Practical Magic 2 — The Spell Is Back, but Nostalgia Does Most of the Magic

There are some movies that feel like they belong to a particular time, and Practical Magic is one of them. The 1998 cult favorite was never a conventional romantic comedy, fantasy or family drama. It was an odd mixture of all three, held together by Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman's irresistible chemistry as sisters Sally and Gillian Owens.

Nearly three decades later, Practical Magic 2 returns to that strange little world. The result is exactly as eccentric as its predecessor—and considerably more dependent on the audience's affection for the original.

Directed by Susanne Bier and written by Akiva Goldsman, Georgia Pritchett and Kelly Marcel, the sequel brings Bullock and Kidman back as the Owens sisters, alongside Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest as their eccentric aunts. This time, Sally has essentially abandoned magic after another devastating loss, even going so far as to erase her daughters' memories of their family's supernatural history. When her daughter Kylie becomes entangled in another romantic curse, Sally and Gillian are pulled back into the world they thought they had left behind.

It is a premise that sounds wonderfully ridiculous—and, to its credit, the film embraces that ridiculousness.

The problem is that Practical Magic 2 often seems unsure whether it is continuing the story or simply recreating the feeling of the first movie.

Bullock and Kidman remain the film's biggest attraction. Their chemistry is still remarkably natural, with Bullock's anxious practicality bouncing beautifully off Kidman's more carefree, mischievous energy. Even when the dialogue becomes overly sentimental, the two actresses can sell a scene simply by looking at each other.

There is a familiarity to their performances that works both for and against the movie. Fans of the original will probably find themselves smiling whenever Sally and Gillian slip back into their old dynamic. But there are also moments when it feels less like watching characters develop and more like watching two movie stars revisit personalities audiences already know.

And that distinction becomes increasingly important.

The younger generation is supposed to give the story a sense of progression. Joey King plays Kylie, while Maisie Williams appears as Antonia, another member of the Owens family. Their characters inherit the magical complications that have haunted the family for generations, but the screenplay doesn't always give them enough room to become as interesting as their famous predecessors.

Kylie's romantic storyline provides the central conflict, but it also feels remarkably familiar. Once again, love becomes entangled with an Owens family curse, and once again the women must find a way to break free from the idea that loving someone inevitably leads to tragedy.

There is a potentially interesting idea underneath all this repetition: the way trauma can be inherited, even when parents desperately try to protect their children from it. Sally's decision to erase her daughters' memories of magic comes from love and fear, but it ultimately creates another generation that has to discover the truth for itself.

That theme gives the film more emotional weight than its occasionally silly plot deserves.

Unfortunately, the screenplay sometimes spells out its message far too clearly. Ideas about sisterhood, inherited trauma and female solidarity are repeatedly stated rather than allowed to emerge naturally from the characters. The sentiment is sincere, but it can feel a little too carefully manufactured.

The movie is also surprisingly loose with its own timeline and magical rules. The original Practical Magic was hardly a model of strict supernatural logic, but its chaotic rules were part of its charm. Here, the inconsistencies occasionally become distracting, particularly when the film asks audiences to accept decades of family history without bothering to make the chronology entirely convincing.

Still, there are moments when Practical Magic 2 captures the peculiar charm of its predecessor.

The production design has the expected witchy warmth, the soundtrack leans into the same nostalgic atmosphere, and the movie isn't afraid to be sentimental, goofy or slightly bizarre. There are also some amusing new characters, particularly the men Sally and Kylie encounter during their journey into the Owens family's ancestral history.

Lee Pace makes an impression as an occult professor who takes a particular interest in Sally, while Solly McLeod's mysterious warlock provides a darker counterpoint. Their contrasting approaches to masculinity add an unexpectedly contemporary element to a story that otherwise feels deliberately rooted in the past.

But the film's biggest strength is also its biggest limitation: nostalgia.

If you loved the original Practical Magic, there is a good chance you'll find something comforting here. Seeing Bullock and Kidman together again carries a genuine emotional charge. The movie understands that its audience has grown older alongside these characters and leans into that shared history.

For everyone else, however, the magic may be harder to find.

Too much of the film feels constructed around moments that are supposed to trigger recognition. Familiar songs return. Familiar rituals return. Familiar character dynamics return. Even the midnight margaritas make their way back into the story. These callbacks can be charming, but after a while they begin to feel less like storytelling and more like checking boxes on a nostalgia list.

That is particularly unfortunate because there is a genuinely interesting sequel buried underneath all the fan service.

A story about two older sisters confronting their past, their mistakes and the consequences of trying to protect their children from inherited pain could have been something special. Bullock and Kidman are old enough now to bring a different emotional dimension to Sally and Gillian, and the film occasionally hints at that possibility.

It simply doesn't explore it deeply enough.

Instead, Practical Magic 2 repeatedly chooses familiarity over surprise. The result is strange, messy and occasionally charming, much like the original—but without quite the same sense of discovery.

It would be unfair to call the sequel a complete failure. There is genuine warmth here, and the central relationship between Sally and Gillian remains surprisingly affecting. For fans who have been waiting nearly 30 years to see these sisters return, that may be enough.

But magic is most exciting when it feels unpredictable.

Practical Magic 2 knows exactly which ingredients its audience came for. It mixes sisterhood, romance, curses, eccentric witches and nostalgic 90s energy into another colorful supernatural family story. Unfortunately, it sometimes feels less like a new spell and more like a familiar one being performed again.

The Owens sisters are still charming. The magic is still weird. The margaritas are still flowing.

But this time, nostalgia is doing most of the heavy lifting.

Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)

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