Practical Magic (1998)

Sally and Gillian Owens have always known they were different. Raised by their aunts after their parents' death, the sisters grew up in a household that was anything but typical--their ... See full summary »

Director:

Griffin Dunne

Writers:

Alice Hoffman (novel), Robin Swicord (screenplay),

Stars:

Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Stockard Channing

1 win & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sandra Bullock	...	Sally Owens
Nicole Kidman	...	Gillian Owens
Stockard Channing	...	Aunt Frances
Dianne Wiest	...	Aunt Jet
Goran Visnjic	...	Jimmy Angelov
Aidan Quinn	...	Gary Hallet
Evan Rachel Wood	...	Kylie
Alexandra Artrip	...	Antonia
Mark Feuerstein	...	Michael
Caprice Benedetti	...	Maria Owens
Annabella Price	...	Lovelorn Lady
Camilla Belle	...	Sally @ Age 11
Lora Anne Criswell	...	Gillian @ Age 10
Margo Martindale	...	Linda Bennett
Chloe Webb	...	Carla

Storyline

Sally and Gillian Owens have always known they were different. Raised by their aunts after their parents' death, the sisters grew up in a household that was anything but typical--their aunts fed them chocolate cake for breakfast and taught them the uses of practical magic. But the invocation of the Owens' sorcery also carries a price--some call it a curse: the men they fall in love with are doomed to an untimely death. Now adult women with very different personalities, the quiet Sally and the fiery Gillian must use all of their powers to fight the family curse and a swarm of supernatural forces that threatens the lives of all the Owens women.

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Plot Keywords:

love | curse | magic | family curse | aunt niece relationship | 

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Taglines:

For two sisters from a family of witches, falling in love is the trickiest spell of all.

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some violence, intense thematic elements and sensuality

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros.

Country:

USA Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 October 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hechizo de amor

Filming Locations:

Coupeville, Whidbey Island, Washington, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$75,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£1,001,536 (UK) (22 January 1999)

Gross:

£2,987,705 (UK) (19 February 1999)

Company Credits

Production Co:

DiNovi Pictures, Fortis Films, Village Roadshow Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The character Jimmy Angelov was originally named Jimmy Hawkins, and was a Texas redneck. The part was rewritten as Eastern European for Goran Visnjic after director Griffin Dunne saw him in Welcome to Sarajevo and Madonna's "Power of Goodbye" video.

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Goofs

In the scene where they are drinking tequila, and Gillian is asking about where they got it from, her braid moves from front to back over her shoulder several times with out her moving them.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Aunt Frances Owens: For more than 200 years we Owens women have been blamed by everything that's ever gone wrong in this town.

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Connections

References Twilight Zone (1959)

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Soundtracks

"A Case Of You"
Written and Performed by Joni Mitchell
Courtesy of Reprise Records
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

The Witches of Eastwick with a twist of lemon . . . .

I liked Practical Magic a lot. I didn't think I would because it was about two sisters and seems to be a "chick flick". However, there was a lot more to the movie than the relationship between Gillian and Sally Owens. For example, Gillian is possessed by the soul of her cruel mate after Sally accidentally kills him with too much magic. Also, the Owens curse plays a pivotal role in the movie. I was surprised by the movie and I know it should have made a lot more money, but the timing of the release was probably wrong. Good actors, and good direction. I bet the book is good too.