Critic Reviews

When it comes to conjuring the Owens back on the big screen, Bullock and Kidman have already done the hard part. So, live a little! And let yourself fall for “Practical Magic” like you’ve never been hurt before.

Despite some warts, Bier’s “Practical Magic 2” brings the sisters, the aunts and a relentlessly charming Pace together in a flawed but magical film that will not let go of your face until you remember to always throw spilt salt over your left shoulder, keep rosemary by your garden gate, plant lavender for luck and fall in love whenever you can.

It’s no classic follow-up à la Top Gun: Maverick, but it casts a cute enough spell.

This installment feels more tonally congruous than the original, with a little less stereotyping of women as silly and boy-crazy and more working toward the same goal. It’s a sweet movie, sometimes moving, about accepting your family heritage and coming into your own power.

Practical Magic 2 seems drunk on its own midnight margaritas, running back a lot of the same narrative with a mess of disparate tones and forced characters, plus an all-too-predictable third act.

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.

Is it a bit cheesy? Yes, of course, it wouldn’t be Practical Magic 2 if it wasn’t. But the midnight margaritas are still flowing, and Bullock and Kidman haven’t lost their touch yet. It may be more of the same, but for fans of the first movie, a double might be just right.

In all its cheesiness and predictability, “Practical Magic 2” is a delightful time at the movies, thanks to the wondrous chemistry its leading ladies share. It may not break the mold or deliver streamlined storytelling, but it will please fans who have been eagerly anticipating a sequel to the cult classic original.

If the jokes seem a bit more exaggerated this time and their bond much less complex, the palpable affection coursing between Kidman and Bullock remains as sturdy a foundation as ever.

The result is a fun, flawed sequel that does enough to conjure the original’s messy magic. But if an Owens sister had recited a spell for a tighter runtime – ‘Filmas Concisas’ perhaps? – Practical Magic 2 could have really taken flight.