Practical Magic 2 returns to the Owens family 25 years later with a familiar recipe: a cursed romance, a magical emergency and relatives assembling to put things right. Kylie, Sally’s daughter, falls for Gideon before the family curse leaves him in a coma, sending her to England in search of an answer. Sally and Gillian follow, alongside a new magical academic ally, but the film’s trip abroad struggles to produce much narrative enchantment.
There is no denying the appeal of seeing Sally, Gillian, Frances and Jet together again. Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest bring an easy warmth to the familial teasing and bickering, and those smaller exchanges are where the sequel seems most awake. Joey King also gives Kylie a committed presence amid the escalating magical trouble. The reunion itself has enough accumulated affection to make the film intermittently comforting, even when the larger story is not pulling its weight.
A beautiful potion with a weak binding agent
The sequel knows how to dress its spellbook. Jewel-toned imagery, Stevie Nicks-adjacent costumes and grand fairy-tale homes create an invitingly heightened atmosphere. It understands that this world should look like a place where candles are always lit, curtains always billow and bad decisions can at least be made in fabulous boots.
Yet the ornamental pleasures cannot hide a script burdened by clunky dialogue and contrived plotting. The central mission feels needlessly stretched, with the solution-seeking mechanics lacking the momentum or surprise needed to turn a family rescue into an absorbing adventure. Maisie Williams, meanwhile, is given little meaningful material, making her presence feel frustratingly underused.
Magic narrowed to a love story
The more consequential issue is the sequel’s focus. Its premise places Kylie’s romance at the centre, and the result feels more conventionally heterosexual and male-oriented than a story about this family ought to be. The strongest promise of the Owens setting is not merely supernatural matchmaking; it is the possibility of women across generations making a peculiar, supportive life on their own terms.
Practical Magic 2 still offers attractive production design and welcome company from its returning ensemble. But it mistakes a reunion for a revival. The cast can supply sparks, while the film around them too often settles for a polite, plot-driven retread rather than a bolder new spell.
