Bewitched (2005)

Thinking he can overshadow an unknown actress in the part, an egocentric actor unknowingly gets a witch cast in an upcoming television remake of the classic sitcom Bewitched (1964).

Director:

Nora Ephron

Writers:

Nora Ephron, Delia Ephron

Stars:

Nicole Kidman, Will Ferrell, Shirley MacLaine

2 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nicole Kidman	...	Isabel Bigelow / Samantha
Will Ferrell	...	Jack Wyatt / Darrin
Shirley MacLaine	...	Iris Smythson / Endora
Michael Caine	...	Nigel Bigelow
Jason Schwartzman	...	Ritchie
Kristin Chenoweth	...	Maria Kelly
Heather Burns	...	Nina
Jim Turner	...	Larry
Stephen Colbert	...	Stu Robison
David Alan Grier	...	Jim Fields
Michael Badalucco	...	Joey Props
Carole Shelley	...	Aunt Clara
Steve Carell	...	Uncle Arthur
Katie Finneran	...	Sheila Wyatt
James Lipton	...	James Lipton

Storyline

Out in California's San Fernando Valley, Isabel is trying to reinvent herself. A naïve, good-natured witch, she is determined to disavow her supernatural powers and lead a normal life. At the same time, across town, Jack Wyatt, a tall, charming actor is trying to get his career back on track. He sets his sights on an updated version of the beloved situation comedy Bewitched (1964), re-conceived as a starring vehicle for him in the role of the mere-mortal Darrin. Fate steps in when Jack accidentally runs into Isabel. He is immediately attracted to her and her nose, which bears an uncanny resemblance to the nose of Elizabeth Montgomery, who played Samantha on Bewitched (1964). He becomes convinced she could play Samantha in his new series. Isabel is also taken with Jack, seeing him as the quintessential mortal man with whom she can settle down and lead the normal life she so desires. It turns out they're both right, but in ways neither of them ever imagined.

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Plot Keywords:

watching tv | neo screwball comedy | flying broomstick | witch | actor | 

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Taglines:

Be warned. Be ready.

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some language, including sex and drug references, and partial nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Columbia Tristar [France] Sony Pictures [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

24 June 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hechizada

Filming Locations:

510 S Lucerne Blvd., Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$85,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$20,131,130, 26 June 2005

Gross USA:

$63,313,159

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$131,426,169

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Red Wagon Entertainment, Bewitched

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kristin Chenoweth's part was written specifically for her, because Nicole Kidman very much enjoyed her performance as Glinda in the Broadway musical "Wicked."

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Goofs

(at around 46 mins) When Isabel opens the glass door to grab the fish sticks, a crew member and his/her camera is visible/reflected on the glass.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Isabel Bigelow: [Outside a house at which Isabel has just landed and made available for rent, furnished, with an open house today] It's perfect!
Realtor: Oh, great!
Isabel Bigelow: I'll take it.

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Connections

Features Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1993)

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Soundtracks

Won't Get Fooled Again
(1971)
Written by Pete Townshend
Performed by The Who
Courtesy of Polydor Ltd (U.K.) and Geffen Records
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Entertaining While it Lasts

Actor Jack Wyatt (Will Ferrell) is not happy about getting a job playing Darren on a remake of the '60s show "Bewitched" until he meets Isabel Bigelow (Nicole Kidman), his beautiful co-star who will be playing the role of his witch wife, Samantha. Except that Isabel really is a witch and she's not happy about playing second fiddle to Wyatt.

The plot is decent enough and it's also something different. The film wasn't as good as I thought it would be but it was still mildly enjoyable. Bewitched is really the type of film you see when you're looking for light comedy. It's something that's enjoyable while it lasts but it will be forgotten after viewing it. I can see why a lot of people hated it since it could have been so much more than that.

The acting is nothing special but still decent enough. Nicole Kidman gives a nice performance as Isabel. This isn't her usual type of role but she did a surprisingly good job. Will Ferrell does an okay job. Some of his lines are funny while some of his other jokes fall flat. He also gets annoying towards the end of the film and he is getting annoying overall since he tends to play the same character in every movie. The supporting cast is very good and they help keep the film alive. Shirley MacLaine plays Iris and she gives a funny performance. Jason Schwartzman plays Ferrell's agent and he also gives a funny performance, too bad there isn't much of him though. Michael Caine only gives an okay performance, he looks bored in the role.

The biggest flaw of the film is the direction. This film changes its mind so many times that it's hard to tell what they were trying to accomplish. There is also not a lot of chemistry between the two stars. There is some but not enough to make the film really effective. Nora Ephron has directed some other chick flicks in the past like You've Got Mail, which wasn't so bad. She does an okay job with this film but it's not her best work. Another thing I didn't like about the film was the cameo by Steve Carell as Uncle Arthur. His performance was so annoying and he usually is pretty funny too. In the end, this is strictly a fluff film and it should only be viewed as one. If you're looking for something that will be extremely funny or very deep then look elsewhere. Rating 6/10