“No magic is stronger than sisterhood.”
Practical Magic 2, the sequel to the cult classic, was released in September of 2026. It’s received mixed reviews and is loved and hated by many online. In honor of my favorite time of year, spooky season, I wanted to share my thoughts on this witchy film.
Spoilers ahead!
1998: The Original
Practical Magic was released in 1998, inspired by the book series created by Alice Hoffman. The initial release of the film was essentially a disappointment, with a worldwide gross of roughly $68 million. Now this movie is known as a cult classic, beloved among many and filled with a magic passed down through generations.
The film follows two sisters, Gillian and Sally Owens, descendants of Maria Owens, a young witch who upon her execution, casts a spell to prevent heartbreak and kill any man who falls in love with an Owens. With a heartfelt goodbye and a blood oath, the sisters separate by the end of their teenage years. Gillian takes off for Los Angeles to live her eccentric life, while Sally stays, eventually meeting and marrying Michael, a local apple salesman. Years later, he falls victim to the curse and is killed in a car accident. The majority of the film follows the sisters as they navigate the mistakes they made while trying to free Gillian from her abusive relationship with Jimmy. Throughout it, Sally meets Gary, a state investigator, and the dream man of Sally’s childhood spell. The sisters are freed from Jimmy and believe they have broken the Owens curse, leaving Gary to fall in love with Sally. The movie then ends with the iconic jump from the roof, as the family floats down with their umbrellas.
It took me a while to watch this movie, as I had never really been interested. When I finally caved to my mom’s wishes and watched it with her, I loved it. The theme and magic of sisterhood is strong throughout the movie, and the love is felt, even if you’re an only child like me. The movie holds this nostalgic feeling, no matter what year you were born. It’s whimsical and cozy, and as a lover of all things witchy, it’s easily become a favorite of mine, as well as so many others.
25 Years Later: The Sequel
Practical Magic 2 takes place 25 years after the first one, and it focuses mainly on Sally’s daughters, particularly Kylie, and her relationship with her boyfriend, Gideon. The movie begins by showing us that Gary, too, fell victim to the curse and passed away and as a result of her grief, Sally places a spell over her daughters to forget the magic and their family’s witchy secret. That secret is shattered when Gideon and Kylie confess their love and Gideon then gets into a car accident, resulting in a coma. Determined to save her boyfriend, Kylie finds the Book of Ravens, left by Aunt Jet, and travels to London to get answers and reverse the curse herself. The movie follows her journey as well as the Ownes sisters’ journey to get Kylie back home safely. In the end the curse is broken and the family and the audience is left with a bittersweet ending of loss and new beginnings.
“Live a Little. Live a lot.”
I’d say, overall, I really enjoyed this movie. I feel like the sequel is still filled with so much emotion and nostalgia. This one has a much more emotional theme and really hit the hearts of many original fans. Despite this, it was still a fun and enticing film. Watching it with my mom and family filled me with so much joy. While it was definitely more modern than the first, it still had that same warm and witchy feel to it. It was magical. I also think the modernization can be good; it is meant to be for the next generation, the children.
I’ve seen a lot of mixed reviews in regards to the soundtrack, but I have to say, I loved it and it was probably my favorite aspect of this entire film. I think that a lot of people forget that this is meant to be more modern.. It doesn’t take place in 1998, like the first movie. I think the song choices still fit the whimsical witchy vibes while adding a modern touch. Choosing “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac for the scene where Aunt Jet passes was a perfect, heartbreaking choice. It brought the exact feel and emotion this scene needed as not only the sisters, but the audience said goodbye to the beloved aunt. The soundtrack also included Florence & The Machine’s “Howl,” Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘The Cure,” and of course “Coconut” by Harry Nilsson. I will say that I wish that iconic song from Harry Nilsson had a bit more screen time, however its presence was happily welcomed.
All of this is not to say that the film didn’t disappoint in some aspects. It felt a bit slow at times and seemed to drag on. There were a few times where I was a bit lost or felt bored. The new love interest, and the entire villain of the story as well felt a bit random and thrown in. The villain, Thomas, was such an odd plotline to me. Every interaction he had with Kylie frustrated me immensely. She was obviously meant to be portrayed as desperate and her judgement was clouded by this dark magic and her love for Gideon, but she was so naive the entire time despite all the warning signs he had given her. Thomas’ whole story felt very rushed and random, and his relationship to Ian was also very odd. The scene in which the sisters believe that Ian has been part of this all along was kind of confusing. I was expecting this huge plot twist that Sally had been betrayed by the man who was giving her another chance at love, just for them to be wrong and him to forgive her immediately.
Despite some flaws, watching this sequel was still such a fun and enjoyable experience. It was bittersweet and nostalgic and still felt so special as I got to share it with the people I love.
“Love Is Our Undoing”
I’ll admit that the romance plot line between Sally and Professor Ian Wright felt a bit odd. I wasn’t expecting her to have another love interest at all, and the whole plotline felt very last-minute. It was set up like the two had known each other for years and had this “will-they,won’t-they” thing, but in reality, they had just met. We were so quickly thrown into this flirting and romance and it was so rushed. We actually saw so little of their romance blossom yet the tension was so prevalent and suddenly they were in love, or at least incredibly enthralled by one another.
The flirting was…interesting, for lack of a better word. Ian jumps straight into it immediately after meeting the sisters, choosing to focus on Sally ‘saving’ him rather than Gillian. The scene in which Ian and Sally attempt to ‘unblock’ Sally’s magic was honestly a bit uncomfortable. For having only met the day prior it was very intense and the romantic undertones just felt so odd considering she was attempting to find her daughter who was in grave danger.
“I like this. My molecules near your molecules,” was a choice. The entirety of the custard scene was just so odd to me. It felt so random and out of place, I was really confused on where it was going, I couldn’t tell if it was trying to set up a plotline and reveal something to the audience. It felt like they realized their relationship hadn’t had much time to develop so they needed to throw in a scene to form some chemistry. My assumption is the custard was being used for deflection but it was just so confusing and weird. Overall while their storyline was sweet it was also very sudden.
The sisterhood was still a strong theme, but Antonia, the younger sister, did feel pretty neglected in this film. I haven’t read the books, but based on what I’ve heard, in the series she actually has a love interest and plays a much larger role. We get a small hint to this at the end of the film during the wedding, but her storyline is mostly dismissed. In the novel, Antonia’s love interest is a woman named Ariel. The two actually work together and play a large role in breaking the family curse, however this isn’t seen in the film. Because the curse was broken, readers are unsure of whether it would have affected Ariel, despite being a woman. If the films were to become a trilogy, I think that a focus on Antonia would be well deserved.
Discourse
“Here’s the thing about magic. It won’t be silenced.”
When a film has such a large fan base and a sequel is created many years later, there tends to be a lot of discourse and dissatisfaction.
To start, I need to talk about the discourse surrounding Sandra Bullock’s and Nicole Kidman’s alleged botox. Many people have pointed out a lack or limitation of expression, which can affect acting. While botox can affect someone’s acting through facial expressions, I also strongly believe we should stop commenting on women and choices they may or may have not made on their own bodies.
The first movie is based around sisterhood and womanhood, its whimsy and enjoyment stems from the overall vibe of the movie. The set design, costumes, and lighting create this warm, nostalgic feeling full of magic and excitement. For a lot of fans all of that seemed to be missing in the second film. It lacked that cozy feeling and came across very commercialized. The first film seems to encapsulate the feeling of fall, but the sequel lacks those autumnal vibes and coziness. The main complaint is the lighting. While the original has very warm and saturated lighting, the sequel is much brighter and many have said it seems to have “Netflix” lighting, which typically just means flat and low-contrast lighting. I think they may have been trying to go more for a modern film, and most modern movies just don’t feel the same anymore. The ambience of the movie wasn’t as magical to many. There was, of course, magic being used in the movie but it didn’t feel as practical, it wasn’t being used for mundane things. It felt more theatrical and forced and less like a part of the family. I do think this is in part due to the fact that Sally wanted so badly to deny her magic and ensure that neither her nor her children ever use it again.
One fan talks about the ‘plot holes’ in this film, particularly the fact that the magic was hidden from Sally’s children. I have noticed quite a few people who seem to have missed the spell Sally places at the start of the film, which erases any memories of magic her daughters have, though of course this doesn’t account for anything the girls may have experienced as they grew up. They were raised in a town where everyone knew the Owens family were witches, the girls even mention at one point how everyone would make comments about that and their magic. It seems as though somehow, Sally convinced them that these were all rumors and jokes and, I guess, convinced the aunts and Gilly to hide their magic in front of them as well. Another point this fan makes is that Gideon didn’t die immediately after being hit, he is instead placed in a coma, giving him the slightest chance of survival. In the first film however, Micheal, Sally’s husband, is seemingly killed right away when the same thing happens to him.
Another common theme of discourse is the lack of sisterhood. We of course see Gilly and Sally navigate their rocky but loving relationship throughout the film, but as I mentioned, the other set of sisters are separated for almost the entirety of the movie. The movie focuses primarily on Kylie and her journey to break the curse, while her sister, Antonia, is stuck in the hospital room with Gideon. In fact, we don’t even see the curse or the fact that they are witches actually get explained to her, she is simply just thrown into it all and we never even really get to see her magic.
Regardless of whether people enjoyed the movie or not, the experience of dressing up and going to the theaters with friends or family and eating loads of popcorn is still magical in itself.
Love it or hate it, there are some things we know for certain, “always throw spilt salt over your left shoulder, keep rosemary by your garden gate, plant lavender for luck, and fall in love whenever you can.”
(Oh, and also, don’t forget those midnight margaritas!)