Teddie Blake The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Roy Hart If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

Anoushka Slater While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

mark.waltz A fabulous foursome of award winning actresses couldn't save this amoral view of the dark side of the gentle sex, minus the morality and right over wrong viewpoint of "The Witches" and "Hocus Pocus". Veterans Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest are the eccentric spell casting aunts who take in orphaned nieces and turn them to the light side of the dark side. Growing up to be Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, they end up in bad relationships thanks to an ancient curse where any man who marries into their family will die a tragic death. Of course, Bullock ends up with two daughters (obviously no sons allowed), and the pattern threatens to be repeated.Sweetly filmed, there is still nothing that hides the fact that this really is spiritually ugly. Even in the two films that I mentioned, as well as 'The Witches of Eastwick", there was no denying the fact that the witches actually were up to no good. Here the two older aunts are presented as fun- loving Auntie Mame types, and the two younger women are presented in such heroic aspects that it is difficult to see past the fact that they are involved in dark forces. A scene where Channing and Wiest meet with a client determined to make a man fall in love with her just gives the insinuation that a woman has to turn to the dark side in order to find love in her life, and that is a very disturbing precedent, especially in a film that has such a family air about it. One of the major issues with this "chick flick" is that it doesn't really do any service to the advancement of women and any reason to take stories like this seriously. Certainly, Bullock's ill-fated marriage to a really nice man is emotional, but the one dimensional lover that Kidman ends up is written with absolutely no redeeming values. Aidan Quinn, as a detective on the sister's trail, is believable with a variation of qualities, but his sudden transformation under a witches spell falls short of believable. The gathering of local women in the conclusion is very anti- male, and the very final scene proves that this was just an attempt to sugarcoat what the witchy women of this family was really all about. While I can enjoy films which tackle horrific, supernatural or macabre subject matters, I strongly believe that the movies have a strong obligation to present certain ideas in a moralistic manner. There is nothing moral about showing unnatural ways of controlling another human being, and certainly any kind of magical spell to control nature is wrong. I'm guilty of adoring Channing and Wiest too much to judge them, and the fact that I liked them so much in this was very disturbing to me. They ain't no "Rosemary's Baby" type coven, and certainly not getting the come-uppance of the three sisters from "Hocus Pocus" made this questionable as to the motives of the filmmakers. And when they say that there's no devil in their craft, the only word that I can think of in response is, "Bull!"

rooprect I hate using labels like "chick flick", but one look at the IMDb voting demographics shows that this is literally a chick flick. As of the time I'm writing this, females rate it nearly 2 points higher than males, and in the under 18 group it's even more exaggerated.Well I'm a guy, and I dug it. If you're flexible enough to appreciate the macho man cheesiness of "Commando" (like Arnold Schwarzenegger riding on the landing gear of a Boeing 747) as well as the chick flick cheesiness of "Pretty Woman" (like Richard Gere riding on the sunroof of a white limo) ...both of which are equal in amounts of cheese but from different perspectives... then I think you can have a fun time watching "Practical Magic". Why? Because it seems to hit us with both extremes.On the surface, the story seems to be brewing a sinister dark comedy: the Owens women just can't seem to keep men long before they kick the bucket. Tons of potential for a slightly demented "Beetlejuice" kinda story, or even "Heathers". But instead of going in that direction (i.e. treating death as crazy joke), "Practical Magic" takes it quite seriously and is not afraid to get pretty sentimental on the subject. In other words, it takes a very morbid "guy flick" story but treats it with "chick flick" sensitivity.And that's just the beginning. We haven't gotten to the other dark themes of wife beating, alcohol abuse, sexual promiscuity, murder and re-murder. So, you ask, if it has all these disturbing themes and refuses to make light of them, how the heck can this be a comedy? The answer is that the leading ladies, not just Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman but also their crazy aunts played by Stockard Channing and Diane Wiest, act their roles with playful humor and endearing wit. It reminded me a little of "Sex and the City", the way the stories can be downright upsetting, but the humor comes in the way the characters behave despite it all. "Practical Magic" doesn't rely on a silly story for its laughs but instead lets the acting pave the way for levity.Roger Ebert gave this movie a mostly negative review, saying "the movie doesn't seem sure what tone to adopt, veering uncertainly from horror to laughs to romance." But I think Ebert failed to see that the film's charm is the fact that the characters can indulge in laughs and romance *despite* the horror.Ebert also criticized: "'Practical Magic' is too scary for children and too childish for adults. Who was it made for?" The answer is it's made for adults who can indulge in childishness. Basically if you get the gist of my review, it's the idea that this film is an unexpected blend of opposites. I have to admit it caught me off guard for a while, but I eventually figured out the rhythm and had a fun ride.Do NOT expect a sinister, dark comedy. Do NOT expect a totally light-hearted silly romp either. The best way I can describe it would be to compare it to some of the 80s horror-comedies like "Fright Night", "Vamp" or even "Gremlins" but with a dash of "Thelma & Louise". Throw em all together in a giant cauldron and have some fun.

robert-259-28954 As much as I hate to admit it, I really liked this film. A little on the subject matter, first. It was all pure hooey. That said, there were a few accuracies woven in their somewhere on the subject of Wicca, but alas, Hollywood seems stuck in the dark ages concerning the ancient philosophy. So it didn't dispel any of the time honored myths, it just riffed on them, but to often hilarious and often entertaining ways. Best of all, it made fun of witchcraft, rather than burned women at the stake for it, which it worked particularly well— not demonizing something is always a good thing. But especially surprising was the passionate tryst between Bullock and Quinn, which was so hot that it practically peeled the paint off my walls. Who knew that Plain Jane Bullock could actually conjure up some sexual magic of her own on screen? All in all, great fun and well told, all done tongue in cheek. Just go for the pure, dumb fun of it and you may just fall under its spell.

Avid Climber Practical Magic is very much a woman's movie which is very different from a chick flick that essentially tries to capture the attention of female viewers by playing on their desires. This picture is about women for women and mostly made by women.Everything has a soft feminine touch to it, even the violence and the action. In this piece, witchcraft simply represent women power. The scenario is built around what it means to be a strong woman, how it can set you apart, and the danger associated with this strength.It has sweet moments, some tearful moments, some funny moments, and a certain dose of intrigue to pique our interest. Now, you can't jump into this movie and expect a big bang, like what you usually get out of most Hollywood movies. No, you'll get entertained, but delicately.It has a few flaws, but small ones, and the acting is not stellar, but very good, and sometimes just average. So, it's not perfect, but if you want something more gentle, it's excellent.You don't want fireworks, and still want to spend a good evening, this is for you.