Practical Magic

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Practical Magic

PG-13

1998

1h 44m

Comedy

Fantasy

Romance

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

27%

Tomatometer

101 Reviews

73%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Sally and Gillian Owens, born into a magical family, have mostly avoided witchcraft themselves. But when Gillian's vicious boyfriend, Jimmy Angelov, dies unexpectedly, the Owens sisters give themselves a crash course in hard magic. With policeman Gary Hallet growing suspicious, the girls struggle to resurrect Angelov -- and unwittingly inject his corpse with an evil spirit that threatens to end their family line.

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Critics Consensus

Practical Magic's jarring tonal shifts sink what little potential its offbeat story may have -- though Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock's chemistry makes a strong argument for future collaborations.

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Anthony Quinn

Independent (UK)

03/30/2019

Filming in a golden-syrupy light, Dunne seems to have little ambition beyond making his stars look adorable (not tricky) and hoping we'll have forgotten most of The Witches of Eastwick.

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Jami Bernard

New York Daily News

03/30/2019

1/4

It doesn't seem as if there was much communication between the three screenwriters who are credited with adapting Alice Hoffman's novel. Perhaps they should have tried ESP.

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Jay Boyar

Orlando Sentinel

03/30/2019

Practical Magic, in other words, is anything but magical. The only spell it casts will put you right to sleep.

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Chance Solem-Pfeifer

Willamette Week

01/22/2025

There’s a particular exhilaration to movies that veer off-road without announcement or apology—the “midnight margaritas” interlude in Practical Magic being one of the all-time joyful examples.

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

12/29/2024

4/10

The majority of it is mischievousness, meddling in love lives, and wee-hour revelry; the bulk of the preternatural shenanigans are entirely frivolous – lending to something of a tonal mishmash.

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Natasha Alvar

Hallmarkies Podcast

10/30/2024

Iconic. Great soundtrack, great performances, good ensemble, and Aidan Quinn is the best romantic lead.

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Ingvanye V

@Ingvanye 3d

The negative critics need to find another job. This movie is magical. The photography and lighting is ethereal and atmospheric, the sets are beautiful. That kitchen alone needs its own series. The movie addresses important topics like DV and abuse, justice, acceptance, and family support. I’m surprised in this day and age that the negative critic reviewers seem to have completely missed this.

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Laurel Z.

@RT28923952 Jun 26

Loved it. Critics need to stop over-thinking. Just good fun.

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Torin F

@nonlinearize Jun 21

PRACTICAL MAGIC is a baffling, wacky mess of a film. Many critics have described it as "inconsistent" when it is in fact largely incoherent—the plot, emotional tone, motives, rules of witchcraft etc. all shift from scene to scene, giving the surface impression of an earnest film that doesn't actually make sense. Call it impressionistic, at best. That said, there is a loopy whimsical comedic charm throughout (the dust buster gag, for example), which invokes a certain slightly unhinged sisterhood magic that is unique and even enjoyable, if not actually sensible. And that is a bit witchy, for sure.

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ALEX G.

@RT17258574 May 16

Loved this one and would watch again!

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Melissa M

@Lisey May 13

This movie is dark & disturbing. It is definitely a chick flick. It is nice though to see an all female protagonist cast for a change. There were some heartfelt & heartwarming moments. Like when Sally & Michael have their meet-cute at the produce market. And you get to see they're unfortunately short Happy & harmonious time together. Sadly because of the curse Michael passes away. Don't want to give too much of the movie away no spoiler alerts. Even though This movie is like a cross between Thelma & Louise, The Craft , & Witches of Eastwick. It's not bewitching. It's watchable. And at times whimsical.

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Christian K

@ckacar May 8

Everyone is clearly having a great time here, the tone is wacky and so inconsistent. Has one of the best dream film houses.

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Griffin Dunne

Director

Sandra Bullock

Sally Owens

Nicole Kidman

Gillian Owens

Dianne Wiest

Aunt Bridget 'Jet' Owens

Stockard Channing

Frances Owens

Aidan Quinn

Officer Gary Hallet

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29%

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Synopsis

Sally and Gillian Owens, born into a magical family, have mostly avoided witchcraft themselves. But when Gillian's vicious boyfriend, Jimmy Angelov, dies unexpectedly, the Owens sisters give themselves a crash course in hard magic. With policeman Gary Hallet growing suspicious, the girls struggle to resurrect Angelov -- and unwittingly inject his corpse with an evil spirit that threatens to end their family line.

Director: Griffin Dunne
Producer: Denise Di Novi
Screenwriter: Alice Hoffman, Robin Swicord, Akiva Goldsman, Adam Brooks
Distributor: Warner Bros., Warner Home Vídeo, Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Fortis Films, Warner Brothers, DiNovi Pictures
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 16, 1998, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 1, 2009
Box Office (Gross USA): $46.8M
Runtime: 1h 44m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Digital, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)