Quartile rating: 5.5/10 · 1 rating
Sally and Gillian Owens, born into a magical family, have mostly avoided witchcraft themselves. But when Gillian's vicious boyfriend, Jimmy Angelov, dies unexpectedly, the Owens sisters give themselves a crash course in hard magic. With policeman Gary Hallet growing suspicious, the girls struggle to resurrect Angelov -- and unwittingly inject his corpse with an evil spirit that threatens to end their family line.
Practical Magic is a warmly watchable but uneven romantic fantasy that never quite lives up to its premise. The plot meanders between tones—rom-com, sisterhood drama, supernatural thriller—without fully committing to any, and the third-act possession climax feels rushed and tonally jarring. Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman have genuine chemistry and elevate the material, with solid support from Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest as the eccentric aunts. Visually the film has charm—warm autumnal lighting and a picturesque New England setting—but it's not particularly distinctive cinematography. As a witch-family story it covers well-trodden ground without a singular creative voice, and the resolution is tidy but emotionally unsatisfying, relying on magic-as-metaphor shortcuts rather than earned dramatic payoff.