Who’s ready for a midnight margarita? After almost three decades, we finally get a sequel to Practical Magic, and it’s just as charming and adorable as expected. Against all odds, Practical Magic 2 understands exactly why audiences fell in love with the Owens women in the first place, delivering a legacy sequel filled with cutesy romance and plenty of magic.
1999’s Practical Magic beautifully blended romance and dark witchy comedy, eventually transforming into a beloved cult classic. It was one of my mom’s favorite movies, so I admittedly have a special connection to it. The Owens and their plight was practically engraved in stone at our household. The book series that inspired the film eventually grew to four novels, but it was still a surprise when they announced a sequel all these years later. Thankfully, Practical Magic 2 isn’t some soulless attempt to resurrect a corpse with the Book of the Raven. These genuinely feel like the same women we left behind in 1999. Major kudos go to screenwriters Akiva Goldsman and Georgia Pritchett, who maintain a consistency between the past into the present.
Following a somewhat traditional legacy sequel route, this entry finds sisters Sally (Sandra Bullock) and Gillian (Nicole Kidman) teaming up with Sally’s two daughters to finally defeat the family curse once and for all after a tragic loss upends their lives. Generations back, their ancestor cursed the Owens women to never feel the lasting love of a man, and they still have not been able to escape the power of her spell. If Sally, Gilly, and the next generation ever want the freedom to truly love without fear of losing someone, the curse has to be broken for good. And what’s a life without a little magic in it?
Nearly everyone from the original returns to reprise their iconic roles, including Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Stockard Channing, and Dianne Wiest. Bullock and Kidman slip back into Sally and Gillian effortlessly; their sisterly chemistry is still the main draw here, and the film leans into it easily by giving them situations to interact organically. Driving a wedge between the sisters would have been an easier route, so it was nice seeing them act almost as if no time had passed in between. Channing and Wiest have perfect purpose for returning too, with both women getting to play dress-up in a variety of fabulous witchy outfits. Aidan Quinn unfortunately does not come back as Sally’s love interest, but there are actual plot-relevant reasons behind his absence rather than simply pretending the blue-and-green-eyed man never existed.
The newcomers fit nicely into the established ensemble. Lee Pace leaves a hell of an impression as Professor Ian Wright, bringing a different energy to the Owens family dynamic, while Xolo Maridueña exudes major charm as Kylie’s love interest. The movie absolutely could have spent considerably more time developing Kylie (Joey King) and Antonia (Maisie Williams) individually, considering how important the younger generation becomes to the larger story. Kylie gets far more to do than her sister, with King stepping up and embracing the character’s roots. There are a handful of clunky moments involving setup and backstory, particularly as the movie tries to bridge nearly three decades between installments. Thankfully, none of these issues are enough to derail the spell. One also has to appreciate that neither Sally nor Gilly are ever sidelined within their own story, unlike some of the rather more egregious late-Hollywood sequels content to simply push out the old guard or quickly kill them off.
Practical Magic 2 is the rare legacy sequel that totally works because it understands everything we loved about that first movie without simply repeating it. The same female-first writing is here, along with the comforting whimsical tone, and a darkness lurking just underneath the surface. New director Susanne Bier never forgets that the bond between Sally and Gillian has always been the real magic. Driven by the power of love and the blood pact of two devoted sisters, the emotional core remains completely intact. Eventual tragedies hit hard, and on an emotional level, this one definitely surpasses the first. The deathwatch beetle strikes again, immediately carrying an ominous significance. Beneath all the spells and supernatural mythology, both movies are ultimately about grief, and the people we desperately wish we could hold onto forever. The sequel understands that element and easily bakes it into the unfolding story.
Visually, there’s a magical warmth to the whole thing, including a handful of gorgeous locations that take the Owens women well outside the bounds of their perfectly recreated mansion home. The film may draw heavily from the fourth and final book of the series, but it never feels overly committed to source material or inaccessible to casual viewers. There’s a surprising amount of sweetness that really sucks you in, making it a great companion piece to the first.
Practical Magic 2 plays like a love letter to the original while simultaneously paving the way for potential new stories set in the same universe. There’s a certain amount of table-setting involved, organic to the story rather than an obvious sequel tease. We ultimately leave the Owens women in a place that feels meaningful after what they have endured. Belated sequels are always a gamble, especially when you’re returning to characters people have loved for nearly thirty years. Practical Magic 2 manages to honor that nostalgia without becoming trapped in its intoxicating spell. Driven by the power of love and sisterhood, a dash of grief, and a sprinkle of supernatural horror, Practical Magic 2 is a wickedly good time at the movies.
Practical Magic 2 is now bewitching theaters worldwide.
