Practical Magic 2

You can't pull a rabbit out of a hat every time. Sometimes, all you can do is pull out hair. The rest remains as late-1990s as it can, including a woman's ultimate destiny being love, and half-brained traipsing across two continents for it, unaided by simple technology.

As beguiling as it is to see the return of these actresses, their alchemy is impeded by a hyperactive screenplay that's too busy bouncing them through plot beats and muddled stakes instead of giving them, and the new cast, better stories. Though Practical Magic 2 isn't a terrible second chapter, one is left with the feeling that a much better sequel might be floating somewhere out there in the winds above Massachusetts.

While Practical Magic 2 is a delightful concoction of sisterhood, female bonding, romance and dark humour, this potion might strictly work for those looking for a dose of nostalgia.

Susanne Bier seems unsure of committing either to the dark side of obsession and magic or the candy floss world of a rom-com, and so even though there are no abusive boyfriends or self-destructive behaviour, we are left with a movie which is neither a sinister dissertation on love nor a fluffy girl-meets-boy story. While the magic is definitely in short supply, Kidman and Bullock's charm and chemistry props up the movie magnificently.