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—— The Haunting of Helena Jun 21

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—— How To Make Money Selling Drugs Jun 26
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Practical Magic (1998)

tomatometer

20

Average Rating: 4.4/10
Reviews Counted: 55
Fresh: 11 | Rotten: 44

Comedy, romance, and humor mix with unsatisfying results.

7

Average Rating: 3.7/10
Critic Reviews: 15
Fresh: 1 | Rotten: 14

Comedy, romance, and humor mix with unsatisfying results.

audience

73

liked it
Average Rating: 3.2/5
User Ratings: 187,523

My Rating

Movie Info

Griffin Dunne directed this romantic fantasy adapted from the 1995 Alice Hoffman novel about the Owens family of witches, regarded as outcasts in the town where they live. Aunt Frances (Stockard Channing) and her sister Aunt Jet (Dianne Wiest) tried to pass on practical magic skills to their nieces, subdued Sally (Sandra Bullock) and fiery Gillian (Nicole Kidman), brought up by the two aunts after their parents died. The aunts concoct spells for the lonely and the lovelorn, but the family's use

Feb 16, 1999

Warner Bros. Pictures - Official Site External Icon

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All Critics (78) | Top Critics (25) | Fresh (11) | Rotten (44) | DVD (15)

A saga that lacks the courage of its own odd convictions.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Detroit News
Detroit News
Top Critic IconTop Critic

The trio of credited writers exhibits a complete failure of imagination!

January 1, 2000
Chicago Tribune
Top Critic IconTop Critic

The movie doesn't seem sure what tone to adopt, veering uncertainly from horror to laughs to romance.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Uneven adaptation of lyrical novel.

December 27, 2010 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media
Common Sense Media

A bad sign when the only female in the creative process is Swicord

September 28, 2010 Full Review Source: Film Freak Central
Film Freak Central

...applies a layer of Hollywood gloss, sentimentality, and hyperbole to the proceedings.

July 3, 2010 Full Review Source: Movie Metropolis
Movie Metropolis

If nothing else, the screenwriters deserve recognition for the nerve it took to employ what must be the most outrageously lazy writer's device in the history of cinema.

July 12, 2008 Full Review Source: ESplatter
ESplatter

Has something to annoy just about everyone: feminists of either gender, Wiccans, or just people expecting a good movie.

September 22, 2007 Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com
eFilmCritic.com

An absolute waste of time.

December 31, 2005 Full Review Source: Supercala.com
Supercala.com

Hocus pocus without focus.

March 12, 2001 Full Review
Norman Transcript

The film consequently feels anemic and scattered most of the time.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Screen It!
Screen It!

A Halloween movie with amorous themes but is such a hodgepodge that it serves as neither an effective, Charles -Addams- style spoof of the supernatural genre nor a convincing romantic comedy.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Compuserve
Compuserve

So misguided in so many ways that it makes you wonder how such talented and high-profile actors would even get involved in an embarrassing clap-trap like this one.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: DustinPutman.com
DustinPutman.com

The most appealing aspect of "Practical Magic," unsurprisingly, is the pairing of Bullock and Kidman, two of the most likable stars around. Both are in terrific form here...

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Kalamazoo Gazette
Kalamazoo Gazette

A muddled melange of genres that fails to come up with a distinct identity.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com
TheMovieReport.com

Practically magic, but not quite.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews
rec.arts.movies.reviews

The film creaked to a halt like a 1956 Buick running on fumes!

January 1, 2000
Charlotte Observer

A big mess!

January 1, 2000
Citysearch

Light hearted and fun!

January 1, 2000
Radio Free Entertainment

Practical Magic, a promising but muddled comedy about sibling witches with, perhaps inevitably, some unthreatening feminism thrown into the mix.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Film Journal International
Film Journal International

Audience Reviews for Practical Magic

It did felt corny at some moment(s) (the blood thingy at the end). But other than that, the whole movie was great. Is full of magic (not the silly ones). I loved the bonding of Sandra and Nicole. It made me jealous for not having a sister.
November 27, 2010
3niR
Dead Angel

Super Reviewer

This is my favorite Sandra Bullock movie besides While You Were Sleeping. Love this movie. Own it and watch it often with friends. There are three movies me and my friends watch often together and it's Practical Magic, Girl Interrupted, and Almost Famous. Never fails. It's always one of the three..
Sandra and Kidman are great together and really make you believe they are sisters. The aunts are insane and funny and its great. One of the best Witch movies out there.
September 28, 2008
LWOODS04
♥˩ƳИИ ƜѲѲƉƧ♥

Super Reviewer

    1. Gillian Owens: He wants me, just me. Everyone would be safe. Just let him take me.
    2. Sally Owens: Don't die on me, Gilly please, 'cause we're supposed to die together, at the same time. You promised me that, and this is not that day.
    – Submitted by Folashade K (5 months ago)
    1. Gillian Owens: Do you forgive our mother?
    2. Sally Owens: Sometimes.
    3. Gillian Owens: Well, you'll never forgive yourself, unless you get up, get dressed and you brush you goddamn teeth, 'cause your breath stinks.
    – Submitted by Folashade K (5 months ago)
    1. Gillian Owens: I hate it here. I wanna go where... where no-one's even heard of us.
    2. Sally Owens: I feel like I'm never going to see you again.
    3. Gillian Owens: Of course you're going to see me again. We're going to grow old together. It's gonna be you and me, living in a big house. These two old biddies with all these cats. I mean, I bet we even die in the same day.
    4. Sally Owens: You swear?
    5. Gillian Owens: Honey, I need your pocket knife. [cuts her hand and Sally's] My blood, your blood, our blood.
    – Submitted by Folashade K (5 months ago)
    1. Aunt Frances: In this house we have chocolate cake for breakfast, and never bother with silly little things like bedtimes, or brushing our teeth.
    – Submitted by Folashade K (5 months ago)
    1. Kylie: Mom, I'm worried about Antonia. Did you know that she put on her mouse ears and drives around town, all liquored up, NAKED?
    – Submitted by Folashade K (5 months ago)
    1. Gary Hallet: Did you or your sister kill James Angelov?
    2. Sally Owens: Yeah, a couple of times.
    – Submitted by Folashade K (5 months ago)

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