Image Courtesy of Warner Bros Entertainment, Fortis Film, Village Roadshow Pictures and Di Novi Pictures.
Boy meets girl, they fall in love, have some sort of conflict and eventually live happily ever-after. That’s the template 1990s box office gold was made of. So 25 years ago, in the midst of a sea of rom-coms, Warner Bros set off with the goal to make another contribution to the genre. Sometimes however, people (production companies) venture out to do one thing and end up doing (producing) another. Change through repetition. The result of the 1998 released movie “Practical Magic”, directed by Griffin Dunne (hello Uncle Nicky from “This Is Us”) was in many ways very unusual for the era.
The adaption of Alice Hofmann’s 1995 novel was as unconventional as it was genre-bending. For many young girls, myself included, it was a promising and alluring taste of what else was possibly out there – other than being a well-behaved woman. “Other” in this case meaning: a witch.
Dunne didn’t simply pull an unexpected crossover out of his hat by spicing up the genre of romantic comedy with horror and thriller elements. The real magic trick lies hidden in how he smoothly kept alternating between fiction and reality. A young heartbroken widow moving back into her childhood home? A woman with an abusive boyfriend she can’t seem to get rid off? So far, so realistic but what if they had additional powers? It’s the enduring and potent archetype of the witch which leads the focus consistently back to the actual topic – generations of strong and complex women, dealing with, healing from and accepting the burden of their ancestor’s past. In other words: taking ownership of their lives.
The Owens sister, Sally (Sandra Bullock) and Gilly (Nicole Kidman) grow up on a remote island off the Massachusetts’ coast at their aunt’s Jett (Dianne Wiest) and Frances (Stockard Channing). Their mother died of a broken heart after the untimely death of their father due to an old family curse. Their great-great-great-grandmother Maria Owens (also a witch) was sentenced to death for having an affair. In a moment of despair, realising her lover is not coming to rescue her, she casts a spell upon every man ever loving an Owens woman.
Image Courtesy of Warner Bros Entertainment, Fortis Film, Village Roadshow Pictures and Di Novi Pictures.
Of course the sisters do fall in love ultimately. Sally gets married, has two daughters and attempts a normal magic-free life, but her husband is destined to die as well. Gilly on the other hand, who according to her sister has an awful taste in men, throws herself from one adventure to the next and finally falls in love with a man she describes as “Dracula cowboy”.
Even at this point though the story doesn’t evolve around the typical rom-com themes of desire, love or loneliness, although they are present. It rather goes to show that they don’t shy away from the other side of the living your life to the fullest coin. The sisters embrace their desires and choices completely. This includes but is not limits to the exploration of their sexuality (falling for “Dracula cowboy”), making bad choices, a variety of cute compulsions and impossible dreams (to avoid the family curse as a child Sally dreams up an impossible man). Through time and space they are connected with their family’s matriarchal legacy and through it they continue to carry the trans-generational torch, which eventually leads to wisdom and growth. Change through repetition.
When Sally and Gilly are bullied as children for their witch reputation, the aunts suggest that maybe it’s worth rejecting the idea of normalcy. They showcase a fun and alternative lifestyle, one where they are freed of social conventions: chocolate cake for breakfast, leaving the house all dressed up and later as adults midnight Margaritas while dancing in the kitchen to Harry Nilsson’s “Coconut”. As aunt Frances puts it: “My darling girl, when are you going to realise that being normal is not necessarily a virtue? It rather denotes a lack of courage.” It’s also a reminder that welcoming otherness really is just part of love.
Image Courtesy of Warner Bros Entertainment, Fortis Film, Village Roadshow Pictures and Di Novi Pictures.
Unlike many other rom-coms from the 1990s “Practical Magic” aged very well (did I mention it was a box office flop back then?). It will always have a special place in the heart of those little girls growing up wanting to be witches but really everybody considered different or even being persecuted for just being true to themselves.The inherent otherness of the witch is a placeholder challenging socially accepted ideas of male and female.
Lately, there has been an enormous pop-cultural comeback of the witch. Reboots of “Charmed” and “Sabrina” (there have even been talks about a prequel to “Practical Magic”), the general girl boss vibe and the very ambivalent medialisation of the so-called ‘witch-hunts”. Is it a sign of reclaiming power? Will it eventually transcend the realm of fiction and pop culture into everyday life? Let’s hope so.
In the meantime go and rewatch “Practical Magic” – and not just for the amazing 1990s outfit inspirations of witches dressing as normal women. Except for Halloween, when even the Owens sisters are dressing up with pointy hats and brooms to remember who they truly are and what they are capable of.