I want to start by saying I loved Practical Magic. Critics might not have loved it when it came out, but I, along with many fans, did. The plot wasn’t anything that’ll blow your mind. But it had something you couldn’t deny—fun and heart. It’s no wonder it became part of film pop culture, referenced and loved even to this day.

I just cannot forget watching this movie as a pre-teen. Two scenes in particular are etched in my mind:

This Kiss scene
Midnight Margaritas

It’s no wonder Hollywood wanted to make a sequel almost 30 years later. But like plenty of other films that have made pop culture history, there’s always the question of, “Is this sequel worth watching?” I call this review Practical Magic 2 and the Curse of Nostalgia because, as memorable as the first one was, this sequel was simply another Hollywood move to rake in money from the fans of the first.

What Practical Magic 2 Was About

Practical Magic 2 and the Curse of Nostalgia follows Sally and Gillian into a new chapter in their family’s magical legacy. After her second husband, Gary, died, Sally chooses to keep her daughters, Kylie and Antonia, unaware of their witch heritage in an effort to protect them. But keeping that secret eventually leads to another tragedy, forcing the next generation of Owens women to confront the family magic Sally tried to keep hidden.

Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman return as the Owens sisters, Sally and Gillian. Their aunts, Jet and Frances, played by Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing also return to the sequel. As for Sally’s kids, who are all grown up in this movie, new faces play them: Joey King as Kylie and Maisie Williams as Antonia.

Other new faces join the sequel, including Lee Pace as Ian Wright, a tatted-up professor of witchcraft and Sally’s new romantic interest. Solly McLeod as Tom Lockland, the villain. And Xolo Maridueña, who plays King’s love interest.

Why I Call This Sequel Practical Magic 2 and The Curse of Nostalgia

I went to see Practical Magic 2 on its first day in cinemas. I was definitely excited to see what the sequel had in store for us fans. While I know this movie is an adaptation of a book with the same title by Alice Hoffman, I’ve never read it, so I based my expectations on the first movie.

I went in hoping to feel the same magic, fun, and heartwarming feeling that I felt before. But this movie turned out to be nothing more than a cash grab. Let me tell you my four reasons why I thought this was a lackluster movie.

  1. The aunties didn’t have much of a role in this movie. This is especially true for Weist’s character, Aunt Jet, who dies quite early on in the movie, though I know this is really how it goes in the book. Aunt Jet only had 7 days left to live when she heard the deathwatch beetle. And what about Aunt Franny, waiting in a hospital room like a mere spectator when she’s a witch? The aunties’ relationship with their nieces, Sally and Gillian, was a big part of what I loved about Practical Magic. And I would have loved to see how the dynamics unfolded now that Sally’s girls were all grown up.
  2. Maisie Williams was only a side character. Anyone who watched Game of Thrones would attest that this girl has acting chops. But Practical Magic 2 did her dirty for setting her aside and giving the spotlight only to Joey King’s character. She definitely deserved better.
  3. The sisterhood left the building. You know what made Practical Magic such a feel-good movie? It’s the bond of sisterhood from the aunties to Sally and Gillian and the women in their neighborhood. The women who feared them and gossiped about them in the past all came together in the end to help save Gillian, who was being possessed by a dark spirit. This sequel lacked that, especially with the new generation of Owens women, Kylie and Antonia. Like I said, Antonia (Williams) was sidelined.
  4. The movie was dragging. A quest to break a family while in a race for time to save a loved one’s life? It sounds like an exciting plot. That’s also what the final book of Practical Magic is about, which this sequel was based on. Unfortunately for us viewers, the thrill never translated to the film. This was a two-hour-long movie, and the screenwriter and director probably could’ve used that to build anticipation and reward us with strong action scenes. But I kept waiting and waiting and waiting…

I still adored Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as the Owens sisters. Their chemistry as sisters is still there, even after all these years. And of course, I enjoyed the nod to memorable scenes from the original movie, like midnight margaritas and jumping off (flying?) the roof of the house on Halloween while neighbors watched in amazement. But I left the cinema feeling underwhelmed. I knew the instant the movie ended that I would forget it.

The problem with sequels, spin-offs, and reboots that follow such an iconic film or series is that they have such big shoes to fill. And plenty of them just can’t quite step into those big shoes. I can’t help but compare this sequel with The Devil Wears Prada 2, which I also watched in cinemas. While not as memorable as the first, at least that sequel was surprisingly good.

Are you a fan of Practical Magic? And did you watch this sequel? I’d love to know what you thought of this movie in the comments.