Practical Magic 2 brings Bullock and Kidman back as the Owens sisters

Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman return as witch sisters Sally and Gillian Owens in Practical Magic 2. Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest also reprise their roles as the eccentric aunts Fran and Jet.

The new story follows Sally’s daughter Kylie after her boyfriend Gideon is cursed and falls into a coma. Kylie travels to England, the Owens family’s ancestral homeland, while Sally and Gillian follow her.

The Owens family returns

Susanne Bier directed the film from a screenplay by Akiva Goldsman, Georgia Pritchett and Kelly Marcel. The story again centres on a hereditary curse, spirits, magical objects and the sisters’ difficult family history.

Joey King plays Kylie, Xolo Maridueña plays Gideon and Maisie Williams plays Antonia, another of Sally’s daughters. Lee Pace and Solly McLeod are also part of the cast.

Curses, magic and England

After the death of her second husband, Sally tries to stay away from magic and erases her daughters’ memories of it. The discovery of the Book of the Raven draws the family back into supernatural events.

The sequel retains the original film’s abrupt tonal shifts, Stevie Nicks songs and unusual visual effects. The review finds Bullock and Kidman’s shared performances to be its main attraction, while the plot often becomes secondary.

Practical Magic 2 opens in US and Australian cinemas on 10 September, followed by the UK on 11 September.