Nicole Kidman makes the whole wretched thing almost palatable. The, supposedly, inventiveness of this farce within a farce is hammered on with such lack of subtlety that, sometimes, you want to shout at the screen "Hey you! We're not brain dead! We got it! Move on! Will Ferrell is still a great TV comedian. How is it possible that nobody has told him that on the big screen less is more. Strangely, Nicole Kidman, the witch, is totally rooted in reality, we believe her. Will Ferrell, the mortal, is a loud caricature from beginning to end and we just can't get the attraction. There are some little perks however, Carole Shelley as Aunt Clara took me, thankfully, out of the movie and I spent at least 15 minutes asking myself where I've seen this actress before - The Odd Couple, one of the Pigeon sisters! Goodness! I was uncomfortable with Shirley MacLaine's cameo because I love her and I could only focus on the strange tightness in her face. I am a Kidmanite through and through that's why I go to see everything she does because I know that, even if she's involved in something quite beneath her, she manages to sparkle, to shine to surprise. Thank God for you Nicole.
Bewitched
2005
Action / Comedy / Fantasy / Romance
Bewitched
2005
Action / Comedy / Fantasy / Romance
Plot summary
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 show "Bewitched".
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May 04, 2022 at 01:43 AM
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Thank God For Nicole
Not the disaster I heard it was...but still not that good
Conceited fading film star Jack Wyatt (Will Ferrell) has agreed to star as Darren in a redo of the old TV series "Bewitched". He wants an unknown to play Samantha--his wife who is also a witch. Isabel Bigelow (Nicole Kideman) is an actual witch who wants to live a mortal life against the wishes of her father (Michael Caine). Ferrell sees her and wants to cast her in the series. There's the joke--a REAL witch trying to portray a fake witch on TV. Unfortunately that joke is repeated over and over and OVER in the film. It's a one joke film.
The film does have a lot of things going for it--Kidman is a delight as Isabel; Caine is lots of fun as her father; Shirley MacLaine has a short funny role playing Iris Smythson who plays Endora; the film looks great; the special effects are flawless and there are some great old appropriate songs scattered throughout. Unfortnataly the bad things outnumber the good.
For one thing Will Ferrell--I personally can't stand the guy. I've never found him funny. This movie doesn't change my opinion but he's not as bad as usual. Isabel also comes across as an idiot. She seems completely in awe of EVERYTHING in the world. She acts like she just came from another planet. Kidman's light performance saves her character from becoming completely unbearable. Also I could have lived without the constant product placement for Bed, Bath & Beyond. But the main problem is that the movie just isn't that funny. I smiled a few times but that was it. It's VERY likable--but nothing else.
**SPOILER ALERT** The movie is almost saved by Steve Carell doing a quick (and VERY funny) bit imitating Paul Lynde as Uncle Arthur. Still that comes in 90 minutes into the movie--too late to save it. **END SPOILER**
An OK but not very fun movie. It's easy to see why this bombed. I give it a 6.
21st century style
I'm not sure why the producers of this film version of Bewitched did not opt for a
straight out remake of the 60s legendary comedy. I think it would have been so
much more effective.
For one thing if one was looking to do a remake of Bewitched casting the Samantha character would be the first thing. Darrin was clearly in support of
her during those years Bewitched was on. Here we have Will Ferrall running the
show as he is cast as Darrin first and he wants to find an unknown to play
Samantha in a revised version of Bewitched.
So he finds as it turns out an actual witch. played by Nicole Kidman who like Samantha in the show wants to live among and marry a mortal. And then he
falls for her. But he can't be sure he's just being spelled or this is the real deal.
Shirley MacLaine is cast as the actress who plays Endora and Michael Caine is
Kidman's warlock father. They really get into their characters, but I would like
to have seen them as Samantha's estranged parents as as Agnes Moorehead and Maurice Evans were on TV.
As for the ending it can be viewed a lot of ways. There's a famous Twilight
Zone episode with Howard Duff that I think says what happens here. But you
figure it out yourself.
Not for fans of the show, but still good.