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Back Shelf Beauties
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Bewitched I was wrong. Since the beginning of the year, I have been predicting Bewitched could be one of the worst films of the year with it's too cute by half premise and the landmines that await any movie based on a popular, legendary TV Show (may I direct you to Plaintiff's Exhibit #1, The Honeymooners). Instead of destroying the memory of one of America's most beloved shows and causing Elizabeth Montgomery to roll over in her grave (and casting a witching spell on everyone involved), Bewitched is charming and funny, while deftly avoiding any direct comparison to the TV show. Will Ferrell stars as Jack Wyatt - a big-time Hollywood star whose career has reached rock bottom after a massive movie failure (bigger than Gigli, Alexander and New York Minute combined!!!). He can't get a job in films anymore, but Wyatt's agent, Ritchie (Jason Schwartzman), has found the one opportunity available to his client, a TV remake of the legendary Bewitched, but with a twist. While the show will still have Samantha and Dora and the other familiar characters, Ritchie has convinced Jack to use his clout to make Bewitched all about Darren, who was the second banana when the program was a hit in the 1960's. To accomplish this goal, a massive search is launched to find a complete unknown to star in the severely limited Samantha role, but Jack serendipitously finds his co-star when he meets Isabel (Nicole Kidman) - a real witch trying to live a normal life and find true love without using her magical powers. Jack thinks Isabel is perfect because she doesn't realize she is getting cheated and knows how to twitch her nose like Samantha, but can Isabel avoid using her witchcraft? Will she find the true love she seeks? Can she put up with Jack's diva behavior? Bewitched is fun because of Kidman and Ferrell. Kidman brings an amazing wide-eyed innocence and charm to Isabel that is infectious as she copes with an unfamiliar world. She is so darn cute in this movie as Isabel reacts to every new experience with childlike glee and disappointment (I think I'm falling in love with her all over again). Call me crazy, but Kidman has become this generation's Meryl Streep with an ability to play any role, any style and any tone. From serious roles like Cold Mountain and The Hours to a romantic comedy like Bewitched, Kidman has shown greater range and ability than almost every actor working in Hollywood. Ferrell brings his usual wild antics to the movie and plays the flustered mortal well, but tempers everything slightly to make it work in this framework, while growing into a believable leading man as Jack romances Isabel. Additionally, he has to create a delicious diva side to Jack without alienating the audience, and does so in an enjoyable way as the audience laughs at his outrage and finds satisfaction as Jack is taken down a peg. Michael Caine almost steals the show as Isabel's father, Nigel, who is a bit naughty, a bit loving and doting father and a bit debate champion as he attempts to convince Isabel that the witch life is the best life. He has devilish charm to spare and looks like he is having more fun in this movie than he has had in many years. Most importantly, writer/director Nora Ephron wonderfully keeps the tone light and never lets the movie falter under the weight of its premise. Instead of being too cute by half, it all fits and flows together as we seamlessly move between the antics of making the TV show to the events in Jack and Isabel's lives, and never overdo the jokes about remaking the classic program. Self-awareness of the premise would have been the death of this movie, and Ephron knows to avoid it. Jack and Isabel's relationship is pushed to the forefront, even more important than showing us scenes from the old show, which is helpful and keeps the audience involved even if they never saw Bewitched on TV. Ephron's only mistake is not knowing when to end. Bewitched loses some steam towards the end as she falls prey to my biggest pet peeve and the most common movie bugaboo, the additional twist. It's a twist that makes the movie repetitive, so we could have gone without as it drains Bewitched of some life and the whimsy we loved early on. Bewitched is a great date movie and a funny film for anyone who has or hasn't seen the original television show. 3 Waffles (Out Of 4) Copyright 2005 - WaffleMovies.com
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