While it suffers from the same tonal whiplash that undid its predecessor, Practical Magic 2 manages a tighter focus on an appealing central theme: the multigenerational bonds among a family of women. By now, sisters Sally and Gillian Owens (Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman) are the middle generation of a family of witches, with their aunts Jet and Franny (Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing) still casting spells and Sally’s daughters Kylie and Antonia (Joey King and Maisie Williams) now young adults—although both unaware, at Sally’s wishes, of their family’s magic history. When Kylie falls in love, jump-starting the generations-long curse against such happiness, the women’s relational bonds are challenged. There’s more syrup than spell-casting here, though I found it pleasantly sweet. The real pleasure comes in seeing Kidman and Bullock together again. Kidman reminds us that among her many talents is a deft sense of comic timing, while Bullock’s strategy of appearing onscreen far less often pays off hugely each time she does show up. Her presence—blunt, with the tiniest bit of bumbling—never feels anything less than refreshing. Directed by Susanne Bier (distorting the edges of the screen for an otherworldly feel), from a script by Akiva Goldsman, Georgia Pritchett, and Kelly Marcel, who adapted Alice Hoffman’s 2021 novel.
(9/9/2026)
