term man of hers will face. Unfortunately, her current partner is a bastard “Transylvanian cowboy” (Goran Visnjic), who abuses her. The sisters have a convoluted plan involving spells to rid themselves, and the world, of his violent ways. Call this part of the story “Gobbledygook Earl,” although Sally and Gillian aren’t nearly as effervescent of a duo as Mary Anne and Wanda, whose story was about 96 minutes shorter than this one.

Supporting characters weasel their way in-and-out of the picture. Aidan Quinn plays a stoic yet uninteresting police officer investigating the disappearance of Gillian’s boyfriend, while Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing steal most of the scenes as the sisters’ aunts. It makes you wish the movie was about them. Bullock and Kidman are historically choosy with their roles, so it’s a wonder what they saw in this material — a hodgepodge of melodrama, supernatural fantasy, domestic abuse, police procedural clichés, and romance — that warranted their commitment. However, in times when both Nicole Kidman’s roles and public persona are stripped of personality and relatability, it is refreshing to remember when she would play a (mostly) ordinary girl and we, the audience, could buy it.

Speaking of buying, I just couldn’t connect with anything Practical Magic‘s script was feeding me. If there’s a positive, it’s Andrew Dunn’s cinematography effectively serves up a coziness afforded by warmly lit interiors and what we can sense is cool fall air. The heavy-handed soundtrack throws a lot of Stevie Nicks and Harry Nilsson at us in a short amount of time. A romantic kiss is underscored by none other than Faith Hill’s “This Kiss.” Beyond some nice aesthetics, Practical Magic moves in circles, accomplishing very little as a result. I wonder if Kidman would look back on the experience, especially with the forthcoming sequel a month away from being released into theaters, and opine if centrifugal motion feels good in a place like this.

My review of Practical Magic 2

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Aidan Quinn, Dianne Wiest, Stockard Channing, Goran Visnjic, Evan Rachel Wood, Alexandra Artrip, Mark Feuerstein, and Camilla Belle. Directed by: Griffin Dunne.