Like many other women my age, I like to ring in the fall season with Practical Magic. As soon as the weather begins to turn, the movie usually finds its way back to my TV screen, or I’ll put on the soundtrack to run errands on a chilly Sunday morning. I’m also not ashamed to admit that a good chunk of my autumn wardrobe is inspired by the witchy Owens sisters. So of course, when Practical Magic 2 hit theaters this fall, I was seated front and center on opening weekend. But I also had to mentally prepare myself in case this movie turned out to be the latest in a string of unnecessary sequels.
I want to give a disclaimer: It is not just a whimsical witchy romance–there are also much darker elements, like abusive boyfriends and possession, that the internet tends not to talk about. So when watching the sequel, I set out to answer two questions: would Practical Magic 2 actually be a worthy sequel, and would it keep up with the darker themes of the first movie or fall to the “TikTokification” of the plot? Keep reading for my full thoughts. Warning: minor spoilers ahead.
What is Practical Magic 2 about?
30 years after the events of the first movie, Sally and Gillian Owens (played by Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman) still find themselves plagued by their family’s curse: every man who falls in love with an Owens sister will die. Sally raised her daughters, Kylie (played by Joey King) and Antonia (played by Maisie Williams), shielded from any mention of magic. But when Kylie’s boyfriend Gideon (played by Xolo Maridueña) falls into a coma after a car accident, Sally’s daughters are forced to confront the secrets their mother kept. In her anger, Kylie sets off to England, the birthplace of her ancestor, to save Gideon and break the curse once and for all. As Sally and Gilly follow Kylie, dark secrets still await.
My review of Practical Magic 2
The sequel’s premise is eerily similar to the original
Based on the trailers for Practical Magic 2, I expected it to reuse the exact same plot: the curse supposedly broken at the end of the first movie was somehow back, and the characters would end up right back where they started. I’m sad to report that this is indeed what happens. Sally’s entire arc from the first movie disappeared. Almost 30 years later, she’s still repressing her magic and putting up walls around her heart. Gilly’s character hasn’t changed much either, but Nicole Kidman still knows how to steal the show.
Despite the characters feeling a bit frozen in time, I appreciated how the curse storyline took center stage in this movie. The girls actively set out to break it once and for all this time, instead of using it as a way to add conflict to the first movie’s romance subplot.
Sally’s daughters are a fun addition to the cast
Kylie and Antonia aren’t completely new characters, since they appeared as kids in the original movie. But now they’re grown up, and I really like getting to see a younger generation of Owens sisters. Even though they’re the ones driving the whole movie, they still take a back seat to Sally and Gilly—and I’m a little disappointed by that.
Sally’s daughters have heard rumors about their family’s curse their whole lives, but never fully believed it. They also never learned that they were witches, because Sally wanted to protect them from her own pain. In this movie, we see them grapple with this newfound knowledge. But we also hardly see Kylie do any magic even though she’s the one trying to break the curse, and Antonia is barely part of the plot! I wish we’d gotten to see the younger girls learning more about their witchy side and working together to save their family. For a movie whose central lesson is that “sisterhood is the strongest magic,” we barely saw that ring true for these new characters.
The movie isn’t spooky enough
When it comes to drawing the line between “whimsy” and “spooky,” this movie definitely airs on the side of whimsy. Which is far from a bad thing! I have never wanted to live in a fictional home more than the Owens’ house. A good part of this movie also takes place in England, the birthplace of Sally and Gilly’s ancestor (and the person responsible for the curse), so these characters visit several charming villages and cozy pubs. But I found myself wanting more of those darker elements from the first movie.
Several parts of this movie had the potential to bring a spookier energy, but they didn’t explore it as much as I would have liked. In order for Kylie to break the curse, she has to experiment with dark magic. Given that she has never used magic at all up until this point, I would have loved to see her get into some real trouble in her attempts to undo the source of her family’s pain. Even the movie’s big plot twist–which is arguably the darkest part of the story–seemed very anticlimactic. I won’t give that particular piece away, and I still enjoyed the bit of darkness we did get from it. But since the first Practical Magic was more mature alongside the witchy fun, I wish the sequel had done the same.
So, should you watch Practical Magic 2?
Overall, I think this movie is a lot of fun! I enjoyed revisiting these characters, and there were a few fun twists that I think set it apart from the original source material. I also appreciated that they didn’t go overboard in paying homage to the first movie. In fact, most of the nostalgic callbacks don’t happen until the last 15 minutes.
However, there’s only so much you can do with a reboot like this. If Practical Magic is one of your favorite movies, you might be disappointed with this sequel. But if you’re a more casual fan like me, or want something a little cozier, this will be a fun movie to add to your fall watchlist.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hannah Carapellotti, Contributing Writer
Hannah is an Ann Arbor-based writer with a bachelor’s in English and writing from the University of Michigan. Outside of The Everygirl, Hannah has written for The Michigan Daily, where she also served as an editor. She currently works at an independent bookstore and is interning for a literary agency.
