TL;DR – For me, the sequel improves on the narrative while bringing the charm in spades.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Warning – Contains scenes which may cause distress.

Practical Magic 2 Review Introduction

Well, it’s time for round two when it comes to magical adaptations. I was not sure what to expect when I sat down to watch the first Practical Magic yesterday. But joyfully messy was not on my list, which makes me wonder how it will hold up to a sequel all these years later.

So, to set the scene, Sally (Sandra Bullock) and Gilly (Nicole Kidman) are sisters, with their aunts Frances (Stockard Channing) and Jet (Dianne Wiest), from the infamous Owens family. The whole town thinks they are witches; well, that is because they are. Twenty-five years after the first film, Sally’s elder daughter Kylie (Joey King) is discovering that the family curse might not be all done and dusted when her boyfriend Gideon (Xolo Maridueña) is gravely injured. This leads to a flight to England to try and break the curse once and for all. 

More Focused Narrative

One change from the first film that I did appreciate was the tighter narrative focus. We are not left waiting around to see what the inciting narrative event will be; you see it coming, or in the case of this film, hear it coming a mile away. Now, to pull this off, they did have to spend the first five minutes of this sequel undoing the ending of the first film, which might be a bit of a tonal whiplash depending on how much nostalgia you have for that first outing. But I did appreciate the ‘we thought we cured the curse, record scratch, whoops, nope, we didn’t’ and then barrel on forwards. From a pacing perspective, there are no genuinely shocking reveals, but the film treats them as though they are, causing the second act to drag a little.   

Charm

In the first film, one of the best parts about it was how you could clearly see that the cast was having a blast filming it. Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman have such a great bond, and that is so important given the drive of the narrative. All of the cast steps up to the plate and knocks it out of the park. It also means that all the quippy dialogue lands so well. I was not expecting the film to be as funny as it is because not only do the jokes land, but the cast is throwing their whole bodies into the bit. Indeed, a lot of the emotions are a touch heightened in this film, and you could feel them land better this time around. It also asks the question, do Americans not have custard?

Recommendation  

In the end, do we recommend Practical Magic 2? If you enjoyed the first film, I know you will enjoy this one as well. Indeed, you could feel the audience surge at every moment the film wanted you to do. There was laughter and gasps, even a few tears here and there. When a film connects with an audience, you know it has succeeded in what it set out to do. It is also just nice to watch a film that centres women and their familial bonds.

If you liked Practical Magic 2, we would recommend Coco to you because it also understands the power of family history to shape people’s lives while diving full force into the world of the supernatural.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Bluesky at @Tldrmovrev, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

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Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Practical Magic
Directed by – Susanne Bier
Screenplay by – Akiva Goldsman, Georgia Pritchett, & Kelly Marcel
Based on – The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman
Music by – Rupert Gregson-Williams
Cinematography by – Simon Duggan
Edited by – Sam Williams
Production/Distribution Companies – Alcon Entertainment, Di Novi Pictures, Fortis Films, Blossom Films & Warner Bros Pictures
Starring – Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Stockard Channing, Dianne Wiest, Joey King, Maisie Williams, Lee Pace, Xolo Maridueña, & Solly McLeod
With – Scarlett Nasrat, Harriett Scott, Cassie Bradley, Liz Kingsman, Nathan Foad, Katy Wix, & Diana Quick   
Rating – Australia: M; Canada: PG; Germany: 12; New Zealand: M; United Kingdom: 12A; United States: PG-13