Practical Magic - REWIND

[00:00:00] 28 years since the Owen sisters first hit our screens and taught us all about Midnight Margaritas. We are rewinding back to our Practical Magic episode right before we go and check out Practical Magic 2. Welcome to the No More Late Fees podcast, I'm Jackie.

[00:00:29] And I'm Danielle and we're just two best friends and ex-blockbuster employees rewatching some of the best and worst movies from the late 90s and early 2000s. This week we are talking about the 1998 film Practical Magic. But before we dive in, let's get into some housekeeping. If you love the podcast and you want to support us, here are a few ways that you can.

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[00:01:19] But this week we are not alone. We're excited to have two magical guests with us, Stephanie and Laura. Stephanie is coming from her podcast, Books in the Freezer, and Laura's coming from just being our really awesome friend. Who's a three-peater now. Welcome, everyone. Thank you. Thank you. And if you want to get to know Stephanie and Laura a little better, come back later this week as we

[00:01:49] discuss our favorite cinematic witches. And remember to check out Laura's previous episodes on The Fifth Element and Power Rangers. So, Danielle. Yep. Tell us about the magic that is practical magic. Sally and Jillian Owens, born into a magical family, have mostly avoided witchcraft themselves. But when Jillian's vicious boyfriend, Jimmy Angelo, dies unexpectedly, the Owens sisters give

[00:02:14] themselves a crash course in magic. With policeman Gary growing suspicious, the girl struggled to resurrect Angela and unwittingly inject his corpse with an evil spirit that threatens to end their family line. The movie stars Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Dianne Wiest, Stockard Channing, and Aidan Quinn. The movie was directed by Griffin Dunn, screenplay by Robin Swickard,

[00:02:41] Akiva Goldsman, and Adam Brooks. And it's based on Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman. You can currently watch it on Pluto. But before we get started, let's get into our readings rewind. So you know the drill. Before we get into the movie, we'll review the rating our Y2K versions of ourselves we give. Then at the end, we'll see if our current selves agree with our initial rating. Our scale consists of would buy it, would buy it again. The best would plan repeat.

[00:03:08] Five day rental. Wood watch again. Two day rental. Eh, okay, but nothing to write home about. Same day rental. Throw that shit in the ocean. It's no good for you. It's trash. So Laura, what is your Y2K rating of Practical Magic? Five day rental. All the time. Only because I

[00:03:33] know I didn't own it and I don't want to lie. And Stephanie, what is your Y2K rating of Practical Magic? I saw this in theaters and I really liked it. I would say it's a two day rental for me though. I don't think I thought about it much after I watched it. We'll get to it. This has changed.

[00:03:59] But yeah, that's where I would be now. I mean, that's my Y2K rating. Danielle? I feel the same as Stephanie, like in the sense that I don't own it. I've never wanted, like when I was younger, I never wanted to, to like buy it. But every time it came on HBO, I watched it. So I would say it's a five day rental for me. You, Jackie?

[00:04:26] I have actually never sat down and watched this movie. I feel like this is such a Miss Terry movie. I think I've seen bits and pieces of it. She was probably watching it and I just never sat down and watched it with her. Because I vaguely remembered them killing Jimmy and then like the midnight margaritas. But like, I didn't know she had kids. Like, I was like, oh, this is all brand new to me.

[00:04:59] All right. So this movie had a budget of $75 million. Well, they had to build that damn house. Yeah. I was surprised how much budget they had. And it made $68.3 million, which is not bad. That's pretty damn good. It's just that they had such an inflated budget.

[00:05:22] This is a Warner Brothers movie, but originally it was owned by another time. It was owned by another studio. Yeah. And then there was a Turner owned it. And then he got Warner. And so then it became Warner Brothers. It merged. Yeah. When they had the merger. Yeah. So it opened at number one with $13.1 million in ticket sales. The film went on to gross, like I said, $16.3 million. And way less than its production budget.

[00:05:50] Ready for Lil' Raj? Ready. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times said that the film doesn't seem sure what tone to adopt, varying uncertainly from horror to laughs to romance. And I think once we go into it, we'll discover why it felt that weird balance, like unbalanced feel to it because they wanted to make it darker.

[00:06:19] They had a darker cut. But the studio kept like really dabbling and pushing and wanting to change things. So I think that's why you kind of have this like uneasy vibes going on. Well, before we get into the cast and crew, let's hear a message from our pod pals.

[00:06:44] Hi, listeners. It's Mark from the Release Date Rewind podcast, now on the Straw Hut Media Network. On each episode of my show, I invite a different friend or two to take a trip down memory lane with me and re-watch movies we love. And occasionally TV shows, too. All genres, big budget, low budget, award winners, cult classics, everything. And we're not just talking about any random movie. We nerd out about movies that are celebrating milestone anniversaries of release.

[00:07:12] So think the big ones like 20th anniversary, 25th, 30th, 40th, 50th, and so on. Learn some trivia and get nostalgic with us while listening to Release Date Rewind wherever you get your podcasts. Okay, cast and crew. I could find like a lot of things about casting. Maybe I didn't dig deep enough this time, but there's so many facts about this movie. It was a lot.

[00:07:42] But I did find it interesting that Jimmy Angelo was originally named Jimmy Hawkins and was a Texas redneck. But the part was rewritten as Eastern European for Goran Viznik, who I used to love on ER. When George Clooney left, I was like, nobody's gonna take his place. And then daddy rolled in. I was like, well, well, I'm seated.

[00:08:11] Just his character. Because I don't know if like objectively I would think he was hot, but I very much loved him on ER. So the director, Griffin Dunn, saw him in a movie called Welcome to Servo and Madonna's Power of Goodbye video and was like, that's our man. So. I do love Andrew. I will be whispering his name throughout the whole episode.

[00:08:37] And an unexpected issue that the director, Griffin Dunn, encountered was the number of takes the lead actresses needed to complete each scene. And Sandra Bullock would generally finish in two or three takes. However, Nicole Kidman had just spent the previous 18 months working with Stanley Kubrick on Eyes Wide Shut and was now used to doing 70 or 80 takes for a single scene. That's where the budget went film. Get it together, Nicole. That's crazy.

[00:09:07] And he's like known as kind of like a psychopath. Yeah. So what other, when we did Seven, who directed that one? Because he also did like a shit ton of takes. Trying to remember now. He did Seven in Panic Room. Thank you. David Fincher. He's also another. Mm-hmm. Chronic filmer. I want to say psycho, but you know, I don't know that man, but I just, word on the street.

[00:09:35] And they said like during Mindhunter, like on the scenes where they would have to be like eating, that everyone was getting so sick from all the takes where they had to like chew hamburger. Ew. Couldn't be me. Had to left us then. All right, Jekyllah. I guess we're ready. Okay. Okay. So Practical Magic starts out with a little family history.

[00:09:59] We are introduced to Maria, who is the matriarch of the Owens family. She is a witch set in the time of when they burned witches. Is Maria just, do people have a problem with Maria just because she's a witch? Or is that Maria is not like full on Caucasian? She is. Yeah. She's not Protestant, so there's issues. Because I, again, I noticed so many different things rewatching this.

[00:10:28] I was like, y'all a bunch of racists. Yeah. Poor Maria. But don't worry. Maria severs her own noose and runs away. But she is pregnant. She did get around. Yeah. Yeah. Which is why the ladies were upset. Yeah. I just feel like she was having a good time. It's not her fault your husband can't stay committed.

[00:10:58] Here we go again. And like, what else? Yeah. Also, was Maria building that house? Did she build that? You saw that scene. I was thinking about that. Yeah. She's like building the house whilst pregnant. Yeah. By the edge. Like not even with witchcraft. And not with like the babbity doo of like Cinderella with float and stuff. Or even, you know, like.

[00:11:26] It's like, who's building that? Maria, where are we staying? The baby looks like it's about to come right now. And you just got the foundation. Okay. So she places a spell on herself where she'll never fall in love again. But that spell becomes a curse for the Owens women where if they fall in love, their husbands befell a tragic fate. Is it really a curse?

[00:11:56] I know. Get that. I would just get a really good insurance policy. I know what's coming. But there was no time frame. So it could be like a year, 10 years down the line. You don't know. I don't know when to cash that check. I would be in my 10th year like, this motherfucker is still kicking. You're like, where is that beetle? I don't hear any chirping. I would start bringing beetles in the house.

[00:12:26] I would like view it. Of all the curses or spells, like that's the one you go with. Like couldn't there, there has to be other options. But that's the one you pick. Well, Maria was kind of spiteful. I get it. I get it, girl. She also had pregnancy brain. That's true. She was in her feelings.

[00:12:53] So then 200, we skipped 200 years. And now we are meeting the youngest Owen's children, Sally and Jillian. Their father dies because that's what happens. And then shortly after, they just say their mother dies from heartbreak. I feel like she killed herself. I felt like that too. That's my theory too. That's my theory too.

[00:13:19] Because later when Jillian's comforting Sally after her husband has died, she says like, do you forgive our mother? Yeah. I caught that. It's like, hmm. Yeah. I feel like she killed herself. Because the kids say she died of a broken heart, didn't she? And the aunts kind of say like, yeah. Yeah. That's a way to spin it. Yeah. So they are sent to live with their aunties, Jet and Frances, who are fabulous. Love them so much.

[00:13:49] I aspire to be the aunts. I didn't work lady. Absolute goals. They're the cat ladies some people are speaking of and I want to be them. But I didn't realize until I did the notes that they are supposed to be way older than they are, I guess you could say. That's what the townspeople talk about.

[00:14:13] And I think it's interesting like when he comes and he starts interviewing some of them, the women who talk about that are like in wheelchairs. So it's like they're kind of saying, look, these bitches are older than us. I never caught that. That's a good point. Yeah. Because their clothes, I think, are what gives it away that their clothes look like from an older time period. And I was like, I can't even there's so much.

[00:14:41] Their clothing is it's like layered upon layered upon layered. I can't even see the silhouette at this point. I don't know what you mean. They're not just fashion icons. I was like, man, I wish I had black shawls to wear tonight. Dramatically, like shawls and the hats, the thick eyeliner. I think they call it whimsy goth is the term.

[00:15:10] Whimsic gothic, yeah. Yeah. Love it. I'm going to create a Pinterest board for that. Yeah. So they start teaching the girls magic. We get a voiceover about the death watch beetle that if you hear it, your husband's about to die. Jillian's like, I'm ready to fall in love, bitches. Let's do this. And Sally's like, I'm never falling in love.

[00:15:39] I'm going to cast a spell on myself. And she says he has to flip pancakes, be kind, ride a horse backwards. His favorite shape will be a star and he'll have one green eye and one blue eye. And she does this because she's like, there's no one in the world that like has all these traits. Right. Little does she.

[00:16:03] But she's also a child making up these crazy ass rules, I guess. Yeah. And there's also like the townspeople do come to the aunts for help. And so they paid that. I guess that's how they make their money is like townspeople pay them to cast spells. Here's my issue with the townspeople. What did the aunts do?

[00:16:30] Or what did the previous generations of women do of Owens women that they're all like, you know, with a little chant and they're so rude to them. But, oh, you want our help to try to get your man to leave his wife. Yeah. Hypocrites. I would have been cats in all sorts of spell on that town. Danielle would have made all the rumors true. Yeah.

[00:16:57] I also love that they've been, they've been chanting, that they've been chanting, which, which you're a bitch for like, she's like hundreds of years. You can't come with a new chant. I'm like, were they in the Puritan colonies? Like, which, which you're a bitch? Jillian is bored in her tiny coastal town and she wants to see the world and bone a lot in the sunshine. And so she sneaks out of the house.

[00:17:25] She has a man come get her that she claims she's going to marry. And they do a, a blood sister pact, which they're already bloods, blood related. So I don't, my blood, your blood, our blood. Why? It's always the palm in every sort of like, there's a sacrifice that needs to be made. You need to cast a spell. It's always the palm. It's never like worse. The worst place to do it. Let me just get my arm or another place.

[00:17:54] That's not going to impact every single thing I do. I learned from- I'm not going to constantly be- Right. You have to like tape it off and- Yeah. Do love how it's like, let's just put these black glasses on Sandra Bullock and now she's frumpy. Yeah. She's like, oh. But she's also wearing that iconic robe that you see in all the nineties, the purple robe with the daisy flowers on it. And we do have that in our Amazon store.

[00:18:22] The link is on our website, which is in our show notes. Yeah. So Jillian's gone. She's in Florida partying it up and Sally's just living her quiet little life, not falling in love. But the aunties are like, we got to get Sally some action. She deserves it. So they put- She needs to get laid. Yes. So they put a spell-

[00:18:51] Cast a love spell on her, unbeknownst to her, with the little fruit delivery man that's in town who's precious. With the apples. Yeah. Yeah. And like the, the bell tolls and she just gets up from her gardening and just runs into town and starts making out with him, which is this thing behind me because this outfit, I love it so much. Yeah.

[00:19:20] With the galoshes and the little short jean shorts and the baby tee, that kind of looks like a bat. No notes. Oh, 90s perfection. Perfection. So good. You know, like you look at Sandra Bullock now and you're like stunning, gorgeous, no notes, but then it was so interesting to like, look at little baby Sandra Bullock and you're like, oh my God. So gorgeous. That skin. Is that a hair?

[00:19:47] So she, she goes and makes out with the little fruit man. And then all of a sudden their 30th anniversary and they have two little girls, but those girls are older than. Yeah. Three years. Three. Maybe they just didn't get married right away. Yeah. And also like, one of the things I thought was weird is they're writing letters to each other, but like, does Jillian never come home?

[00:20:13] Because at some point when the girls come home and she meets, she sees them, she's like, what if they don't like me? And I'm like, bitch, have you not seen your nieces? Nope. That's wild. Yeah. You're in Arizona, not Ibiza. Like it's not hard to get home. Just saying. He just, side note. It's a guy that plays Michael, the same guy that is the love interest in, in her shoes. Sure is. Yes. It is. Okay.

[00:20:42] I thought he looked familiar. Yeah. I love him. He's so adorable. He is. He is. He's precious. I noticed something this time. Like the, when they're walking through town and like the ants see Sandra Bullock and Michael like have a look at each other. A little moment. We hear like little wind chimes and we see like a bunch of leaves fall and the ants like look up.

[00:21:11] So was that encouraging them to put on the love spell is how we're supposed to take it? And I took it. Is that like the way my brain interpreted it is before it was before they saw Michael. So they're talking and Sandra Bullock walks under the tree. So I thought it was just like a representation of her like loneliness or her sadness. Cause like the leaves just start to fall as soon as she passes and then they see Michael. So that's how I took it. And the ants kind of like notice it to be like, oh, our girl's depressed.

[00:21:41] She needs something, but who knows? Yeah. Yeah. I was, I never noticed that part either. I watched it a long time ago. And also in the scene, Stockard Channing is holding the tiniest little parasol. And I was like, I need that parasol in my life. I just love their vibe as they're going through town, like not even looking where they're walking. Like they own this town.

[00:22:08] They do not care what the towns people think about them. Averting their children. Yes. Averting the gaze. Averting their children's eyes. Like they're going to be blinded. Yeah. I just want Stockard Channing's giant hat on my hands at all times. Yeah. And it was like kind of tilted up too. Like, I don't know how she did that. We also see Jillian.

[00:22:37] She has now met Jimmy Angelo. I was waiting for it. And she is just, it's almost like he has a spell of his own and she just can't get out from under it. But also he's a mean drunk. And so she puts, she sprinkles a little belladonna in his tequila to make him pass out so that he doesn't beat her.

[00:23:06] So not the greatest. If you gotta do that, it's time to let homie go. Yeah. That's so scary. Yeah. And then one night Sally hears the dreaded Death Watch beetle. She's, Michael is going and delivering his fruits. The series of events that happen in Michael's passing are, we couldn't have come up with something better.

[00:23:37] Like, so it is a gang of bicyclists that start coming through town as Michael is taking his fruit across the street and he's like momentarily distracted because like someone's talking to him. And then all of the bicycles avoid him and you're like, cool, Michael's good. And then he gets hit by a Mack truck. But it's so beautifully shot with the apples in the air.

[00:24:06] And like the crates dramatically falling and breaking. Yeah. And it cuts to Sandra Bullock, like ripping the floorboards. And then she knows. And she senses it. That part always makes me sad. I'm just like, why? I was like, move on. Let's get Aiden Quinn out from here. I did cry on my rewatch of this. Like two times. I did. I mean, she is just, she's destroyed, obviously.

[00:24:35] Like they were happy. They had everything she ever wanted. And it was all taken away from her because of the curse. So she goes to live with the aunties and she's like, absolutely under no circumstances will we be having cake for breakfast? And you better not teach them any witchcraft. No fun, mom. Yeah. And this is where she finds out that it was a love spell.

[00:25:03] So she's even more heartbroken and like not trusting the aunts as much anymore. Oh, the scene where she's asking them to help bring him back. I think this time it made me really sad because it parallels that scene with the Sally and Jillian like watching from the stairs. Like the townswomen come in like loved craze, like asking them for help. Yes.

[00:25:32] And that's when she cast the spell because she's like, I don't ever want to be in this situation. Like I don't ever want to be that desperate. Yeah. Happened to her anyway. I just want to know if when the girls originally, when Sally and Jillian came to her aunt, they were wearing the Wednesday Adams like clothes. Does she have her kids wearing the same thing when they come? I took it as because they were in mourning. Yeah. Like it was just because they were all wearing black.

[00:26:02] Like even she was in like a black. Yeah. Outfit. Like that they were just like in mourning. That's a good point because I was like, what, what is with these outfits? Again? It's tradition. When you go live with the odds, you have to wear these outfits. We got a dress code up in here. Gotta lick the part. And her, the daughter's ages are switched in, in the movie. Cause in the books, one of, what is her name? Angelique? I don't know. I'm saying I'm making up stuff, but it starts today. Yes.

[00:26:32] Yeah. She is supposed to be older in the book, but they switch it. I wonder if like when they were casting the girls, they just really liked Rachel Evanwood and was like, because maybe she could pull up the red hair instead of the black hair. They were like, we'll just switch the. Yeah. Yeah. Ages. I, I read the book and I, I liked the change to have them a bit younger. Oh, okay. Was it different that they were like teenagers went in? Yeah.

[00:27:02] Like one of them has, I mean, there's a, like a few differences. Like they don't go live with the aunts in the book. Like they stay in the suburbs. Like there's a lot more between the sisters, like after their dad's death, like they have a lot of their own plot lines. And like one of them works at a fast food shop. And like, eventually there's like a plot line where she gets like Jillian a job there. Like, but it's a bit different.

[00:27:28] So I think I liked the simplification of like keeping them as like cute, like helpful, but like minor characters. Yeah. That's something we can explore in the second one. Yes, definitely. She's just depressed in morning. Doesn't want to get out of bed. The girls are trying their best to get her out. But then she has that sisterly connection with Jillian. And Jillian is partying it up in Arizona. Yeah.

[00:27:53] But I'm hoping it's like wintertime because let me tell you that Arizona, he ain't no joke in the summer. But she's by the pool having the time of her life dancing. But she does come home. It seems like only for a day to check on Sally. And then she's, it looks like she's there in a jiffy. Yeah. But to stay for one day from Arizona is kind of insane. Yeah. And then to drive back.

[00:28:24] Crazy. Yeah. And then that time, like the girls didn't see her. Like, how did she? Yeah. She's just upstairs the whole time and the girls didn't see her. And then she left. Yeah. Yeah. I don't know. That was weird too. I totally forgot. Yeah. But I will say good for Jillian for telling Sally, like, hey, you need to like get it together for those girls. You know, like I'm glad it snapped her out of it. It feels like Sally, your girls, they need you. Yeah.

[00:28:54] So I am glad she got that back. That made me cry. I think when she was stroking her hair. Yeah. And she, and Sally just says like, I was happy. Oh. I know. That got me this time. But yeah. Like when she says like, do you forgive our mother? She follows that up with like, well, you'll never forgive yourself if you don't get up and live your life.

[00:29:17] I just feel so bad because, you know, when a spouse dies and you have kids, it's like that parent doesn't even get to mourn properly because everyone's telling them they have to be good for the kids. I'd be like, fuck them kids. I'm my husband. I'm suffering here.

[00:29:40] And that they show Sally because her and Michael's dream was to open like a botanical store. And so that dream is eventually realized. And so she opens up Verbana and she sells like shampoos and conditioners and lotions. And so she's getting back to like a routine and getting out in the world.

[00:30:06] It reminds me of the store that David has in Schitt's Creek. The apothecary. The apothecary. Yes. The apothecary, which is my background. Not from the movie, but an apothecary. Yeah. Also, when they're showing like the little main street where Verbana is, there are children just out playing in the streets. I'm like, these streets are dangerous. There are bikers and there are trucks that will kill you.

[00:30:37] We're playing ball on the street, children. It's a hazard. And we meet the ladies that work with her in her shop. And I was like, I know both those ladies. The lady with the crazy hair. That's Monica from Shameless. Oh my God. Yes. The worst mother ever. I was like, I know that voice because she has a very distinctive voice. I'm like, that's Monica.

[00:31:07] And then the other lady is from Dexter. She plays Camilla who helped raise Dexter. Oh, with the lemon meringue pie. Yes. Yep. Yeah. Your actress, Marco Martindale. Yes. Did you guys watch Bojack Horseman? No. She plays like as herself, but she's always character actress, Marco Martindale. I love it.

[00:31:34] And so she, so she has her like little tribe at the, the shop and then her aunties and her girls at home. And at some point the kids start teasing the girls and calling them which and in front of the store. And the girls start to points and tells them, I hope you get chicken pox. Chicken pox. And her mom's like, it's real serious business. Don't be playing with that. I love how Sally was like, you put that finger down.

[00:32:05] I do appreciate that later on in the movie, the kid does have chicken pox. Yes. So she has the power. Yeah. I was curious of what the girls powers were. I also was confused. Like, do people, do people in their family have different types of powers? I, or just the craft comes not more natural or harder. Is somebody better at spells? Yeah. Is somebody better at herbs? Like I really wanted to know more about like. Yeah.

[00:32:36] It felt like it was all equal. Jillian just was younger than Sally. And so Jillian hadn't mastered like blowing a candle on. Yeah. I don't know. It also seems like Sally was more studious. Yeah. She was more into like learning spells and practicing. And Jillian just kind of wanted to have fun. Yeah. Yeah. She was using it for different ways.

[00:33:01] Like, I feel like it, I feel like they, it came to them both naturally, but they just kept saying that Jillian was more, or now I'm confusing. Sally was more confused, more skilled. Yeah. Yeah. I think it's because she listened and practiced. Because even later on, Jillian is like, I wish I had just half of the, you know, strength that you do and you have so much potential. And it's like, I wanted to see more of that. Right. What is it?

[00:33:30] All I see her is stirring coffee a lot. Yeah. Just stirring her little. It does evolve into her blowing a candle on. Yeah. Yes. Yes. That very much impresses the audience and her children. Yeah. We see the girls asking the older aunties about their mom and they're kind of giving some

[00:33:54] things, but then Sally walks in and she's like, don't tell them any of that witchcraft nonsense to which they reply. We'd never tell them nonsense. Nonsense. Yes. But then Sally notices there's a circle around the moon, which is a sign of trouble. I've never seen a circle around the moon before. So I was like, this is new. And then she also like throws out there that she just wants someone to love her, which I'm

[00:34:24] like, aren't you still in mourning of Michael? I know time has passed because you've opened your shop, but still like, it felt like they were so in love. I think. Yeah. I don't know. I don't know. Well, I think she questions if it was real. Yeah. Yeah. So I think she, what she's, what she means is she wants someone to just love her for her and not because of magic.

[00:34:51] I think that's why she hesitates when Gary comes and she finds out it's because of her spell. She's like, this shit again. Like, I did it to myself. I would be like, line it up. I am tired. It is weird how like the thread of the movie is like, I just want to be in love or I just want to like have someone to love when she's so very adamant that she doesn't want to be

[00:35:21] loved. I just thought that was funny. Like, she's just yearning. I honestly could have gone without the male situation. I very much love the sisterhood of it. I love the family elements. Like, it could have just been a movie about my husband died and I'm about figuring out what I want to do next. You know, without this forced, I'm in love with this man after two days nonsense. Right.

[00:35:49] Was that a studio note? I don't know. That they pushed romance more? Probably. I'm trying to remember from the book if that was a plot line. I feel like anytime there's a female led movie, there always has to be some sort of romance and it doesn't really have to be that way. No. But, you know, it was the 90s.

[00:36:16] Not like they're not doing that shit still now, but what ifs? They're like, Sandra Bullock. Gotta sell this as a rom-com. Right. Sally's looking at the moon. The phone rings and she's like, it's Jillian. Like, she knows she's in trouble. So she runs, answers the phone, and she doesn't even, like, say hello. She's like, what's wrong? And so Jimmy has beaten Jillian one too many times and she gave him a bunch of belladonna

[00:36:44] to knock him out and Sally needs to come get her. But, like, she has to get on a plane, like, find a flight, get on a plane. I'm sure there's no airports around Maria's Island. Like, I'm sure it took some time. Like, does she keep just, like, here, drink too? Yeah, she was still with him. Yeah. Like, just leave. And he wasn't in the room at the time. He was, like, in the car. So, like, are you going out to make sure he's still dosed?

[00:37:14] Yeah. Like, or just go to the clerk and enchant him into giving you another room where Jimmy doesn't know where you are if you can't get anywhere else. I think it would have made more sense if she came home and he followed her. Yeah. And then they would have to, like, fight him off kind of thing because this going across the country shit just didn't make any logical sense.

[00:37:43] And then, again, you're driving. How long does it take to get from Arizona to, where are they? Maine? New England somewhere. She gets a plane. Now she's there. Mm-hmm. And she's looking for what was the stone tiger's eye? My tiger's eye. Girl, get your ass in this car. Yeah. I'll stop at the gem store down the street. We're in Arizona. And I'll buy you a new tiger's eye.

[00:38:13] Bitch, we're fucking witches. Let's go. But no. She has to get the tiger's eye. And, oh, Jimmy's in the car. And now he's holding you hostage. Did he have a knife? A gun? Just his hands? I think he has a gun. Yeah. Or no, a knife. Can't sound there for sure. Like on her neck. Yeah. And so Sally's forced to drive. I don't know where they're driving to.

[00:38:44] Halfway to their house, I guess. I don't know. And then he's like telling some stupid ass story. And he's lighting his ring because he's trying to brand her. Like, what year are we in? Like, what is this? I'm not a cow. Like, what are you branding me for? Yeah. And so the scene where Jillian astral projects. I don't know what the fuck's going on. It was a grade A eye acting.

[00:39:14] Jennifer Love Hewitt in. I can't. I know what you did last summer. She's driving. She's looking. And then all of a sudden, Nicole Kidman's face just gets real close to the camera. And she's like, get the belladonna. It's in the back seat. Like, what is happening? Magic. That's her power. Yeah. That is a cool power to have.

[00:39:44] And the way that Sally does the kind of like convinces old dude to give her his beer or whatever the fuck he's drinking on. Oh, is that what it was? Okay. That was that was pretty smart. Yeah. But she put the whole damn thing in there. Wasn't paying attention. And he's dead. And then they put his body in the back and in the trunk and drive to their aunt's house. Okay. I don't know where the aunts were. They are stopped. Yeah.

[00:40:13] On the side of the road in front of a factory of some sort. It seems very remote. I would like just push the body out and keep going. Like or even before that he was outside of the vehicle for several minutes. He had the keys though. Yeah. He was flipping around. I didn't know that. Okay. I would have gone back to the location, got my keys and got my car and got the hell out. Yeah.

[00:40:44] Let him just he fell asleep with his liquor. Yeah. That's none of my business. But that tequila right there. They're not going to question anything because he's obviously a drunk and he's wanted for strangling people in the past. So. Right. Good riddance. And I would have done a spell to say, let me not get caught for killing this dude. Yeah. Jedi mind trick everyone. But no, they drive him back to their aunt's house. Get him on the wonderful dining table.

[00:41:13] Get the magic books and spell. Take whipped cream to put a star on him to do this spell because it's come into Jillian's mind that, hey, the aunts didn't say that we couldn't bring someone back to life. They just wouldn't. So let's try to do that because at least if he's a breathing and his heart is beating, we won't get go down for this situation. And the aunties had told Sally, like, they come back as something dark and unnatural.

[00:41:41] And Jillian's like, he's already dark and unnatural. He's fine. No, it's not fine. When you try to bring someone back. Nope. And he, as soon as he does come back, this bitch is trying to kill Jillian again. Yeah. So Sally kills him with a cast iron pan. She double taps him with a cast iron pan.

[00:42:07] But my question is, was the spell never fully executed? Executed because they didn't put, they didn't needle him in the eye? Yeah. You might be right. Right. Which is why he was like this weird toady spirit man. Yeah. It made me laugh though, when he like gets up and he's like choking Jillian and he's like screaming about like, you're going to be my wife, my wife. And he sounded like Borat. He's like, my wife. It did sound like Borat.

[00:42:40] Two clips that give off the same energy. Yeah. Yeah. It was very Borat vibes. So then they bury him in the, in the yard. As you do. There's an ocean right there. That's true. Like he got drunk and fell and hit his head because he has a head wound now. And he ended up in the ocean. Mmm. Sorry. So sad. Listeners. I don't want you to think Jackie and I are just really good at coming up with ways to murder people.

[00:43:08] It's just, we watch a lot of TV. We do. Yeah. And we like a backstory, a fully fleshed out backstory. Yeah. A hundred percent. So they bury him. And I guess the aunts come back with the girls because they took them, took them to the solstice. Yeah. Event. Event. Yeah. Which would also be like a fun thing to see in a sequel. Like this kind of expanded, like. Yeah. Just like more about what they do.

[00:43:36] I do like that when the aunts were taking the girls and Sandra Bull was like, don't let them dance naked under the full moon. And they were like, oh honey, that's optional. But then when the girls come back, they're like, we dance naked under the moon. I love how the aunts are just like, you can tell me not to do things. Right. But. But I'm not going to listen. You're like. Pretty much. I'm not 250 years old. Like I do what I want.

[00:44:05] And when the girls come back. No. I think then that's when we have midnight margaritas. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Well, it's phone tree day first. Oh, that's right. Yeah. Those women are a bunch of haters. And I don't know why she wants to fit in with them anyways. Tired ass, rompy ass bitches. Yeah. But Jillian shows up and changes all the names on like, because I guess they vote on the phone tree.

[00:44:34] And she puts Sally at the top of the list. So Sally is the head of the phone tree, much to the chagrin of the coastal women who lunch. Yeah. I like how they're scandalized by like Jillian's like midriff, like her crop top and her leather pants. And they're just like, whoa. She has a snake tattoo. She has a snake tattoo. And she totally feeds into it. She's like, watch your husbands. Watch out.

[00:45:05] Now it's midnight margaritas. So Sally is already asleep. She's a mom. She gets up early. She goes bed early. But Jillian wakes her up and the ants are downstairs. And you can hear them playing, put the lime in the coconut. And so they run downstairs like, bitch, it's midnight margarita time. And this scene is so fun.

[00:45:30] And I love that according to Sandra Bullock on the DVD commentary, they were all actually drunk and slinging the insults because they all drank some really bad tequila brought in by Nicole Kidman. I love method acting. When did midnight margaritas start? So these are young girls with the aunts.

[00:45:58] I think the aunts were, they were always doing it. And then when the girls got old enough, they partaked. Was it a nightly thing? Is it a special occasion? Looks like special occasion. Yeah. But I love the way that that scene is set up. Yeah. Where they're like putting this stuff and then it zooms out and it shows it's a blender. A blender? Yeah. And they're turning it on. I like how they knew the girls would come down. Because like as soon as they come down, like the aunts have their drinks. Yes.

[00:46:28] Ready for them to just like grab. They can dance. I don't know. I just, yeah, that scene is wonderful. It's my favorite. But in this scene, they realize that something is wrong because they're all insulting each other. And like there's kind of like a darkness about it. And so as soon as Jillian realizes, she takes the bottle and throws it in the sink. Which I don't understand. Like you could have just poured it out. Why did they break the glass?

[00:46:55] They break a lot of glass in this movie and they clean it up in the weirdest ways. Well, the aunts were singing that song. Yeah. And associated with Jimmy. Yes. And that's when they realized. Yeah. Yeah. That's when they realized. It was like, where did you get this bottle? And then the aunts are like, someone left it on the porch. And then they're like, we don't, what's going on? So they give the girls a chance.

[00:47:22] Well, I say girls, but these grown ass women, a chance to tell them what the hell is going on. And they don't. And shit starts to go right. And so the aunts are like, we got to leave. They got to figure this shit out. But what I don't understand is they say they got to leave. The girls have to learn this lesson on their own, but they still come back to help them in the end. So it's just like, what, what was the point? Because they realized the girls could not do this on their own. Yeah. I think, didn't they think it was over at that point? I think so. I think you're right.

[00:47:51] Because Stephen, they say something like, oh, I think our timing is off. Our timing was off because that's when like, we'll get to it. Yeah. Yeah. And then those poor, the other girls, Sally's girls, they have to wear that, like, the rope from the hanging to protect them. So like, why would the rope protect them? Maybe because it was like magical. Like, obviously she didn't die from it. So it's like a protection thing. So maybe that's why.

[00:48:21] Yeah. But, and then the next day, they notice that there's a rose bush that's magically grown where Jimmy's buried. And there's an influx of frogs. Yes. And one of the daughters notices, like, she can literally see Jimmy, which might be one of her guests that maybe she could see the dead. I don't know. Or maybe because they have the protection thing, it shows it to her. So she knows not to go out there.

[00:48:50] And she's like, wait, where'd you get that rope? She's like, the aunts left it, gave it to us, told us to wear it because they out. They, they're gone. So now they're panicked. And then on top of that, they realize like somebody's coming. I think that happened when the aunts were there because the broom fell. So they know someone is coming. And that's when the aunts were like, yeah, we're getting the fuck out of Dodge. And when do they meet Gary? Does he come over? Yeah. So Gary shows up.

[00:49:21] He's working a case. He came in from Arizona. And essentially he's looking for Jimmy because he's wanted for the murder of this lady. Essentially he's like a serial killer and his mark is branding the ladies with his ring. And they're trying to lie and say like, oh, we left Jimmy in Arizona. We don't know where he is. And he's like, his fucking car is in your driveway. Ladies.

[00:49:49] But, but we also learned that Sally cannot like, does not want to lie to him. So, you know, Jillian's like, bitch, get it together. Here's the story. Stick to the story. And Sally's like, got it. Goes back downstairs. She's like, I'm going to be here. No self-preservation. No. And then in second grade, I did, you know, like she is telling all her secrets. She can't even help it at this point.

[00:50:15] He is like side-eyeing all of it. But at the same time, he has this thing where he's like trying to protect Sally. So he's like, don't, stop telling me things. Right. I do love that Jillian tries to use her feminine wiles. Yeah. When she comes downstairs. And he's like, can you stop touching me? Can you get off of me? Like, I'm not falling back. Yeah. I'm not falling for this shit. I actually dig your sister. Just saying.

[00:50:42] And then he does go out to the car and is like inspecting it. And there's a little sprinkle of Belladonna like stuck in the crack of the seat. So he scoops that out. So now we know he's looking for, he knows about the ring. So that's going to tie back to Jimmy. And he tests the Belladonna. He's like, oh, this is. And they're like, oh, it's something to help you sleep. He's like, or it's poison.

[00:51:11] That little thing. So they're trying to handle. What's his name? Gary. Gary. And he goes around the town and he's like interviewing people about her, the family. And that's when you see all the tales come out. Yes. And she's like secretly stalking him as he does it. So it's just super weird. Their cat mouse situation is odd. I love the scene where he's like in the greenhouse.

[00:51:40] And the way she like leans to look at him in the doorway. I was like, you're going to fall over at some point. Just say hello. I did a whole video on how Sandra Bullock loves to lean, especially on the covers of her movies. That is true. She does love a good lean. Just saying. Not sure why. Go ahead.

[00:52:06] No, I was just going to say, but pretty much in between all of this, Sally, Jillian starts acting really fucking weird and possessed. And, you know, Sally is just trying to figure out why she's like having an obsession with this man. Yeah. And Jillian tries to, well, she makes a concoction to like banish him away. But he's coming over. So they're going to make pancakes. Yeah.

[00:52:34] But the girls find Sally's journal and find like the list of things her, her true love will have. And they see him flipping pancakes and he's good at it. And they're like, no, no, no, no. This is mom's man. And they like take the syrup and throw it into the sea. Yeah. And they're asking him like, can you ride a pony backwards? And he's like backwards and forwards and all sorts of stuff. And they find his badge and they're like, oh my God, this is the guy.

[00:53:04] He, you know, loves a star. And she does talk to him about his badge being like a talisman, which comes into play later. And right in the midst of this, because she doesn't know that our sister is like concocting this thing to, you know, banish him. And then that creepy frog just spits up the guy's fucking ring. And even then he doesn't arrest these people. So even then he's like, or get a warrant to search the house or whatever.

[00:53:32] So he leaves, but he's suspicious. And then Jillian starts to lose her fucking shit. No, Sally goes, she's like, they get in a fight and she's like, I'm gonna go get my man because I gotta tell him the truth. She goes to his hotel to tell him the truth. And he's recording her and she's like, not telling all the truth. And then when she finally does, he's like, let me stop the tape. And then they just start making out. Yeah.

[00:53:59] I wish if they were going to do the whole like, like faded mates thing, like play into that a little bit more. Like I wish we would have had more, like more, more threads to kind of get us to that point. So when it is just like, oh my God, and they're making out, like you feel like you care about it. Like I remember when I was younger watching this and then now just like, I don't really care about this. Because it was just so like, oh my God, we're in love with each other.

[00:54:27] And at one point he does say, like, I wished for you too, because she tells him, I cast a spell for you. And he goes, well, I wished for you too. I wish it would have been like, he has his little like journal from when he was. Yeah. And it had a list of traits that she had, like a little girl, two little girls with red and brown hair. Like just something where it's like, oh yeah, this is like true love.

[00:54:56] It's not just because of the spell or we are equally spellbound to this. Right. Yeah. I wish they would have done more to connect the two. Yeah. But he does, he has a letter that Sally had written to Jillian and like poured her heart out about how she was feeling and stuff like that. And so Sally does ask him like, that letter has nothing to do with Jimmy. Like, how many times have you read that?

[00:55:23] Like, I get that the return address is what brought you to our house. But like, why have you, how many times have you read that letter? Like, it looks like a shit ton. And he's like, yeah, at least a thousand. And then she's like, so like, that's the only inkling that like he's into her as well, in my opinion. That and just like not arresting her. Right. Well, and the make out session. Well, yeah.

[00:55:51] And then we go into full blown, full blown make out. And I think, I don't know if it's after the scene or not, where she kind of tells him, I don't know when she figures out that this is the man from, oh, as they're making out, she realizes he has one brown eye, one blue eye. And then she says that out loud. And she's like, I'm out. Because she realizes it's from the spell that she cast. And when she goes home, because as she's walking home, she realizes that Jillian is in trouble.

[00:56:20] She can hear her girls and she can hear Jillian. So she runs home. Jillian is in a bad way. Yeah. In her twin bed. Like, fuck up. Exorcist style. Right. She's levitating. It's not good. So she goes to try to help her sister. And old boy must have followed her because he's there too. And that's when he sees Jimmy come out. And he is like, what the fuck is going on?

[00:56:51] I don't know if this was, like, intentional or if I just, like, put something out there. But I think part of her wish was, like, he can hear my beck and call from a mile away or, like, something. So I think, if I remember, when she's, like, running towards the house because she's worried about Jillian, it cuts to him really quickly. And he kind of makes a face like something is wrong. So I don't know if that was insinuating that that's the, like, the bond that they have.

[00:57:20] And then he decided to follow her. That's so true. So he sees Jimmy come out of Jillian's body. And for some reason, instead of attacking Sally, who killed him, he goes and attacks the cop. But I think they, he knows the cop has been. They seem to have history. He, like, knows my name. Yeah, I think he's been following him for a long time trying to get him on this case.

[00:57:43] And so he literally, like, tried to put his hand in his chest and his fucking sheriff badge or whatever the hell that is. It's straight out Raiders of the Lost Ark style. He's gonna say, like, the mummy when he sees the cat. Yeah. The cat Bjork. Bjorn. Which one is it? Bjorn. Bjorn. Bjorn. Yeah. So he's totally freaked out. The spirit we think leaves because of his shield.

[00:58:14] They have a conversation because she explains to him, like, oh my god, we're not really meant to be. I cast a spell a long time ago when I was a kid. And so, like, she's pretty much telling him this isn't gonna work. Because either you're gonna, I'm gonna feel like you stayed because of the spell. And you're gonna think that I'm with you because I don't want to go to jail. So she tells him to go about his business. And then he turns around and says, well, I wish for you too. What? Yeah. That's sweet. But also what?

[00:58:43] What you mean you wish for me? How? Maybe he rides a pony backwards. Maybe he has magic too. Maybe. So he leaves. We all have. Yes. Yes, we do, Stephanie. We all have magic. I just wish I had stronger magic and more vengeful magic. Yeah. So he leaves. And then we realize that Jillian is still fucking haunted with this. Because he does something really creepy. Let me tell you something.

[00:59:12] If my sister licked my face and tried to grope my breasts, I would be disgusted. For real. And yelled, yeehaw at you? Yeah. No. No. Get out, demon. She, like, throws her against the wall. Yes. So now poor Jillian's tied up on the recliner. Because the aunts came back just at this moment. Yep.

[00:59:40] And they say, like, they're going to try and do a banishing spell. But they need a full coven of nine or twelve. And so Sally's like, I know people. And gets out her phone tree. I'm surprised they came. But it seems like it was the curiosity of, like, And that's usually why people make fun of other people. They're scared because it's just so different. But also there's, like, secretly curious about what the hell's going on. Yeah.

[01:00:09] So I'd say definitely the curiosity. But also, like, when she calls that girl right below her on the phone tree who's, like, in charge of getting everyone else. She's talking about how Jillian had this bad boyfriend. And I just feel like it's that sisterhood thing of, like, we can all relate to what that means. Yes. And, like, we will come together for someone dealing with, like, guy problems. Yeah. Very, very true. True.

[01:00:35] I, the biggest issue I had was the one lady that came with a little mini. And she's like, this is all I had. And I was like, bitch, who's cleaning your house? But also, yeah, like, because when they, like, lock together. Yeah. She's not in that scene. You can't do that. No. The little vacuum isn't there either. Did they send her home? They're like, take a vacuum and go home. Like, get out. I think she was still there.

[01:01:03] I thought she was in the scene, but they just gave her a broom. Mm. I, I, that's what I said in my, my head. But I didn't see her afterwards. I don't know. Well, and one of the ladies, when she shows up, like, the one whose kid now has chicken pox. She's, like, the ringleader of the, like, mean girls. Mm-hmm. And they're like, we didn't even expect you to come. And she's like, I just wanted to see the inside of your house. Yeah. She was like, I've always wanted to see the inside of your house.

[01:01:32] You know that. She says that. Yeah. And, and she's like, Sally looked like, no the fuck I didn't, bitch. But we ain't got time. No, you were too busy calling me a bitch when I was a little girl. Right. So they do this spell and Jillian is writhing on the floor. This fucking beast won't come out. Mm-hmm. And then Sally is scared that Jillian's not gonna make it. And at some point, Sally lays on the floor with Jillian. And she, Jillian's like, just let me go.

[01:02:02] Let me die. Once I die, this guy goes. Sally's like, I'm not fucking letting you die. We're supposed to die together at the same time. So, bitch, you better get up. And that's when she decides, oh, I know what to do. I'll cut my motherfucking hand again. And we'll be blood sisters. I'll bore you with the tequila. Yes. Right. Laura, the man with the tequila. She gets in the circle with Jillian and we learn the power of sisterhood will save us all. Yes. I don't have a sister.

[01:02:31] So, I was really curious how y'all felt about that. Just like the whole, like, the two sisters and their bond and how they would do everything for each other. Like, how, like, if it impacted y'all. I know both of you have sisters. Stephanie, I don't know if you have a sister. I do. Yeah. Okay. So, I'm the only one here without a sister. I love my sister to death. I did not think about her once during this movie. Jesus.

[01:02:59] I was thinking when she got, well, like you were saying, when she's possessed originally and she, like, licks her face. I was like, my sister is not a touchy person. Like, if my sister did that, it would just be so many red flags. Rina. Yeah.

[01:03:18] With, like, all my sisters, I feel like I cried a bit during the movie because I do feel a very strong closeness with my sisters. And we have very different relationships with all of them. But, like, the getting in the bed and, like, joking around and snuggling with each other or, like, you know, patting each other's hair or all that stuff. Very.

[01:03:45] And I could see myself just jumping on a plane and all those things. Very. It made it resonate way more with me. I totally felt all the decisions that they were making, even when they were stupid, is ride or die for your sisters. Yeah. So, like, I felt that a lot. I always feel really bad for people who hate their sisters or, like, they don't get along because I feel like having a sister is such a magical thing.

[01:04:13] You know, you get to share, you know, your crazy parent, but, and you have your own little secret language. And I didn't get sisters so much later in life, so I'm very thankful for it. Yeah. Yeah. So, my blood, your blood, our blood, and they blast Jimmy out of Jillian's body. And he turns to ash.

[01:04:43] And then they have to get sweeping. Yes. Sweep his ass out. And then some, something they were boiling on the stove that they have to pour over it. And then we see the, like, grass kind of sink like Jimmy is really. Yeah. Bye, Jimmy. Bye. And so Jimmy's gone. And then we see Sally gets some mail from Arizona, and it's a letter from Gary. And in the envelope is also the ring.

[01:05:13] So the only piece of evidence he has linking Sally and Jillian to the murder, other than the car sitting in their driveway, he mails back to them. So. Not like obstruction. Right? It sure is. None of this shit is legal. Yeah. And then she says to Jillian, like, what would you do, Jillian? And Jillian's like, there's nothing I wouldn't do. Or what wouldn't I do for a good man or for the right man?

[01:05:41] And so then she's like, okay, let me go put on a very spirited dress, ride on a leave and blow it in the wind like Pocahontas, and my man will come around. She's thumbing him. And that he does. Yeah. And then we hear Crystal by the goddess witch herself, Stevie Nicks, start playing. I was wondering why I always associate this movie with her. And I guess I didn't realize that she actually does have a song.

[01:06:10] I just thought this movie was her vibes. Like if you're making a Pinterest board, it's Stevie Nicks for sure. But apparently she headlined the soundtrack. She published advertisements so that she could promote her song, If You Ever Did Believe, which was a new recording of her song, Crystal, which featured Sheryl Crow on backup vocals on the song. And then we also have that Faith Hill song, This Kiss, which was in so many movies during this time. Yeah. So many.

[01:06:41] So, yeah. Yeah. And then they jump off the roof. Yes. It's Halloween. And Sally had said earlier, we only jump off the roof and fly on Halloween. And so we see them all on the roof, the girls included. And they don't have their brooms, which I find weird. They just have umbrellas. And they just like jump off and gently float to the ground. Just like Rory Gilmore. And get more girls.

[01:07:10] I do love that like at the scene she kisses Gary, but like he picks up her daughter and gives her a kiss. So like you could tell they're already like a melded family. Which is super sweet. And they also are wearing socks like the Wicked Witch of the West. Oh, yeah. That's right. Yeah, like the striped socks. Yeah.

[01:07:31] And then did you notice like up until Michael dies, like when Sally is rejecting her powers, her hair is very straight and like long. And then the more she gets back into witchcraft, the more natural and flowy and wavy it becomes. Yeah. I didn't put it together, but I did notice that it's like it gets more like textured and curly. And she's even like styling it differently. Yeah.

[01:08:01] I thought that was really cool. She's getting back to the roots of Maria. She was. I'm just saying. And that is practical magic. I just wanted to do it with you at the same time. Oh, do you want to try it again? We're not very good at being in sync, but we can try. It's all right. The spirit was there. It was. We do have some like fun facts.

[01:08:29] So we all talk about this wonderful house. I was gutted to learn, not for these notes, but earlier that this house does not exist anymore. Because they got rid of this house and the Casper house. It helped me that it doesn't exist. But so while much of the set from California was brought to the location on San Juan Island in the state of Washington,

[01:08:56] it took nearly a year to perfect the image of the house and the interior. The house actually is only a shell with nothing else inside. It was only built for this filming and was torn down after the film. So they're going to build this shit all over again. Yeah. I think they should have built it on the Warner Brothers lot and you should be able to see it. Or like it should be. Well, it's not universal, but like this is something people want to see.

[01:09:23] They build their whole existence around this fucking house. Like people would make pilgrimages to this house. I do love that like Barbara Streisand called them and was like, I want to buy this house. And they're like, sorry. Like this is the house that like we're all going to live in once our husbands die. Like we're all just going to collectively go live there. Oh no, we're going to have the house and the husbands.

[01:09:52] Jackie and I talked about this on another episode. We have a house and the husbands live on the property, but in another house. And they can come over. That's fine. They just visit. And then we just have lots of pets and we do crafts and drink midnight margaritas. Just dramatic shawls. Yes. I love it. I'll have my little greenhouse. Yes. Do you know that the soundtrack, there's like two versions of it.

[01:10:22] So after bad reactions at a test screening, composer Michael Nyman's score was rejected at the last minute. It was called to European sounding and obtrusive. It was replaced with one by Alvin, by Alan Silverstry. I hope Silvestri, Silvestri. The change was made so late that the soundtrack albums had already been pressed. So as a result, the first batch to hit stores all had two suites of themes from Nyman's score.

[01:10:51] And a few weeks later, a new version of the CD with the same ISBN number was made replacing Nyman's tracks with music by Silvestri. I wonder if that's like a coveted item, like if you find a copy of the original score. Probably. Yeah. Because it didn't seem like too many were made.

[01:11:15] And the cast did state in the film's commentary that they felt like supernatural elements of the house started to affect them. Both cast and crew claim they heard supernatural noises while filming the coven scene at the end of the movie. And this is not the first time we've heard this because when we did the craft, they said the same thing happened. So I think because they had so many like talismans and they were using a lot of like real things from a witchcraft standpoint.

[01:11:45] I don't know. They were messing with some shit. I don't know. And as we kind of mentioned in June of this year, it was announced that the sequel was in development. And Bullock and Kimmon are going to return to star and produce the film with D Novi, who was one of the original producers, and Akiva Goldsman, who co-wrote the screenplay for the original. I hope it's a he. They will return to write the script.

[01:12:13] We don't know any specific plots, but we do know that it will be based on Alice Hoffman's 2021 novel, The Book of Magic, the fourth installment of her Practical Magic series. And you know how, sorry, do you want to know how to get a free trip out of the studio? Lie about being able to speak French like Stockard Channing did just so she could get a trip to Paris to record the French dubbing.

[01:12:40] I feel like that's all them for not knowing. Like, can you give us an example, Stockard? How would you guys have felt about a Practical Magic TV show? Like, do you think you would have watched it? I would have if they nailed the whimsic gothic vibe. Yes. Well, we were close to it not once but twice.

[01:13:08] In 2004, Warner Brothers and CBS produced a pilot written by Becky Hartman Edwards and was starring Kim Delaney and your girl. What's her name? Jerry Ryan. Jerry Ryan so much. So she was going to play the Nicole Kidman part, but it didn't get picked up. So then they tried again in 2010 to have an ABC family prequel television series, but it didn't go anywhere.

[01:13:37] Third time's a charm after this sequel. And a little continuity error, the part where Evan Rachel Wood's character says, but daddy had brown eyes wasn't exactly true for the actor who played her father, Mark Feerstein, who has blue eyes. No one will notice. No. Nobody's paying attention. All right, before we get into the ratings, Stephanie, why don't you tell everybody where they can find you on social?

[01:14:06] And your podcast. It's Books in the Freezer podcast, which you can find everywhere that you listen to podcasts. I'm on Instagram and TikTok at Books in the Freezer, on Twitter at Books Freezer Pod, and on Facebook at Facebook.com slash Books in the Freezer. And you guys can check us out at NoMoreLateFees on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube, and Threads. And Stephanie, we will start with you.

[01:14:33] What is your today, present day rating of Practical Magic? It is a would buy, would buy it again rating for me. I, like I said, I watched this when it came out, and I feel like it was kind of forgettable for me at that age, but I was pretty young. I rediscovered this, I want to say in like 2016. And it has escalated to like comfort film. I watch it to transition into fall.

[01:15:01] I feel like it takes place at summer solstice, like, but it's got these witchy vibes. So I feel like it's that perfect, like, end of summer into fall. Like, you get into spooky season. And the sisterhood and the community and, like, costumes, the soundtrack, everything. Perfection. How about you, Laura? Yeah. I think it is still a very strong five-day rental.

[01:15:27] I've always, like, I don't watch it all the time, but I know I'm always fond of it. And it was one of those movies where when it was on TV, my best friend and I, like, we would text each other. Even though we were so far apart, like, I was in a different part of the state. And we would text each other and be like, Practical Magic is on. And we would, like, be watching it together, even though we were apart. So, like, that holds a special place in my heart. Yeah. Because, like, it's just another thing that, like, kept us together. So, yeah. Absolutely. Very strong five-day rental.

[01:15:58] Shout out to Liz. Hey. Shout out to Liz. My honey god. Danielle, what is your present-day rating? I think, similar to Stephanie, I have grown to love it even more. Like, I love Sandra Bullock. So, I'm not really sure why I never bought it when I was younger. Or, like, I wasn't obsessed with it. But now I'm, like, I really like it. And it's funny. One Halloween, I made Serena watch Teen Witch. Aided it. Had a lot of commentary.

[01:16:28] And then I made her watch this one. And she, like, absolutely loved the vibes. So, I think I'm going to stay at a five-day rental. Because I only watch it during the fall. And I don't watch it every year. Like, my sister and I will watch Hocus Pocus every year. We don't watch this one every year. So. Jackie? I am going to agree. Five-day rental. It was a lot of fun.

[01:16:53] If we needed just a fun fall movie, definitely throw it on. And Ken was like, why have Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman never made another movie together? Their chemistry is so good together. Yeah. And it's so believable that they are sisters. And he's just like, I want more of that. Well, I'm really excited for the second movie. Yeah.

[01:17:20] Well, if you have opinions, want to talk about your favorite scenes of Practical Magic, hit us up at our quick drop. 909-601-NMLF. Tweet us at the Twitter. Tweet us at the threads. And you can be featured on a future episode. Laura, Stephanie, thank you so much for joining us and going through this movie with us. We had so much fun. We hope you guys enjoyed it. Hope you come back, all of you. Thank you.

[01:17:45] Yeah, thank you for just reigniting my love for this movie. I appreciate it. And as always, happy fall and be kind and rewound.