Angie B's 31 Horror Films in 31 Days Continues With... PRACTICAL MAGIC
PRACTICAL MAGIC
(1998)
STARRING: Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Aidan Quinn.
DIRECTED BY: Griffin Dunne
RATED: PG-13
Sally (Bullock) and Gillian (Kidman) Owens have always known that they were... Different. Following their parents' deaths, the sisters were raised by their eccentric aunts, who tutored them in the family tradition of witchcraft. Not only are the Owens women witches, but they're also cursed: any man who dares to fall in love with them is doomed to an untimely demise. Fast-forward several years, and poor Sally discovers the truth in this old family legend the hard way. At the same time, the ever-wayward Gillian is finding herself unlucky in love in a different way when her dark and possessive boyfriend Jimmy (Goran Visnjic) starts to get overly physical with her. Sally, ever the responsible and caring older sister, comes to Gillian's aid, but ends up getting them both into a terrible fix when she accidentally kills Jimmy.
Soon, the sisters are facing separate but connected struggles: Gilly is haunted by the malevolent spirit of Jimmy, who is determined to possess her even from beyond the grave, while Sally finds herself falling utterly in love with the detective that arrives to investigate Jimmy's disappearance, the charming and determined Gary Hallet (Quinn). Will the sisters be able to overcome Jimmy's evil influence? Will Sally be able to break the old family curse and find a happily ever after with Gary? What unfolds is a really fun and exciting story of white witchery, the deep bonds of family affection, and true love. It's a total chick flick, but a really pretty one.
Gillian and Sally attempt to work their witchy ways on Goran Visnjic's Jimmy.
This is one of my favorite comfort films, so I'm no doubt incredibly biased (and more than a little blind to the film's flaws). Practical Magic was one of those films that I saw at just the right time, inspiring me just as I was discovering my creative voice. But in my book, this is one of the cutest and more imaginative films I've ever seen -- and it was a different and interesting take on the witch. Rather than portraying the witches as evil and haglike (Suspiria), or comedic and haglike (Hocus Pocus), we get to see witches that are youthful, confident in their sexuality and eccentricities, and more connected to nature and family than to macabre practices or death. Yes, there are hints of darkness: the Aunts' spellbook doesn't just contain love spells and fair weather charms, and some of their magic requires some degree of sacrifice (I always wince for that dove in the opening) or squick-inducing acts (stabbing needles through a corpse's eyes? UGH UGH UGH). But for the most part, the Craft they subscribe to is gentle and positive.
What first captured me about this film is how damn pretty everything is. The east-coast island where the Owens live is incredibly picturesque and historic looking, full of little white beach houses and pleasant colonial streets. The Owens house itself, set apart from the rest of the town, is gorgeous. It's a huge three-storey affair, somewhat gothic in terms of design but very bright and well-lit. There are long wooden tables overflowing with plates and fruit and tiny kittens that lap from bowls of milk; the gardens are overflowing with blooming flowers and lush vegetables, and the air is full of drowsy bees and pretty-looking puffs of pollen. There's a greenhouse attached to the main house, a kitchen full of turn-of-the-century furnishings, and the accoutrements of the Craft are extremely picturesque. And the clothes! The Aunts (played marvelously and joyfully by Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest) wear the absolute best outfits. Long flowing dresses embroidered in gold and silver, huge floppy hats, dramatic jewelry and jeweled combs in their hair. As a kid, I was simply infatuated with the concept of dressing like a classy lady from the 1800s or 1900s, and the Aunts in this film really exemplified what I thought was the height of fashion. The first time I watched this film, I oohed and aahed over their outfits almost as much as for the story itself.
NGL: If I could wear stuff like this every day, I still would.
Something about this movie just captures me. It's an almost perfect mixture of whimsy and fierce ladies, dreamlike settings and quirky family moments. The cast is almost entirely female, which is a lovely change of pace from most of the films I watch, and while a lot of the action and plot is concerned with love and the men in the Owens' lives, there's also a large focus on the relationships between sisters, mothers and daughters, and family history and traditions. The fact that all of this is flavored with just a touch of the supernatural makes me that much more enthralled.
I love the entire cast. Bullock's Sally is down-to-earth and devoted, yet also a bit spunky and silly, not to mention UTTERLY GORGEOUS. I don't care much for modern rom coms, but the ones I do like star Sandra Bullock. She manages to be intelligent and strong even while indulging in physical comedy. Kidman's Gillian is sultry, dissatisfied, and directionless. She's always struggled to find something she's good at -- unlike her older sister, Gilly was never very skilled at magic or being responsible -- and you get the sense that her biggest problem isn't Jimmy; it's that she's constantly tying her self-worth up in a man. She may seem confident, but she's actually vulnerable and struggling. I think Kidman does a great job at conveying this, and I love how she and Bullock build up the sisters' relationship, with all of its giggly conversation and spiteful bickering shown. Channing and Wiest are faaaaaabulous as the crazy Aunts that never seem to age; they're silly, superstitious, understanding, supportive, and loving. I love their own sisterly relationship, and how they interact with Sally and Gilly. Visnjic is pretty damn good as the malevolently debonair Jimmy Angelov -- you can understand why Gilly fell for him in the first place, and he also manages to be more than a little unsettling and creepy. Aidan Quinn makes Gary very stoic and endearing, with those beautiful eyes of his and tight jeans. *Gets distracted for a moment at the thought...* And the sharp-eyed will recognize a very young Evan Rachel Wood as Sally's wise-beyond-her-years daughter Kylie. The whole cast is pretty ace.
There are a couple of unsettling scenes in this, mostly involving the snake-like Jimmy, but all in all it's a very sweet and light-hearted movie that's more magical than frightening. It's relatively predictable, and of COURSE it has a happy ending for everyone, but that doesn't detract from its charm. As you might have already guessed, Stevie Nicks and other similarly dreamy female artists are included on the soundtrack, which is very 90's but not in a bad way. I doubt many guys would really enjoy this outing, but it's sure to please a group of girlfriends or the ladies in the family. If you're in the mood for something light and airy this Halloween, that still has some of the trappings of the season, you can't go wrong with this little beauty.
FINAL SCORE: I give it a heart-warming and imaginative 8 out of 10, perhaps padded by my nostalgia factor. :D
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