A Little Magic, A Lot of Charm
Ferrell Runs Amok in Bewitched

With Hollywood dredging up remakes of past television shows, I feel as if I should dredge up every past review in which I've denounced this type of unoriginal, stereotypical, rehash of my childhood. I should, but for some weird reason I was actually amused by Will Ferrell and Nicole Kidman's homage to Bewitched. While the film wasn't as funny as it could have been, it offered some nostalgic moments to make up for it.

Bewitched
Jack Wyatt (Will Ferrell) discovers that his co-star Isabel (Nicole Kidman) is a real witch in this movie about a television show remake of the classic Bewitched series. (Sony, 2005)
Directed by: Nora Ephron
Written by: Nora Ephron & Delia Ephron
Starring: Will Ferrell, Nicole Kidman, Shirley MacLaine, Michael Caine, Jason Schwartzman, and Kristin Chenoweth

Rated PG-13 (for some language, including sex and drug references, and partial nudity)
Running time: 102 min.

FilmGuru's Rating : 6 out of 10.

The hook that makes the whole thing work is the idea that Bewitched (the classic television show we all love) is being retooled for a new generation of television audiences. Starring as Darren in the new show is Jack Wyatt (Ferrell), a nearly washed-up actor whose string of poor movies has left him in need of a career boost. While the studio auditions fresh actresses for the part of Samantha, Jack discovers a beautiful woman who has the perfect nose twitch to play the role. Ironically (or not), Isabel (Kidman) is an actual witch who has recently left her supernatural life behind to try life as a "normal" person. Kidman plays Isabel with a sweet innocence that blossoms as she discovers more about the mortal world.

It turns out that Isabel and the Samantha character have a lot in common. They both have left the magic life to try and be mortal. They both have an uptight, British father. They each even have an Aunt Clara (played in the film by Carole Shelley)! (How many parallels between Isabel's life and the television show can there be?) Naturally, like Samantha, Isabel also falls for a mortal man. In her case, it's her co-star Jack.

While Ferrell has had some moderate success in the past, I don't like him as a leading man. He doesn't have the charisma to carry a film by himself, and when he tries it ends up looking like he's trying too hard. The moments when he is on the screen, Ferrell seems to hog the spotlight. In this, he and his character have a lot in common. Ferrell's best gags are only moderately funny, but the film revolves around him as if he's the lynchpin holding the whole thing together. Sadly, director Nora Ephron (and her sister Delia Ephron, who shares a screenwriting credit) didn't take the advice from her lead characters who saw Bewitched as a story about TWO people. Giving Ferrell all the comedy and relegating Kidman to the role of "straight man" is a crime.

The other problem with the film is the waste of an excellent ensemble cast. Chiding Isabel for her unwise decision to live in the mortal realm is her warlock father Nigel (Michael Caine). While Caine's performance is reminiscent of the dignified Maurice Evans, who played Samantha's father on the television series, he doesn't get to do much. His disapproving frown becomes a tired refrain after the first scene. Later attempts to introduce Shirley MacLaine as a love interest do nothing to help.

There are a number of loose ends in the film that never get explained. The clever courtship of MacLaine's Iris/Endora with Nigel is never developed. Isabel's connection with Bewitched photos and collectibles is not clearly understood. Moreover, there are a few idiotic scenes that seem thrown in only to be cute "nostalgic" moments, which fall flat because they don't really belong in this film.

One of the worst of these is the cameo of Steve Carell as Uncle Arthur. While the idea of having someone imitate Paul Lynde's beloved character was amusing, Carell doesn't do THAT good of an impression. The illusion lasts for mere seconds before the audience realizes it's a bad imitation. The joke, as a result, is way too long and drawn out. An excerpt from the old television show would have been preferable to this astoundingly bad impression.

While the film gets a little silly at times, it is to the credit of the filmmakers that it manages to remain somewhat entertaining. For my tastes, this was not a great comedy, but it was a harmless diversion. I found some merit in it, even if I thought some of the best ideas in the film were never fully explored.