Back in the late 1960s there were two American TV sitcoms that competed with other - this despite the fact they were made on the same studio lot, with most of the same guest cast and production crew and utilised each others sets. Those two shows were "Bewitched" and "I Dream of Jeannie". Many a ten year old adolescent boy watched these shows either at the time or in the many re-runs since, and divided themselves into two camps - fans of Elizabeth Montgomery or life-long members of the Barbara Eden Appreciation Society. I joined the latter - the pink harem pants probably swayed it for me, so if it ever came to sitting down in a room with two TV's, one playing "Bewitched" and the other playing "Jeannie", I would definitely be watching the latter. I'm still waiting for "IDOJ" to make the transition to the big screen, one of only a handful of old US sitcoms still in pre-production hell, with seemingly a new writer or director attached to the project every other month, and a different actress touted as the new Barbara Eden.
"Bewitched" has had an equally long potted production history, and up until the moment it actually started filming, absolutely anybody could have been cast in Elizabeth Montgomery's role as "Samantha" - except of course that in this film, Kidman is playing a witch named Isabel Bigelow who is playing Samantha the witch in a remake of the 1960s TV series which features Will Ferrell (playing actor Jack Wyatt who plays Samantha's husband "Darrin" in the TV show).
It's an interesting twist on the old straightforward remake a TV show idea and the Ephon sisters should be commended for trying something a little bit different here. This could have been complete pants, but somehow the whole thing is quite watchable, if a little lightweight. It's also just a bit confusing in places when the lines between 'real life' and the TV show start to get a little blurred. Isabel has an "Aunt Clara" for example just like Samantha on the TV show, and we even see "Uncle Arthur" as well to confuse things even more. "Endora" is an actress Iris Smythson, played by Shirley MacLaine, so isn't actually Isabel's (Kidman's) mother, but confusingly, does seem to be a witch. Michael Caine play's Isabel's warlock father, Nigel.
The only main problem for me was the film's ending. I couldn't help but think that this was where the film should have probably started - Kidman and Ferrell just married and moving into a house just over from their nosey neighbours, the Kravitzes. I've just spent ninety minutes of my life to see the set-up to the Kidman and Ferrell love story like the pilot episode of a TV show, and find myself wanting to watch the series proper. Maybe the Ephrons did have plans for a "Bewitched 2", but although this wasn't a huge flop, it wasn't hugely successful either. It's okay to watch once, but certainly isn't a 'keeper' to enjoy again and again. I doubt a sequel will ever happen - I'm disappointed a bit, because yes, I would probably watch such a film.
I'm still sat here waiting for "Jeannie" to get the green light. All things considered, they could hand the project over to the Ephron's and cast Ferrell as Major Nelson. They could do a lot worse. They could have done a lot worse with this film, too. It certainly didn't deserve all those "Razzie" nominations. Time will prove me right on this one. The average IMDb user ratings will probably push above the 5/10 mark, which makes this film average at least. You could do a lot worse. I mean that. My vote: 6/10
"Bewitched" has had an equally long potted production history, and up until the moment it actually started filming, absolutely anybody could have been cast in Elizabeth Montgomery's role as "Samantha" - except of course that in this film, Kidman is playing a witch named Isabel Bigelow who is playing Samantha the witch in a remake of the 1960s TV series which features Will Ferrell (playing actor Jack Wyatt who plays Samantha's husband "Darrin" in the TV show).
It's an interesting twist on the old straightforward remake a TV show idea and the Ephon sisters should be commended for trying something a little bit different here. This could have been complete pants, but somehow the whole thing is quite watchable, if a little lightweight. It's also just a bit confusing in places when the lines between 'real life' and the TV show start to get a little blurred. Isabel has an "Aunt Clara" for example just like Samantha on the TV show, and we even see "Uncle Arthur" as well to confuse things even more. "Endora" is an actress Iris Smythson, played by Shirley MacLaine, so isn't actually Isabel's (Kidman's) mother, but confusingly, does seem to be a witch. Michael Caine play's Isabel's warlock father, Nigel.
The only main problem for me was the film's ending. I couldn't help but think that this was where the film should have probably started - Kidman and Ferrell just married and moving into a house just over from their nosey neighbours, the Kravitzes. I've just spent ninety minutes of my life to see the set-up to the Kidman and Ferrell love story like the pilot episode of a TV show, and find myself wanting to watch the series proper. Maybe the Ephrons did have plans for a "Bewitched 2", but although this wasn't a huge flop, it wasn't hugely successful either. It's okay to watch once, but certainly isn't a 'keeper' to enjoy again and again. I doubt a sequel will ever happen - I'm disappointed a bit, because yes, I would probably watch such a film.
I'm still sat here waiting for "Jeannie" to get the green light. All things considered, they could hand the project over to the Ephron's and cast Ferrell as Major Nelson. They could do a lot worse. They could have done a lot worse with this film, too. It certainly didn't deserve all those "Razzie" nominations. Time will prove me right on this one. The average IMDb user ratings will probably push above the 5/10 mark, which makes this film average at least. You could do a lot worse. I mean that. My vote: 6/10