Practical Magic Review
by Michael Redman (redman AT indepen DOT com)October 22nd, 1998
Witchy women have their enchanting charms
Practical Magic
A Film Review By Michael Redman
Copyright 1998 By Michael Redman
*** (Out of ****)
Witches? For many people, this word still conjures up images of either weird
hats and ugly, warted, old-woman masks for Halloween or devil-worshipers
sacrificing babies. I'm here to tell you that it ain't true.
How many Wiccans (modern witchcraft) or other practitioners of magick do you
think live within 10 miles of your house? Probably you've estimated in the
single digits; likely close to zero. Take your number and double it or
quadruple it or increase it tenfold. You're possibly still low. In a city like Bloomington, multiplying your guess by 100 is more accurate.
Wicca is estimated by some to be the fastest growing religion in the country.
Although witches are slowly coming out of the broom closet, no one really
knows how many there are. According to the "Utne Reader", there may be as many
as 400,000 adherents in the United States alone and the practice is poised to
enter the mainstream. Witches are your doctors, nurses, bakers, bartenders,
business people, musicians and just about anyone else you could think of.
None are devil-worshippers: Wiccans don't believe in Satan. Although there are
dozens of denominations, mostly they honor in the sanctity and power of
nature. They're not out there summoning demons, but they are casting spells
and performing rituals. The tradition dates back at least to the occult
revival early in this century and some claim a lineage from the pre-patriarchy
Goddess religions.
Sisters Sally (Sandra Bullock) and Gillian (Nicole Kidman) Owens can date
their charming heritage back at least 200 years. Since the 1700s the family
women have all been witches. They've also all suffered the same curse: any man
who gets involved with an Owens woman is doomed to an early death.
When the orphaned young girls come to live with their maiden aunts Jet (Dianne
Wiest) and Frances (Stockard Channing), they are informed of their birthright
and schooled in the craft. Sally vows never to fall in love unless she meets
the impossible man of her spell. He must have one blue eye, one green eye,
ride a pony backwards and other odd attributes so designed that he will never
exist. Gillian on the other hand "can't wait to fall in love."
The girls grow in opposite directions. Although she is the more powerful,
brunette Sally isn't much interested in sorcery. Red-headed Gillian embraces
her skills and quickly leaves the Owens-hating small New England town to
discover the world.
Sally eventually mysteriously falls in love and settles into the quiet life of
wife and mother. Gillian dances poolside with a bottle in one hand, a vial of belladonna in the other and following in love -- often and enthusiastically.
The death of Sally's husband and the cruelty of Gillian's current lover bring
the witchy siblings back together. After tearfully pledging their undying
fealty to each other, they must deal with Jimmy (Goran Visnjic), Gillian's
abusive "Dracula-cowboy" boyfriend, when he shows up on their doorstep.
Arizona policeman Gary Hallet (Aidan Quinn) also appears, investigating Jimmy.
It doesn't take a magic moment looking in his eyes to know that they don't match.
The film has several delightful scenes. When the sisters and aunts dance
around the kitchen table after doing tequila shots singing "You put the lime
in the coconut", it's a joy. They actually look like they're having a good
time and it translates to the audience.
The story is fairly successful in combining the esoteric life of witches and
the everyday. Like any mother warning her older relatives not to be too
permissive with her kids, Sally tells Jet and Frances not to let her daughters
dance naked at a Solstice celebration. When the little girls come back
exclaiming "Mommy, Mommy, we danced naked!" she cringes. Some of the
Hollywoodish effects are goofy though. Sally's coffee stirs itself though and
it's silly.
The comedic touches are hilarious at times. Looking for something white to
draw a pentagram, the witches reach for a can of whipped cream. As Gillian
brings her former lover back to life, she explains "but after this we're
breaking up."
There are several other notable aspects -- the set design is fascinating with
cryptic objects barely glimpsed -- but the film has a few problems. Director
Griffin Dunne ("Addicted To Love") gets off to a very slow start, includes too
many VH-1 moments and, worst of all, tries to be everything to all people. The
film shifts gears from romance novel to offbeat comedy to supernatural
thriller to family drama to horror faster than the viewer can keep up.
The "sisterhood is powerful" ending is touching and feel-good but comes out of
left field and doesn't make sense considering previous events. You'll somehow
feel energized and incredulous at the same time.
The strength of the movie lies in its casting. Bullock has never previously
impressed me with her acting talents, but she fills this role perfectly.
Kidman's Gillian jumps off the screen and, if I can slip into the "Yeah, I'm a
guy and that's the way it is" mode, she's an absolute pleasure to watch as she
dances, prances and struts her wild woman stuff. Despite the vast differences
between the two, their chemistry makes it easy to believe their relationship.
Wiest and Channing are also looking good. The eccentric aunts feeding kids
chocolate cake for breakfast radiate power. Unfortunately they disappear for
half the film just when we want more.
The men don't fare so well. Quinn and Visnjic both are saddled with
one-dimensional characters and don't put much into their performances.
Although pivotal to the plot, they get in the way of the better stuff.
There's currently a media fascination with witches. "Sabrina" (from Archie
Comics of all places) and <I>Charmed<I> are both weekly television series. 1996's "The Craft" was a ground-breaker in presenting witches as everyday
people. "Practical Magic" for all its faults is entertaining in a lightweight
manner. I'm curious to see if we ever get a realistic look at Wicca on the screen.
(Michael Redman has written this column for over 299 lunar cycles and has
never met a witch who could raise the dead or create explosions, but does know
a few just as bewitching as Sally and Gillian. Email your magickal tales to [email protected].)
[This appeared in the 10/22/98 "Bloomington Independent", Bloomington,
Indiana. Michael Redman can be contacted at [email protected].]
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