The Owens sisters are as bewitching as ever – multiple generations of them, in fact – in “Practical Magic 2,” even if the sequel might only truly cast a spell for fans of the original cult movie.
Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman reprise their roles as magical siblings nearly 30 years after 1998’s “Practical Magic.” Directed by Susanne Bier (“Bird Box”), the follow-up (★★½ out of four; rated PG-13; in theaters Sept. 10) manages to be an improvement, especially with the addition of Joey King and Maisie Williams to this romantic fantasy universe based on Alice Hoffman’s book series.
At the same time, “Practical Magic 2” seems drunk on its own midnight margaritas, running back a lot of the same narrative with a mess of disparate tones and forced characters,
plus an all-too-predictable third act.
The sequel even begins on a down note: The Owens curse, which usually brings death to any man who falls for an Owens woman, has struck again, and Sally (Bullock) buries her second husband. Angered and heartbroken, Sally forsakes magic and makes it so that her young daughters forget all about them being a family of witches.
Years later, the clan – including Sally’s free-spirit sister Gillian (Kidman) – comes back together at their nifty Massachusetts residence for a birthday celebration for their Aunt Jet (Dianne Wiest). Sally’s daughters, Kylie (King) and Antonia (Williams), also arrive, though tragedy befalls the family yet again.
Kylie’s boyfriend, Gideon (Xolo Maridueña), shows up for emotional support but soon after telling her he loves her for the first time, he gets hit by a car and winds up in a coma. Desperate to save him and break this curse, Kylie begins to dig into her family’s dark secrets, taps into her considerable powers and travels to England to investigate her family’s ancestral home.
She meets Tom (Solly McLeod), a young man with a strong interest in spellcraft and local legends. Meanwhile, a worried Sally and Gillian scramble to find her before things get dangerous. They wind up teaming with enigmatic professor Ian (Lee Pace), who becomes a love interest for Sally.
Both Bullock and Kidman have played so many characters in the ensuing decades since first inhabiting Sally and Gillian, yet they ease back into the roles with an effortless, yin-yang chemistry: Sally is the grounded, serious one, and is often the straight woman to the goofier, fun-loving Gillian. Seeing them opposite Wiest and Stockard Channing (as Aunt Franny) again pushes the nostalgia buttons as much as flying with umbrellas while rocking striped socks.
Sally and Gillian’s dynamic is intriguingly reflected in Sally’s kids, with aspiring neurosurgeon Antonia being likened to “Sally in scrubs” and Kylie reflecting her aunt, down to a similar shade of red hair. While Williams, a young standout in “Game of Thrones,” doesn’t get a whole lot to do, especially in the movie’s latter half, King gets the spotlight for a quite a bit of runtime.
And King, one of the more underrated actresses of her generation, creates a compelling personality in Kylie. While hurt by magic being taken from her life, she also conjures the hope and optimism that’s so appealing in the first “Practical Magic.”
While not a fizzle, the sequel could be more fun. Akin to the OG, the sequel still can’t settle on a tone for five minutes, but Bier, like Griffin Dunne previously, isn’t afraid to get a little dark and weird with the magic. Toss in a smattering of talented actresses and you’ve got a witches’ brew that’s fairly satisfying.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Practical Magic 2' brings back the magic and the mess – Review
