Opinion: Practical Magic (1998) - not spoiler free

Autumn/Halloween favourite Practical Magic has returned to the big screen this week, just in time to cast its spell once again ahead of the release of its sequel, Practical Magic 2.

The film is an adaptation of the book Practical Magic, written by Alice Hoffman.

The film opens with scenes of an ancestor named Maria who was persecuted for being a witch, giving context for the complicated relationship the Owens sisters have with magic.

Maria is exiled and when her love does not search for her she casts a spell which makes it so that she will never feel pain from love ever again. However, it seems to result in a curse which actually dooms any man who falls in love with a woman from the Owens family.  

We find out that as a result of this curse, the father of main characters Sally and Gillian Owens (Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman) has also suffered an untimely death and their mother died of a broken heart which is why the girls live with their aunts Jet (Dianne Wiest) and Frances (Stockard Channing).

The eldest Owens sister, Sally, also loses her husband seemingly as a result of ‘the curse’. Practical Magic is deeply rooted in family legacy, with Sally and her younger sister Gillian (Nicole Kidman) literally breaking a generational curse while reclaiming their own lives.

What stands out to audiences immediately is the sisterly bond between Sally and Gillian.

The pair are complete opposites, but their love for each other gives them common ground. They also share a complicated relationship with magic, as both are blessed with powers, although Sally is more hesitant to embrace it. They take a literal blood oath just before they part ways for a period of time.

There are parallels between Sally and Gillian Owens as children and Sally’s two daughters: they all arrive at the aunts’ house, are curious about magic, and are judged by the townspeople while other children tease them for being different. One of Sally’s daughters even resembles Gillian, reminding audiences of their childhood bond.

We realise that Gillian is essentially in an abusive relationship with a man named Jimmy Angelov. In an attempt to subdue him, Sally puts belladonna in his drink. It is apparently a toxic plant extract also known as deadly nightshade. However, she accidentally gives him too much and he dies.

The sisters both take refuge at the home of their aunts as they did when they were younger. Of course, we have the lighthearted ‘midnight margaritas’ scene which sees the Owens sisters and their aunts dancing in the kitchen to the song Coconut by Harry Nilsson. The song is also used in the trailer for Practical Magic 2, in a nice throwback reference to the original movie.

In what seems to be a common theme in the film, the moment of calm is short-lived and there is more chaos around the corner.

Even though the sisters have buried Angelov, his spirit starts possessing Gillian.

Detective Gary Hallett (Aidan Quinn) arrives in the small town in search of Angelov. We find out that Angelov has actually killed other women in the past. Suspicious of Sally and Gillian, Hallett continues to hang around and eventually sees the horror that is Angelov possessing Gillian.

The aunts and local townswomen form an odd ‘coven’ of sorts to pull Jimmy’s spirit out of Gillian. The curse lifts and the message is that love is stronger than any darkness.

The film does fall under the romantic/fantasy genre, or ‘romantasy’ so it is important to talk about that aspect even if other plotlines in the movie are stronger.

When Sally is younger, she creates a spell to protect herself from falling in love, believing that the ideal man cannot exist. She envisioned a love interest with a star-shaped favourite shape, one green eye, and one blue eye. She said he would be kind and be able to flip pancakes in the air.  

This highlights her fear of vulnerability and her later struggle to accept love and emotional connection with Hallett. Hallett shows up with one green eye and one blue eye, and a badge in the shape of a star.

Sally saw romantic love as something that will inevitably bring pain. However, after meeting Hallett she confronted those beliefs and came to an understanding that love cannot simply be controlled or avoided.

The film ends with the Owens family jumping off a rooftop and landing gracefully, openly using their magic and creating a spectacle for the people below. A similar scene is included in the trailer for Practical Magic 2 which is out on 11 September in the UK.