Until last weekend, I had never watched 1998’s Practical Magic. For whatever reason, a horror/rom-com about witches just never interested me. However, when I did receive the screening invitation to Practical Magic 2, I knew I had some homework to do. After watching the sleek and lean 106-minute affair, I didn’t exactly feel like I had missed a major landmark of late 20th-century cinema. Still, I found its bewitching charm and amiable humor very enjoyable. I was ready to see what the sequel has in store, and hoped it would be at least as enjoyable.
Twenty-eight years after the previous movie, the Owens sisters are back. Since the events of the first film, Sally Owens (Sandra Bullock) and her daughters Antonia (Maisie Williams) and Kylie (Joey King) eventually discover that their sad romantic curse is still in effect when Sally’s second husband, Gary (portrayed in the first movie by Aidan Quinn), tragically dies. Devastated by another loss of a romantic partner, Sally rejects her magic and casts a spell to make her daughters forget their witchy abilities and history. Several years later, Antonia and Kylie have grown into adulthood: Antonia works as a hospital doctor, and Kylie is in college. The Owens family is called home to Massachusetts to celebrate Aunt Jet’s (Dianne Wiest) birthday.
Recently, Jet has been secretly working on a spell to break the family’s romantic curse for the sake of Sally and her daughters, as well as future generations. However, The Book of Raven, which has the instructions, has the essential pages sealed. At the birthday party, it is revealed that Kylie has a boyfriend named Gideon (Xolo Maridueña), whom she is quite enamored with. After realizing that she is in love with Gideon, he gets involved in a tragic accident that leaves him in a coma. This alarming event gets Sally and her sister Gillian (Nicole Kidman) to reveal the truth of the family’s heritage to Sally’s daughters. Desperate to save her love and to break the curse, Kylie absconds with the Book of the Raven in tow and travels to England, as directed by the book’s instructions.
Based on Alice Hoffman’s novel The Book of Magic, the sequel to her first installment, Practical Magic 2 is an unnecessary sequel with some creative ideas. Still, screenwriters Akiva Goldsmith, Georgia Pritchett, and Kelly Marcel and director Susanne Bier do a terrible job of telling the story efficiently and effectively. At a not-so-lean 130 minutes, this sequel never needed to be this long. Poor pacing and redundant moments make the film drag on. The lame jokes and gags make it feel even longer, and they rarely land.
Both Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman fall comfortably back into their characters, despite the weak writing. Joey King is tasked with bringing intense emotions to Kylie, and she performs well enough, as her character is integral to the story. Sadly, Game of Thrones’ Maisie Williams is given so little to do and is done a great disservice by the thin, lackluster writing and development. Both Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing reprise their beloved roles as Aunts Jet and Frances and are always to watch on screen. Finally, newcomer Lee Pace joins the franchise as Sally’s new love interest, Ian Wright, and performs charmingly well.
Though the acting is obviously solid, Practical Magic 2 lacks the same joy and love for its source material that the filmmakers of the first movie had. I know that, regardless of my take on this film, devoted fans of the first installment or the novels will flock to the cinema nevertheless. However, I recommend that casual fans either stay completely away or wait to watch it at home.