TA typical '90s romantic comedy shouldn't, in theory, involve accidental murder or exorcism of demons. Still, the Practical Magic of Griffin Dunne A woman's urge to kill her evil ex-boyfriend (twice) proves to be funny, sexy, and even naughty.
Imagine Nicole Kidman, with her coppery hair and curtain bangs, speeding down America's vast highways to a soundtrack featuring Stevie Nicks and Joni Mitchell. Or Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest, who play the Wicked Witch's aunt, stationed around a kitchen bench, chanting a spell (“Adder's fork, blind bug's needle, Barbados lime are just that!'') ), while sipping on a late-night margarita. The term “chick flick” is perhaps outdated, but the alchemy, comedy, and darkness of Practical Magic resonated with generations of women, and more than 25 years after its initial release, Sandra Bullock and Kidman continue to do so. I'm calling. lined up They are set to reprise their roles in an upcoming sequel.
This forgotten film, based on Alice Hoffman's 1995 novel, became a cult classic. Sally (Block) and Gillian Owens (Kidman) are portrayed as sisters from a family of witches bound by a family curse. A man who falls in love with an Owens woman dies. While Sally declares her love, Gillian throws herself headlong into romance. The two lead separate yet connected lives, but are pulled back together as adults when Sally becomes a widow and Gillian becomes embroiled in an abusive relationship.
Despite opening at number one at the box office, Practical Magic did not meet its budget and received mixed reviews from critics. Roger Ebert claimed that the film “veers uncertainly from horror to comedy to romance, and seems at a loss as to what tone to adopt.” Lately, it's been undergoing a well-deserved reappraisal, especially among younger audiences, who turn to the film for its witchy aesthetic and cottagecore inspiration. It often appears on Letterboxd A list of strangely specific titles. Some of my favorites are included.Movies that women love but men find stupid”.
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Look beyond the comically flashy visual effects, the seemingly confusing plot, and the practical magic. It has an undeniable integrity. “I just want to be loved. I want to be seen,” Sally writes wistfully in a letter to Gillian. She looks up at the moon surrounded by rings and knows trouble is coming.
There's something reassuring about a movie that's serious in its romance but hilariously lighthearted in its conflict. It remains down to the smallest details. (A lover's?) A completely incomprehensible expression. How Block, dressed in light-wash denim and a lettuce-trimmed crop top, evokes a cozy autumnal mood that's so early in the season that you'll want to change your entire wardrobe. For a movie full of superstitions, there are also a lot of common truths.
While watching this movie, I was reminded of the time my sister and I crushed rose petals to cast a spell on an evil man, and how she slept with bay leaves around her bed to calm her anxiety and ward off cockroaches. I remember that. My mother's insistence on keeping a worry doll under my pillow is a habit I still practice. There is a sense of generosity in the way the women of the Owen family dance around the kitchen at night. She lives a prosperous life in a magical house with a garden, growing herbs for food and healing. Practical magic like eating brownies for breakfast Most are sweet, a little silly, and very charming.
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Practical Magic is streaming on Stan in Australia, Max in the US, and available to rent in the UK. For more recommendations on streaming in Australia, click here
