Parents' Guide to Practical Magic 2

Bullock and Kidman's reunion still celebrates sisterhood but doesn't quite recapture the original's magic. Directed by Susanne Bier's from a screenplay by Akiva Goldsman, Georgia Pritchett, and Kelly Marcel, Practical Magic 2 is loaded with witchy lore and callbacks to jokes and memorable moments from the first movie, but it doesn't flesh out most of the characters beyond Sally and Kylie. Despite appearing in nearly every scene, Kidman's Gillian hasn't grown much since the late 1990s and still behaves in an almost juvenile manner, while Bullock continues to perfect her Type-A worrywart characterization of Sally. Bullock and Kidman, on-screen sisters and off-screen friends, do manage to deliver the humor and the opposites-attract sibling energy that made Sally and Gillian's relationship so charming in the first film. But that mirroring doesn't work as well with King and Williams, who has little to do beyond look concerned and occasionally laugh with her sister.

Practical Magic 2 works better when it leans into the Owens family's multigenerational bonds and the mystery surrounding their magical legacy. There's a nostalgic pleasure in returning to author Alice Hoffman's universe when the movie brings the three generations of witches together. Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest nail their scenes but are also sidelined to make room for the newer generation. As for the men in the movie, Pace is smoldering as the scholar who's immediately taken with Sally, who's sworn off love after being widowed twice. Bottom line? The movie will appeal to viewers who've waited nearly 30 years to revisit the Owens sisters, but the story under delivers, particularly as a standalone. And while it's a joy to see two of Hollywood's darlings reunite on screen, the underdeveloped characters and crowded mythology are likely to keep this sequel from fully enchanting fans.