Practical Magic 2

October 9 – 15

Fri Oct 9 – 3:30 & 7 pm
Sat Oct 10 – 1:30 & 7 pm
Sun Oct 11 – 1:30 & 7 pm
Mon Oct 12 – 7 pm
Tues Oct 13 – 7 pm
Wed Oct 14 – 3:30 & 7 pm
Thurs Oct 15 – 1:30 & 7 pm

Comedy / Drama
Rated PG — 2 hr 7 min

Maybe you didn’t see Practical Magic when it opened in theaters back in 1998. In truth, not many people did go to see this adaptation of Alice Hoffman’s bestselling novel, about two New England sisters whose supernatural powers wreak havoc on their love lives. But over the nearly three decades since, the film, directed by Griffin Dunne, has found an intensely loyal audience via cable and streaming — charmed by Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman’s winsome chemistry and by the film’s arresting stew of genres, from romantic comedy to domestic-abuse melodrama to undead horror. Back in 1998, a lot of critics dismissed the movie as tonally incoherent. Decades later, it feels pretty daring in its embrace of both darkness and light — and prescient in its vision of women coming together, whether to overthrow the forces of evil or to kick back with some midnight margaritas. Or both.

In Practical Magic 2, which is based on Hoffman’s 2021 novel The Book of Magic, Bullock and Kidman return as sisters Sally and Gillian Owens. They’re still living with a centuries-old family curse that has an inconvenient habit of striking down any man they fall in love with. Sally, who’s already lost two husbands to the curse, has given up magic altogether, hoping to keep future tragedies at bay. She hasn’t even told her now-grown daughters, Kylie and Antonia, that they’re witches — to the chagrin of the freer-spirited Gillian.

Practical Magic 2 is directed by the Danish filmmaker Susanne Bier, who previously worked with Bullock on the Netflix thriller Bird Box. Bier’s assignment here is pretty straightforward: Mostly, she stays out of the way so that two of America’s most beloved actresses can slip back into their characters’ familiar, lovingly bickersome dynamic.

They’re as fun to watch as ever; Kidman’s caution-to-the-wind energy still bounces nicely off Sally’s tightly wound exasperation. It’s also a pleasure to see Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing reprise their roles as Sally and Gillian’s wise old aunts. Even in their twilight years, they have a lot of wry wisdom and even a few intriguing surprises to impart to their nieces.

Lee Pace delivers as the charming British scholar of witchcraft and magic who helps Sally and Gillian in their quest to save Kylie, while also serving as a love interest for the romance-resistant Sally.

The movie’s strongest bond is between Bullock and Kidman, who are good friends offscreen. Their connection to each other, and with director Susanne Bier, who has worked with each of them, keeps the lengthy sequel afloat. Like the original, the sequel has a strong soundtrack and score that help to carry the story through its back-and-forth between lighter and darker moments. Don’t worry, Stevie Nicks is back. As is Harry Nilsson’s “Coconut.”

Overall, Practical Magic 2 is a spellbinding sequel that reminds us of what magic looks like in everyday life, both for the Owens sisters and for the audience themselves. As a sequel, it works really well and it will be received well amongst fans of the first one. It also works really well to introduce a new generation of witches to the Practical Magic saga and teach them to “always throw spilled salt over your left shoulder, keep rosemary by your garden gate, plant lavender for luck, and fall in love whenever you can.”