‘Practical Magic 2’ Review: Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman Break Hearts in a Spellbinding Sequel — SkimNews
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- Susanne Bier directs 'Practical Magic 2,' reuniting Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman 28 years after the 1998 original, with Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest returning as aunts Frances and Jet.
- The sequel joins 'Freakier Friday' and 'The Devil Wears Prada 2' as part of a recent wave of studio revivals and is based on Alice Hoffman's book series, which continued expanding the Owens mythology after the first film.
- The script is co-written by original co-writer Akiva Goldsman alongside 'Succession' and 'Veep' veteran Georgia Pritchett and 'Cruella' story writer Kelly Marcel, and the sequel is not a retcon.
- In the plot, Sally erased her daughters' magical memories to 'protect' them, but the curse from 17th-century matriarch Maria Owens threatens Kylie (Joey King)'s boyfriend, sending the Owens women to England to investigate their family history.
- Lee Pace plays Professor Ian Wright, whom the sisters find naked under dark magic in his London apartment; his romance with Sally anchors the sequel's emotional arc, and Solly McLeod arrives late as a hunky English stranger.
- The review credits Nicole Kidman as the franchise's 'sensitive nerve ending' and praises both Bullock and Kidman for evolving with the Owens sisters across nearly three decades rather than simply coasting on nostalgia.
- Joey King earns her place as Kylie, while Maisie Williams struggles with a limited role and a rocky American accent — a problem the source notes could not have been fixed by the controversially recast Evan Rachel Wood or Alexandra Artrip.
Why it matters: The sequel positions itself as the rare recent studio revival that outshines 'Freakier Friday' and 'The Devil Wears Prada 2' because it is rooted in Alice Hoffman's expanding book mythology rather than bolted-on nostalgia — and the review credits Bullock and Kidman for actually growing with the Owens sisters over 28 years instead of just reprising them.
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