Nicole Kidman

Will Ferrell

Shirley MacLaine

Michael Caine

Jason Schwartzman

Kristin Chenoweth

Heather Burns

Jim Turner

Stephen Colbert

David Alan Grier

Michael Badalucco

Carole Shelley

Steve Carell

Katie Finneran

James Lipton

Conan O'Brien

Amy Sedaris

Richard Kind

Ken Hudson Campbell

P.J. Byrne

Carole Androsky

Annie Mumolo

Andrew Friedman

Clay Bravo

Heather Maristella

Jonathan T. Floyd

Ed McMahon

Alison MacInnis

Bridget Brno

Dana Daurey

Dorie Barton

Katie Carroll

Jennifer Elise Cox

Laura Sorenson

Brittany Krall

Dawn Ashley Cook

Julia Decker

Jennifer Hall

Roxanne Beckford

Hugh Davidson

Joe Zymblosky

J.J. Sacha

Susan Chuang

Jordan Black

Mo Rocca

Jason George

Wendi McLendon-Covey

Julie Claire

Terry Savage

Dianne Dreyer

Kate Walsh

Valerie Azlynn

Jarrad Paul

Victor Williams

Liesel Staubitz

Ruby Rose Skotchdopole

Molly Gordon

Nick Lachey

Abbey DiGregorio

Dick York

Amelinda Embry

Jessica Mathews

Nora Ephron

Lucy Fisher

Steven H. Berman

Penny Marshall

Bobby Cohen

Tia Nolan

George Fenton

Douglas Wick

James W. Skotchdopole

John Lindley

Amy Vincent

Mary Pat Walsh

Sol Saks

Delia Ephron

Mary Zophres

Neil Spisak

Joni Avery

Tony R. Medina

Eliza Coleman

Doug Coleman

Colleen Dunn

Darrell Davis

Allen Robinson

Thom Khoury Williams

Pete Turner

Stacey Howell-Brown

Laura Albert

John Robotham

Nicole Marie Appleby

Jeff Chumas

Gregg Smrz

Regina Bailey

Harry Wowchuk

Patricia Tallman

Patrick Reddish

Comedy

Fantasy

Romance

Bewitched

Red Wagon Entertainment

Columbia Pictures

Columbia Pictures Television

United States of America

Jack Wyatt (Will Ferrell), a Hollywood star recovering from a couple of box office bombs, is talked into starring in a reboot of the 1964 television series, Bewitched. Desperate to regain his fame, he insists on hiring an unknown actress to play Samantha as not to be overshadowed. When he finds Isabel, she seems perfect for the part. Little does he know, Isabel is a real witch.

I have not seen this movie since watching it in the theaters in 2005, so I didn’t remember much about it. Written and directed by Nora Ephron, there’s a certain amount of expectation when watching it. This is the woman who wrote When Harry Met Sally and You’ve Got Mail, after all. Unfortunately, Bewitched doesn’t really live up to those expectations, despite its potential.

Nicole Kidman seems like the obvious choice to replace Elizabeth Montgomery as the witchy Samantha (Isabel). Isabel is looking to put her witchy ways behind her, live a normal life and find love. She seems pretty naïve of the real world but she’s instantly smitten with Jack and agrees to become the Samantha to his Darren. Kidman is wide-eyed and breathy and Will Ferrell is… well, Will Ferrell at the peak of his own comedic career. They work perfectly fine on screen together, but the romantic chemistry is practically non-existent.

Bewitched seems to be missing that Ephron magic that made her previous romantic comedies so enchanting. It could be the miscasting of Will Ferrell, or the overly formulaic plot. It never seems to truly commit to the idea that the love story between Isabel and Jack is the real remake of Bewitched and instead of relies on special effects and some minor, silly spell casting/shenanigans to try and make the movie work. Michael Caine’s talent is completely wasted and Steve Carrell, whom I usually adore, shows up briefly as the obnoxious Uncle Arthur… and he really commits to the obnoxious part.

That being said, there were some parts of the movie that I found to be entertaining. Shirley MacLaine makes the most of her under-developed role as Iris/Endora and some of the sight gags are amusing. As usual, the Ephron soundtrack is full of cozy nostalgia, but it’s just not enough to make Bewitched worthy of its material source. I don’t regret watching it (again), but it’s unlikely I’ll return for another repeated viewing. (https://theromcomcatalog.com/review-bewitched-2005/)

Andre Gonzales

Not a bad movie. The movie would've sucked if it weren't for Will Ferrell. He made the movie funny and decent.

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Bewitched (2005) Official Trailer 1 - Nicole Kidman Movie