By Peg Aloi

Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman return to the Owens family in a handsome, fan-friendly follow-up whose appealing cast and witchy atmosphere cannot overcome a disjointed, derivative script.

Practical Magic 2, directed by Susanne Bier. Screening at Somerville Theatre and Alamo Drafthouse Seaport.

Practical Magic 2, from left: Nicole Kidman, Sandra Bullock. Photo: Warner Bros. /Courtesy Everett Collection

Practical Magic (1998) was released at a time when modern witchcraft was becoming a mainstream phenomenon, on the heels of 1993’s Hocus Pocus (a very silly and annoying film that I can’t get through), then The Craft (1996) (a darker coming-of-age story and cautionary tale about dabbling with magic that inspired a lot of teenage girls to learn about witchcraft). Directed by Griffin Dunne (a good director who’s better known as an actor), the film is based on Alice Hoffman’s best-selling 1995 novel. It is an entertaining mix of witchy romance, spooky folklore, sets and locations that have inspired many a mood board, and very low-stakes feminism. The film didn’t do great at the box office, but many modern witches consider it a feel-good favorite, with its dreamy visuals, upbeat soundtrack, and a fun scene featuring midnight margaritas.

Decades later, the franchise has been reborn. Hoffman wrote four more novels: The Rules of Magic (2018) and Magic Lessons (2021) are both prequels that I highly recommend. Two sequels that I haven’t read, The Book of Magic (2021) and Practical Magic 2 (2022), are the basis for this new film. A TV pilot was filmed, but it never aired. A Broadway musical is in the works. The first film doesn’t follow the plot of the novel very closely and, from what I’ve read, this film also deviates considerably from its source material. This well-loved story of witchcraft that spans generations deserves a cinematic franchise worthy of its richly written origin stories. Director Susanne Bier (Open Hearts, Bird Box) has a superb cast to work with, and the film has been given an enchanting look. Unfortunately, this is a disappointing sequel: the script, adapted by Akiva Goldsman (who worked on the first film), Kelly Marcel (Saving Mr. Banks), and Georgia Pritchett (The Shrink Next Door), is a disjointed and derivative mess.

The return of Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as sisters Sally and Gillian Owens, and Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest as their aunts Franny and Jet, is a big draw for fans. Bullock and Kidman look fabulous, but the grandiose trickery of makeup and lighting that makes them look only 10 years older than they were in 1998 — despite the story being set in the present — feels odd and confusing at times. At the beginning, a voice-over by Aunt Franny tries to get viewers up to speed: we are told of the Owens family legacy, the curse that prevents the women from finding lasting love, and a reprise of the first film’s platitudes about magic. We learn that Sally’s second husband, Gary (Aidan Quinn in the 1998 film), has died and that she and Gillian have sworn off love (though Gillian happily recounts her casual flings with men and encourages Sally to live a little). Sally has closed her herb shop; she now works as a rather glamorous librarian, which conveniently sets up the rather contrived plot device of a book of ancient magic, referred to by Jet as a “left-handed book of shadows” that is full of mystical drawings and Latin spells. This occult talisman comes off as odd, given the folkloric vibe of the Owens sisters’ rhyming spells and kitchen witchery.

On the eve of her birthday, Jet decides to leave the mysterious book to her sister Franny, hinting that it holds the key to the family curse. The death watch beetle from the first film reappears (more than once), and the film is off to a disturbing start. Sally’s daughters, Antonia (Maisie Williams) and Kylie (Joey King), are mirror images of the younger Sally and Gillian (one practical and responsible, the other impulsive and fickle). They are unaware of their magical legacy, which Sally made Gillian promise to keep hidden from them. Antonia’s in medical school, and Kylie is a creative but directionless college student. When Kylie’s boyfriend, Gideon (Xolo Maridueña), suffers a sudden and serious accident, Kylie notices various portents and lets her powerful intuition guide her. She realizes that witchcraft is the key to undoing the Owens curse and saving his life.

Here’s where things start to feel disjointed. Kylie takes off with the book of magic for England to find an occult scholar named Ian Wright (Lee Pace, of Halt and Catch Fire), who she learns may be able to help her understand the book and the family curse. Sally and Gillian follow. They meet Ian and find that he is under some sort of binding spell, which Gillian undoes while Sally does her best to resist being involved in any witchy activity. Ian is instantly drawn to Sally, and sparks fly. There’s also some energy crackling between him and Gillian, which might have made for some deliciously messy romantic tension. But Ian only has eyes for Sally, whose traumatic loss of two wonderful men has made her reluctant to succumb to Ian’s charms. But his warmly charismatic presence slowly wears her down. Who can resist a tall, handsome, scruffy academic covered in esoteric tattoos? Pace is perfect in this role.

Meanwhile, Kylie finds her way to a ruined castle, Lockland Manor, where her ancestor Maria Owens, the origin of the family curse, once lived. The groundskeeper, Tom Lockland (Solly McLeod, great in Apple TV’s Star City), offers to show her around. He casually lets her know that they are related and that her ancestor was burned at the stake in this very place for being a witch. (Historical-accuracy note: witches were hanged, not burned, in England, though some were burned in Scotland.) Despite his helpful manner, Tom has an agenda — revenge and lust for power — and he thinks Kylie will be the key to achieving both. This is where things become a bit derivative. The Latin chanting and the portrayal of magic via misty, pastel-colored special effects all feel, well, a bit too Harry Potter-esque to me. Why is this book of magic written in Latin? No explanation is given. The Owens ancestors were not wealthy or formally educated; they were more like peasant folk whose magic would have been passed down orally. The literary contrivance is completely at odds with the previous film’s earthier vision of magic — and it is rather sloppily tacked on. In the midst of this rather overblown battle of good and evil, Sally, Gillian, and Ian arrive (in the nick of time) to subdue Tom and save Kylie. Still, the age-old curse remains, and Sally bids a tender farewell to Ian.

I won’t spoil more than I already have, but will it surprise anyone that the film ends on an upbeat, feel-good note—complete with midnight margaritas and witches taking flight? Fans of the first installment may find plenty to appreciate in this sequel: a satisfying dose of romance, colorful costumes, witchy insider humor and, of course, that gorgeous, sprawling house by the ocean. The music is often terrific, weaving hints of Alan (Back to the Future) Silvestri’s memorable score for the original film into Rupert Gregson-Williams’s new music. The soundtrack also includes vintage, pagan-inflected favorites by King Harvest and rock goddess Stevie Nicks. Yet despite some pleasing aspects to the overall production, I found the overheated plot, cluttered with ill-fitting occult signifiers, both sloppy and off-putting. Practical Magic 2 could have been a timely continuation of the first film. Instead, it feels like a pale imitation, desperately trying to recapture a heady experience by any means necessary. Instead of magic, we get chaos.

Peg Aloi is a former film critic for the Boston Phoenix and member of the Boston Society of Film Critics, the Critics Choice Awards, and the Alliance for Women Film Journalists. She taught film studies in Boston for over a decade. She has written on film, TV, and culture for web publications like Time, Vice, Polygon, Bustle, Dread Central, Mic, Orlando Weekly, Refinery29, and Bloody Disgusting. Her blog “The Witching Hour” can be found on substack.