Practical Magic (1998) Critic Reviews

Based on Alice Hoffman's fanciful novel and directed with go-for-broke prettiness by Griffin Dunne, Practical Magic is nothing but a guilty pleasure.Read the full review

Unfortunately, like far too many films, this one gives up the ghost during the last fifteen minutes, saddling an otherwise-enjoyable film with a dumb ending.Read the full review

It's not that the movie isn't fun in spots; it's just a TV-ready mix of camp and curdle.Read the full review

The movie doesn't seem sure what tone to adopt, veering uncertainly from horror to laughs to romance.Read the full review

It just doesn't add up to anything -- or break down -- to anything special. For good or bad, there's hardly a memorable scene in it.Read the full review

It's all swell, though after two hours of nonstop yin energy, one does begin to wish that someone like Bruce Willis might show up in a sweaty T-shirt, scratching himself.Read the full review

Its flat whimsy, VH1-ready musical montage sequences, and less-than-magic magic realism will probably not be enough to hold the attention of all but the most undiscriminating fans of witches and Stockard Channing.Read the full review

Part comedy, part family drama, part romance, part special-effects mystery-adventure, and not entirely satisfying on any of these levels, this hodgepodge suffers from the conflicting sensibilities of its three credited scripters: Robin Swicord, who has done good work before, Akiva Goldsman, who has not, and Adam Brooks.Read the full review

A witch comedy so slapdash, plodding, and muddled it seems to have had a hex put on it.Read the full review