Film

What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases

Get 2 for 1 cinema tickets with Orange Click Here

Search cinema listings

Browse cinemas A-Z

Search 20,000 reviews

 

Bewitched (2005)

Director: Nora Ephron

Average user rating
No reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

Nora Ephron’s scripts (‘When Harry Met Sally…’, etc) have never fought shy of formula: a guy and a gal squabble, fall in love, fall out and are reunited. The pattern is so established, the behaviour so rote that the characters might as well be under a spell – an idea that finds its logical extension in ‘Bewitched’, a post-modern update of the ’60s sitcom that shows an intriguing awareness of this overlap without quite knowing what to do with it. Real-life witch Isabel (a pixie-ish Nicole Kidman) decides to forsake magic and find herself a normal man. In fact, she gets foundering Hollywood star Jack (Will Ferrell, cod-pompous and pratfall-laden), who casts her as ‘Samantha’ to his ‘Darrin’ in a TV remake of ‘Bewitched’ – the show about a witch who forsakes magic to find herself a normal man. Each used to having every whim granted with a click of their fingers, Isabel and Jack now have professional rivalry and love hexes to contend with, and their ensuing romance plays out as a garbled power struggle, with a distinctly reactionary undertow: having abdicated her own powers, Isabel is reduced to infantile gurgling at the wonder of dimmer switches and slavish pursuit of domesticated co-dependence. The film constantly equates magic with Hollywood entertainment – Isabel even undoes spells by rewinding the world video-style – and blithely substitutes both for actual love: romantic montages play out under the influence of spells and Isabel and Jack’s courtship is mapped on to that of their characters (their ‘happy place’ is the show’s mock-up home). But drawing attention to the similarities between two unnatural modes of behaviour has doubly alienating results: who could care about two experts in artifice playing out an over-familiar story? For despite the intriguing set-up, formula proves as hard a habit for Ephron to kick as magic is for Isabel.

Author: BW 2005-08-16 12:30:17

Time Out London Issue 1826: August 15-24 2005


  • Print this page
  • Send to a friend
Get 2 for 1 cinema tickets with Orange Click Here

What do you think?
Post your review now

clear rating
Min 1 star. Zero stars will be treated as unrated.

*mandatory fields





Top Stories

Hippies who work for The Man

Hippies who work for The Man

To celebrate George Clooney comedy 'The Men who Stare at Goats', we look back at six memorable onscreen hippies who fought the system from within

Roland Emmerich's guide to disaster movies

Roland Emmerich's guide to disaster movies

Ahead of the release of '2012', Roland Emmerich offers his ten tips on creating the perfect global catastrophe

Grant Heslov: interview

Grant Heslov: interview

Grant Heslov, director of 'The Men who Stare at Goats' talks about his old pal George Clooney, his interest in the paranormal, and his fond memories of working on 'Happy Days'

The Coen brothers discuss 'A Serious Man'

The Coen brothers discuss 'A Serious Man'

Masters of contrary comedy, Joel and Ethan Coen have struck gold again with their latest, ‘A Serious Man’

Ten inspirations behind 'Avatar'?

Ten inspirations behind 'Avatar'?

Time Out ponders the influences behind James Cameron's anticipated space-opera on the basis of the trailer

Michael Jackson's This Is It: review

Michael Jackson's This Is It: review

Kenny Ortega's posthumous concert film is a rousing eulogy for one of pop's great enigmas

Michael Haneke: The man behind the menace

Michael Haneke: The man behind the menace

From Cannes to Munich to London, Dave Calhoun tours Michael Haneke's Palme d'Or winner, 'The White Ribbon'

Lone Scherfig talks 'An Education'

Lone Scherfig talks 'An Education'

Danish director Lone Scherfig was an unlikely choice for a very English affair like 'An Education'. Cath Clarke meets her

How Jane Campion brought John Keats back to life

How Jane Campion brought John Keats back to life

Time Out gets Romantic with the ‘difficult’ New Zealander about her new film, 'Bright Star'

Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam

Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam

In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations