Why I’m here for a Practical Magic sequel
When it comes to delayed sequels, prequels and remakes, I’m usually decidedly in the “no thank you” camp. At best, I find them to be cheap, lacklustre and cynical, a way of churning out every possible penny from an idea (I’m looking at you, Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle). At worst, they betray the unique magic of the original, and forever tarnish it in some way (See: Grease 2, Cruel Intentions 2 et cetera et cetera). Yet there is one sequel I’d be down to see, and that’s the reported Practical Magic 2, confirmed as in the works by Warner Bros. last week.
The original film was released in 1998 and was based on the novel of the same name by Alice Hoffman. It starred Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as Sally and Gillian Owens, two sisters who descend from a prominent witching dynasty in New England. While Sally attempts to squash her magical powers, choosing instead to live as normal a life as possible in their hometown as a widow and mother to her two daughters, Gillian is a free spirit who flits from place to place, boyfriend to boyfriend. The pair are reunited when one of Gillian’s exes, Jimmy (played by Nineties hunk, Goran Višnjić) reacts badly to their break-up, with the sisters subsequently accidentally poisoning him and having to deal with his angry ghost.
The film received mixed reviews from critics upon its release, with Roger Ebert summarising that it, “doesn't seem sure what tone to adopt, veering uncertainly from horror to laughs to romance,” and it was no box office smash, making a loss of just over $6 million. Yet in the intervening years, it has become something of a cult favourite, and has been largely reappraised by critics. Indeed, in 2018, The Atlantic’s David Sims saw the film’s shifting genres as tantamount to its success, writing it mixed “horror, empowerment, and romance in ways extremely unusual for the era”. Its place in the canon of 1990s classics is also forever cemented by the fact it was part of a major moment for witches on the screen, with The Craft (1996), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997) and Charmed (1998) all released concurrently.
As with most things witchy, the central theme of the film is sisterhood. And it would not only pass the Bechdel test, it would ace it. While Bullock and Kidman are the main sister-duo, there’s also their aunts that they live with (played by Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing) and Sally’s daughters (Evan Rachel Wood and Alexandria Artrip). The only men in the film are very much in their outer orbit – the aforementioned Jimmy; Sally’s late husband, Michael; and the police detective, Gary. The reasoning for that is tied up in the plot: there is a curse on any man that loves an Owens woman. Hence Sally’s widowhood and Gillian’s refusal to fall in love. And it’s not only the sisters who are shown to be fighting each other’s corner: the same women who have ostracised them their entire lives also join forces with them to help defeat evil Jimmy.
And aside from that, there’s so much more to enjoy. The fashion, for starters, which currently has 5.4 million views on TikTok. Who doesn’t love Gillian’s crop top and midi skirt combo? Or Sally’s floral dresses and cardigans? Or even the latter’s denim skirt with knee-high boots, which she famously wears when jumping into the arms of her future husband, Michael? That scene is soundtracked by quintessential Nineties chick Faith Hill’s This Kiss, just one highlight on a hit-packed score. And don’t get me started on midnight margaritas and “put the lime in the coconut and mix it all up”, a scene that was reportedly extra fun to film thanks to Kidman actually getting wasted on cheap tequila. (Fun fact, if you start watching it at 11.12pm, you too can have midnight margaritas).
So if I love the original so much, why would I be keen for a sequel, when I’ve already outlined my reasoning for not actually liking sequels much? It’s as simple as this: There. Is. Source. Material. Hoffman wrote two prequels, The Rules of Magic (2017) and Magic Lessons (2020), as well as one sequel – The Book of Magic (2021). This means that whatever sequel (or prequel) we might get, it’s based on Hoffman’s writing, which is important to me.
Also big ticks: the original screenwriter, Akiva Goldsman, and producer, Denise Di Novi, are returning. If the film were to be based on the most recent book, the sequel The Book of Magic, then we might also get the effervescence of a Bullock-Kidman reunion on the big screen, with their chemistry one of the most enjoyable bits of the original movie. At this point in their careers, neither is likely to sign on to something lacklustre, either, so the promise of them coming on board is certainly a tantalising one.
It also feels like the right moment for a Practical Magic 2, as well. We’re in the midst of a major Nineties throwback at the moment, with Gen Z rightfully obsessed with all things from that era, whether that be the fashion or the pop culture. All things pagan are also becoming more and more mainstream, from our growing acceptance of the woo-woo (cacao circles, tarot and manifesting are all very much in vogue), to the rising numbers identifying with an alternative belief system as a response to the chaos of the world right now. Black magic has taken over the small screen again, from Wednesday to Domino Day. A girl power tastic tale of witchy sisters teaming up to do good is exactly what I want to watch in a world of 70 and 80-something men battling to be US President, the rise of the far right and its misogynist ideals and increasing violence against women.
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