Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock in “Practical Magic 2.”
Warner Bros. Pictures
Practical Magic 2’s Rotten Tomatoes reviews are in and things are not looking good for Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman’s sequel to the 1998 film.
The original Practical Magic movie introduced the Owens sisters, Sally (Bullock) and Gillian (Kidman), descendants of generations of witches who are burdened with a family curse that dooms any man they fall in love with. The film also stars Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest, who play the sisters’ aunts, Franny and Jet.
Based on Practical Magic author Alice Hoffman’s 2021 novel The Book of Magic, Practical Magic 2 is set 25 years after the events of the 1998 film. In the sequel, the Owens family curse seems to have caught up to one of Sally’s two daughters, Kylie (Joey King), leading the sisters to travel from Massachusetts to the U.K. in a bid to end the curse once and for all.
Directed by Susanne Bier (The Perfect Couple, Bird Box), Practical Magic 2 features the return of Channing and Wiest, and also stars Lee Pace, Maisie Williams, Xolo Maridueña and Solly McLeod. The film plays in preview screenings on Thursday before opening in theaters nationwide on Friday.
The review embargo for Practical Magic 2 lifted at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT. In early reviews from Rotten Tomatoes critics, the film has earned a 38% “rotten” score based on 24 reviews. RT’s Critics Consensus, Audience Summary and Popcornmeter score based on verified user ratings are still pending.
Note: The review score will be update as more reviews are posted on RT.
What Are Individual Critics Saying About ‘Practical Magic 2’?
Liz Shannon Miller of Consequence is among RT’s critics who give Practical Magic 2 a “rotten” score, although she does praise Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman’s performances, writing, “Even when cursed with a substandard script, Bullock and Kidman still cast quite the spell.”
In his “rotten” review summary of Practical Magic 2, Variety critic Todd Gilchrist writes on RT, “This late sequel delivers a retread of the signposts that made the original a beloved fixture for certain moviegoers, while failing to correct the flaws that made everyone else all but forget it for three decades.
Clarice Loughrey of the Independent (UK) also gives Practical Magic 2 a “rotten” score, writing in her RT review summary, “Kidman and Bullock are superstars. The film yearns to be viewed as stylishly earnest. But no one’s seemingly sat down to properly think through what story deserves to be told about these characters nearly three decades down the line.”
Sophia Ciminello of AwardsWatch isn’t a fan of the film, either, writing in her “rotten” RT review summary, “The trouble with Practical Magic 2 is that the screenplay feels a bit unfocused, with stretches of the movie feeling overlong when it can’t rely on the presence of its movie stars.”
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh of The Times (UK) also deems Practical Magic 2 “rotten,” writing, “Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock are back as the now middle-aged girls who just want to have fun. They don’t get enough of it in Practical Magic 2.”
Brian Truitt of USA Today praises director Susanne Bier in his “fresh” review of Practical Magic 2 on RT, writing, “Bier, like Griffin Dunne previously, isn’t afraid to get a little dark and weird with the magic. Toss in a smattering of talented actresses and you’ve got a witches’ brew that’s fairly satisfying.”
Nick Schager of The Daily Beast also gives Practical Magic 2 a “fresh” score, writing on RT, “It’s no classic follow-up à la Top Gun: Maverick, but it casts a cute enough spell.”
Adrian Horton of the Guardian is also a fan of Practical Magic 2 and gives it a “fresh” score, writing on RT, “The midnight margarita redux may feel obligatory, but there’s just enough magic here to still, despite everything, cast a peculiar spell.”
Practical Magic 2 plays in Thursday previews before opening in theaters nationwide on Friday.
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