There’s a strong movie within the bones of Practical Magic, but a jarring number of tonal shifts and genre mashups cause it to wind up being an okay movie that never nears its potential. Despite this, in the almost 28 years since its initial release, the film has amassed quite the cult following and even though the first film was considered a box office failure there’s a sequel on deck for release this fall that should prove to be quite the opposite.
What has made the film so appealing is the female empowerment aspect of it, with the story focusing on two sisters, Sally (Sandra Bullock) and Gillian Owens (Nicole Kidman) who also happen to be witches. They descend from a long line of witches and are haunted by a curse that their ancestor Maria Owens accidentally placed when attempting to cast a spell on herself so that she’d never fall in love again after she was left scorned and heartbroken. The curse being that if any Owens woman falls in love, then that man (or possibly woman? That part isn’t clear nor mentioned) is doomed to die.
So when Sally and Gillian were kids, their father fell victim to the curse and their mother allegedly died of a broken heart. With that the two were sent to live with their aunts, Frances (Stockard Channing) and Jet (Dianne Wiest), who aim to give them as carefree a childhood as they can, while also attempting to hone their skills as witches. Gillian grows up eager to fall in love, moving away to California and jumping from relationship to relationship, while Sally remains living with the aunts, refraining from falling in love to avoid the curse – that is until the aunts use some magic to push her into the arms of Michael (Mark Feuerstein), who does quickly fall victim to the curse after a “three years of love” montage in a death scene so ridiculous in how it’s filmed that it rivals the one early on in Meet Joe Black (though still doesn’t come close to that ping pong masterpiece of a moment).
This is where the tones of the film really start to skew, as we’ve got what should be a tragic moment that comes off silly to begin with, followed by Sally and her two daughters move back in with the aunts, only now Sally says no witchcraft is to be taught after finding out that it was the aunts who brought Michael into her life. Gillian then comes back into the picture, and tries to boost Sally’s spirits, which she succeeds in doing before vanishing back into the arms of her red-flag-waving boyfriend, Jimmy Angelov (Goran Visnjic). Sally does begin to get her life back on track until Gillian, who has just been beaten by Jimmy, calls and asks for Sally to come and get her.
This is already a lot of diving into the story, though while all of this happens there’s this somewhat awkward feeling of lightheartedness in the movie because it’s trying to come off as a romantic comedy first and foremost, but the elements of drama and crime that come into play – such as domestic abuse and murder – are all so heavy that they feel out of place in the overall tone the film is going for. Can you mix all these genres and topics? Sure, it’s plausible, albeit not the easiest narrative tightrope to walk, and with how quick Practical Magic jumps back and forth, from one to the next, causes it to lose any potential tension, as well as any emotional punch when serious moments come around.
They also all live in a small town where the community avoids them like the plague. Sally and Gillian are taunted throughout their childhood, and before meeting Michael, Sally and the aunts continue to be glared at while out shopping, with townsfolk all but diving out of the way to avoid crossing their paths. Apparently this changed after she married Michael, but upon his death the glares returned. So alongside everything else that this film piles on in terms of story, fitting into the community is another subplot that awkwardly comes into play in the third act of the film, again, making what should be a fairly dramatic moment a more lighthearted affair – while also trying to show how serious the situation is.
And as much as it should also come off as a big female empowerment moment, the story has branched off in so many directions by this point without ever focusing on one aspect long enough to give it any real meaning or depth that this big coming together for the greater good feels out of left field. One minute these moms don’t even want Sally to be involved in their emergency group and are actively avoiding her every chance they get because they think she’s a witch, then when she calls them for help and admits she’s a witch they’re all there at the drop of a hat, high fiving and full of giggles. Again, during what should be a very serious moment in the film.
This is why I started things off saying that there is a strong story to be told within Practical Magic, but it’s one that’s lost in a bunch of magical chaos that ends up having no real focus. Taking a more dramatic approach to the tale or approaching it as a dark comedy would have done the abuse/crime story more justice, while if sticking to the romantic comedy route that they wanted to go, then simply lean more into that and adjust the story accordingly instead of trying to awkwardly make the murder of an abusive boyfriend the reason that another love interest comes around. Not to mention that while Aidan Quinn and Sandra Bullock have fine chemistry, their time together is so minimal that them coming together isn’t as exciting as it should be. There are just so many subplots and genres overlapping one another or never given the time to grow so their resolutions feel rushed and the movie suffers because of it.
Still, the movie has found an audience who love it for what it is for their own personal reasons, and there’s nothing wrong with that. For those fans this 4K release coming out just prior to the sequel’s release is perfect, as the film looks superb and an upgrade like this was probably never expected. For those who may not have seen the original but are interested because of the sequel, well, again, the film has never looked or sounded better for home viewing. Unfortunately, the sequel does mean that the happily ever after note that this film ends on no longer applies, which actually fits perfectly with tonal mishmash of Practical Magic and will hopefully not be an issue that curses the follow-up.
4K Blu-ray Video and Audio Review:
As mentioned above, for a movie that was a commercial failure when initially released, fans of it should be thoroughly pleased that they’re receiving such a heightened picture transfer than previous Blu-ray and DVDs saw in the past, with the 2160p/Dolby Vision/HDR10 transfer bringing the movie home in magically gorgeous ways. There are some darker moments throughout, but there are also some beautiful scenic shots and warmer tones found in the majority of the film and all of these moments shine through wonderfully here. The details come through on all fronts, and as a whole, this is one fans will be thrilled to add to their collection.
There’s also a Dolby Atmos mix added to the release, elevating the original 5.1 mix which really allows the score and soundtrack to blast through. Overall the film isn’t one that screams Dolby Atmos, but it’s a pleasant surprise to find here, when much more popular films sometimes don’t get the same treatment. The dialogue is clear, the sound effects are spot on and the film is immersive all around. The constant score and soundtrack throughout gives off ‘90s nostalgic vibes, but that’s part of the charm that fans love about it.
Special Features:
Shockingly, there’s no retrospective pieces here, which have been a Warner Bros. special feature staple for recent 4K releases of older films – and especially surprising given the fact that so many of the originals have reunited for the sequel. Instead there are a few legacy special features carried over, which is better than nothing for fans.
Audio Commentary – We’ve got an audio commentary which features a solid group consisting of director Griffin Dune, Sandra Bullock, producer Denise Di Novi and composer Alan Silvestri. It’s from a ways back so it’s a lot of them talking about filming, various moments on set and so forth. It’s what you’d expect from a commentary track for a movie like this, and if you’re a fan and missed it originally, well, you’re in luck!
Casting the Spell – This featurette is just under 10-minutes and has interviews with the cast and crew talking about making the film, with some behind-the-scenes moments intertwined.
Making Magic – This featurette comes in at just under 6-minutes in length and is more about the adaptation of Alice Hoffman’s novel, which is actually quite different in terms of focus.
Disclaimer: A review copy of this Blu-ray was sent to me to cover in honest and truthful fashion.
Warner Bros. Pictures Presents Practical Magic. Directed By: Griffin Dune. Written by: Robin Swicord, Akiva Goldsman, Adam Brooks. Based on the novel by: Alice Hoffman. Starring: Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Stockard Channing, Diane Wiest, Aidan Quinn, Goran Visnjic, Evan Rachel Wood, Mark Feuerstein. Running time: 104 Minutes. Rating: PG-13. Released on 4K Blu-ray: Aug. 25, 2026.
