Nothing says Halloween more than spooky movies, so get into the “spirit” by watching a fall movie classic! “Practical Magic” perfectly mixes drama, camp, and most importantly, magic.
The film introduces the audience to two sisters, Sally (Sandra Bullock) and Gillian Owens (Nicole Kidman), who come from a family of witches cursed so that all their husbands die. To combat the curse, young Sally casts a spell that will lead her heart to someone with attributes she’ll never be able to find in a mortal man. Or so she thinks.
Flashing forward, the film picks up after the sisters grow up. Sally is widowed with two children and Gillian is off with an abusive boyfriend. After receiving a psychic distress call from Gillian, Sally rushes to help her sister out of her sticky situation. This results in the two being kidnapped by the boyfriend, Jimmy (Goran Visnji), whose evil spirit causes nothing but trouble for the two sisters for the rest of the movie.
When Sally and Gillian believe they have taken care of their problems with Jimmy, the duo then meets Gary Hallet (Aidan Quinn), a cop who so happens to have all of the attributes she thought no man could possess all those years ago.
Most of the comedic relief during the film comes from Sally and Gillian’s two aunts, Jet (Dianne Wiest) and Frances (Stockard Channing). In every moment on screen, these two capture the audience’s attention and leave them laughing their socks off.
The film explores the theme of family and the lengths we go to help those we love, but even deeper than that, “Practical Magic” showcases strong independent women, and how society views them. Viewers can’t help but love the main protagonists and their supportive aunts, but we also get to see the town’s treatment of them through alienation and mockery. In the end, they succeed and become accepted and celebrated.
“Practical Magic”gives audience members everything they could want in a fall movie with great seasonal visuals, a little bit of magic, and of course family, all earning it the designation as a Halloween classic and a must watch during this time of the year. Stream the film on HBO Max or purchase it through Apple TV, Amazon Prime, Google Play, Vudu and YouTube.
