Practical Magic

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Practical Magic

PG-13

1998

1h 44m

Comedy

Fantasy

Romance

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

28%

Tomatometer

103 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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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

Aug 6

4/5

A zanier adventure in occult romance can hardly be imagined, and the elements of grown up noir violence only make it weirder -- it is as if The Witches of Eastwick took on something of Thelma & Louise with a decaffeinated David Lynch.

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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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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

18h

3/5

…Practical Magic may not be that magical, but it’s a fun, star-powered time-passer with an over-qualified cast having some fun with some rather goofy Hollywood conceits about witchcraft….

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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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Frank M

@RT77508370 2h

This movie is watched annually and brings me back to the days working part time at a popular American Kitchen when I was stationed at NAS Whidbey (where this movie was filmed). Seeing Sandra Bullock stroll into our restaurant for our famous banana cream pie and leaving a $500 tip for good service was one of the highlights of my life I’ll never forget. Now back to the movie. Quirky sometimes, corny in others, slapstick in some places but never wavering from its basic source of love, acceptance of fate, strength of family and a damn good soundtrack! You’re hard pressed to find any movie with this much cred and looks this good! Bring on the sequel!

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Trevor D

@Bozack2000 10h

I very rarely agree with actual critics.. but this is one of the worst movies I've ever seen.. even by 90s standards. Hands down Sandra's worst performance ever - not sure what about this made her want to do a second one.. Guessing she has bills to pay.. because she phoned it in last time.. and from the trailers of the new one, seems like more of the same.

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Kay M

@Trippindicular 2d

I could watch this film on repeat. Magic, family, romance, and a curse. The graphics need work, but I would recommend it.

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Stu F

@RT43701610 5d

This is a great example of how wrong established critics can be. Practical Magic has been a family favorite for many years and it still holds up on the perpetual strength of Sandra Bullock's indisputable charm. Kidman is terrific as the wild sister. Stockard Channing and Diane Wiest make perfectly adorable crazy aunties. Toss in Aiden Quinn for the love interest and it's a bubbly cauldron of fun!

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RJ F

@rj702 Aug 7

Great cast. Enjoyed watching it.

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Justin G

@RT99424106 Jul 12

This movie felt like a very average 90s/early 2000s movie to me. Being someone who was raised in the early 2000s, I had another reason to like this movie. The story was ok. It had its flaws, but the story was fun, and I think that’s an important thing to highlight. The acting in this movie was so good. Especially the chemistry between Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman. Another con of this movie is the villain and the way they beat the character. I neither recommend nor not recommend seeing this film.

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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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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
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Aug 11, 2026
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)

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