Movies Reviews

Movie Review: Bewitched

By Ron Wilkinson Jun 23, 2005, 18:50 GMT

More “You’ve Got Mail” than “To Die For,” “Bewitched” is a romantic comedy based on the 1960s TV sitcom starring Dick York as Darrin, the putz, and Elizabeth Montgomery as the innocent but potent witch Samantha. The story line is that the studio is going to resurrect the sitcom, complete with Darrin, Samantha and Samantha’s cranky mother-in-law Endora.

It was great to see Nicole Kidman in a comedy role again, even one as fluffy as “Bewitched.” She is cute and perky and fits the role of Samantha, the good, young and very attractive witch in the original TV series. Unfortunately it was a dumb show then and it’s still a pretty dumb show now. Saving the day is a gracious performance by Michael Caine, as Samantha’s warlock father, Nigel. Showing up here and there, Caine is as smooth as ever, managing to appear young and old at the same time and taunting the ladies with his unapologetic dirty old man humor. He does a good job rescuing the predictable plot with his wisecracks, but fails to do the right thing, which is to turn Darrin into a clothes hamper. Nonetheless his depth and class will attract oldsters to an otherwise lackluster showing by Will Ferrell and Nicole Kidman.

In the original TV series, Agnes Moorehead had the most memorable role of the three leads as Endora, Samantha’s witch mother. When Montgomery and York became so thoroughly saccharine we were going to vomit, Moorehead stepped in and playfully turned the hapless Darrin into kitty litter. This kept things interesting. In this take, Shirley MacLaine plays the fading screen star Iris Smythson, Samantha’s mother in the remade TV show. Although she is great to see on screen, her parts are few and far between and her rat-pack spirit is stretched too thin to lift this comedy out of the routine.

Kidman plays the young and innocent witch who just wants to be normal and argue with her hubby about what color to paint the kitchen. Good line, Ms. Ephron--but this movie needs a lot more like it. Kidman does a good job as a comedienne, if for nothing more than her complete turnaround from her previous hits, Lars von Trier’s “Dogville,” and the somewhat lesser effort, “Cold Mountain” by director Anthony Minghella. She shows she can do comedy when she wants to; but this flick is miles away from “To Die For” (Gus Van Sant), one of the edgiest black comedy acts out there.

Will Ferrell plays more of a prop than a character, as if Kidman is still trying to get back at the men in “Dogville.” Ferrell first uses her, then falls in love with her, and ends up her hopeless love slave. Routine stuff, but well enough done. While the plot has Farrell using Kidman, the production has Kidman using Ferrell. Subtleties like this are important, they keep one from falling asleep. Ferrell does the clowning around, playing a feckless star who, for some reason, is a big name and has to be constantly coddled by his savvy staff. It is reported that Jim Carrey was approached to play the male lead, but had to decline because of “other commitments.” Probably, he was committed to parts that have some significance, which this one does not. Good move, Jim.

Director Nora Ephron and cinematographer John Lindley do yeoman service bringing this complacent 1960s TV sitcom genre to the silver screen. With rom-coms like “You've Got Mail” (1998) and “Father of the Bride” (1991) to his credit, Lindley knows how to make things cozy. Nora Ephron also did the screenplays and directing for “You've Got Mail” as well as “Sleepless in Seattle.” Sister Delia Ephron also helped out on “You’ve Got Mail.”

Fast paced and fun in the beginning but slowing to a death march at the end, “Bewitched” entertains but makes no mark. It finishes with only a kiss, but, doubtlessly, black ink on the bottom line.

The film opens June 24 in the U.S. and August 19 in the U.K.

You can access media from movie in our database and view photos from the premiere on this page.