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Movie Review - Bewitched (2005)
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(What this rating means)
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| Director: |
Nora Ephron |
| Starring: |
Nicole Kidman, Will Ferrell, Shirley MacLaine, Michael Caine, Jason Schwartzman, and Kristin Chenoweth |
| Rated: |
PG-13 (for some language, including sex and drug references, and partial nudity) |
| Length: |
102 minutes |
| Genre: |
Comedy/Fantasy |
| Tagline: |
Be warned. Be ready. |
| Studio: |
Sony Pictures |
| Website: |
Sony Pictures |
| Release: |
June 24, 2005 |
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PLOT
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Isabel Bigelow (Kidman) is a witch, but she longs to leave this lifestyle behind and live a normal life. Jack
Wyatt (Ferrell) is an A-list actor whose career is on a down swing. In an effort to get his career back on
track, he agrees to star in a re-doing of the old TV show Bewitched. But Jack wants to make sure he's
the star, so he insists on casting an unknown in the role of Samantha. One day, he spots Isabel crinkling her
nose at the library, and he knows he's found the woman for the job. The fact that she's an actual witch
(unbeknownst to everybody else) gives her a comfort factor with the material that allows her to land the role.
All sorts of silly and goofy witch shenanigans ensue.
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JOHNNY'S TAKE
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"A film by Nora Ephron." Words to chill the blood of any macho American male. When I saw these words appear
on the screen all I could think of was how this woman was responsible for about 17 Meg Ryan/Tom Hanks romantic
comedies (I think Tom must've been unavailable for When Harry Met Sally), including You've Got
Mail, Sleepless in Seattle, and A Sleepless Harry Met Sally in Seattle After Getting His Mail.
In fact, I think Meg Ryan has appeared in so much sap that she actually has a syrup named after her. If she
doesn't, then I say we start up the petition right now!
But you know what? This movie ended up entertaining me way more than I should be willing to admit. It does
get pretty silly and goofy, and at times the jokes start to gag on their own cuteness. After all, we're
expected to laugh at the fact that Nicole Kidman gets absolutely excited over sprinklers and microwave popcorn
because hey, she's a witch, and to a witch this kind of stuff is cool! And I suppose we're expected to howl
in laughter every time an actress auditions for the role of Samantha by crinkling her nose really badly.
The stone cold silence that I introduced to these scenes probably wasn't what Ms. Ephron was shooting for.
But every now and then the goofiness is charming enough to work - that is if you're willing to laugh at such
things as Will Ferrell singing a cheesy song he wrote for Kidman, complete with him mouthing the guitar
solo.
I know Hollywood is on a massive remake trend right now, but this is just clever enough to make it feel slightly
different, slightly original. But it's Kidman and Ferrell, rather than the screenplay, that really raise the
watchability factor. Kidman redeems herself from the horrid The Stepford
Wives, showing that she can handle comedy, and Will Ferrell is, well, Will Ferrell. That basically
means that he can be both annoying and funny at the same time, and he's at his best when it looks like he's
being allowed to ad-lib, and when he's really putting huge doses of arrogance into his character, demanding,
"Make me 20 cappuccinos and bring me the best one."
It's nothing really worth the oxygen to try to convince you that it's a definite must-see at the theater, nor
did it excite me enough to reel off more than four paragraphs for this review, but it's a light, silly little
comedy that generated quite a few chuckles and a handful of laugh-out-loud moments. I'd say trust your instinct
on this one. If you're dying to see it then catch a matinee, if you're on the fence then save it for a rental,
and if you have no desire to see it then just skip it. I don't care. I ain't making any money off it.
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ODDS & ENDS
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- I watched Bewitched when I was young, so I was fairly familiar with the source material. If you've
never even heard of the original, then there'll be plenty of inside jokes you won't get.
- Watch for cameos by Conan O'Brien, James Lipton (who Ferrell portrayed on SNL), Nick Lachey, Steve Carrell,
and the cappuccino maker from Kicking & Screaming.
- In case you don't know, Jason Schwartzman plays drums for Phantom Planet. A lot of you youngsters probably
know of them since they perform California - the theme song for the O.C.
- Jim Carrey was initially approached to play the role of Jack Wyatt, but he had other commitments.
- Will Ferrell was in Melinda and Melinda with Josh Brolin who was in Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon.
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MAMA'S APPROVAL
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It's not too bad, but there is one scene that contains blurred out Will Ferrell nudity. There's not a lot of
profanity, but the ol' p-word (rhymes with "wussy") gets tossed around a bit.
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TRAILER COMPARISON
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I think I laughed maybe once or twice during the trailer, so the movie exceeded my expectations.
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THE GIST
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I'll reiterate what I said at the end of the review - trust your instinct (though my review can help shape your
instinct). Fans of the original Bewitched will probably get the most from the movie, but it'd make a
decent matinee or future rental for those in the mood for an easy-going comedy or if you're a fan of Ferrell and/or
Kidman. No need to rush to see it at full price though.
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