It has been twenty-eight years since the Owens sisters (Sally (Sandra Bullock) and Gillian (Nicole Kidman)) appeared, and with the pending Fall Season, “Practical Magic 2” has appeared to bring fans a nostalgic dose of magic and family.
Sally and Gillian learn that the family curse is still very much active, and the resulting aftermath has caused Sally to turn away from magic. She has also insisted that her daughters, Antonia (Maisie Williams) and Kylie (Joey King), never learn of the curse and abandon any connection to magic, and live a normal life.
Years later, a life-changing event occurs, and the aftermath leads to a rift between Kylie and her mother as the younger Owen sets off to get the answers she seeks based on an entry in a mysterious book she finds that is believed to hold the secret to ending the curse.
Sally and Gillian follow, and in between their sisterly bickering and bonding, they encounter a man named Ian Wright (Lee Pace) who may hold the key to their quests.
The movie is heavy on nostalgia, and it is great to see the main cast back together and the story offers lots of fan service that is sure to please. The biggest issue with the film is that the plot at times seems like it was made up as they went along, as it takes a very long and slow path to reach a fairly predictable and underwhelmingly safe conclusion. In the hands of anyone other than Bullock and Kidman, this could have been a massive disappointment, but thankfully, the duo offers enough charm to carry the film to an ultimately satisfactory conclusion.
It remains to be seen if there will be a further entry in the series, but I would not rule out another adventure should the movie find success at the Box Office. For now, “Practical Magic 2” is a dose of nostalgia that should appeal to fans of the first film as long as they temper their expectations.
3 stars out of 5
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