Bewitched (2005) Columbia/Comedy RT: 102 minutes Rated PG-13 (some language, sex and drug references, partial nudity) Director: Nora Ephron Screenplay: Nora Ephron and Delia Ephron Music: George Fenton Cinematography: John Lindley Release date: June 24, 2005 (US) Cast: Nicole Kidman, Will Ferrell, Shirley MacLaine, Michael Caine, Jason Schwartzman, Kristin Chenoweth, Heather Burns, Jim Turner, Stephen Colbert, David Alan Grier, Michael Badalucco, Katie Finneran, Carole Shelley, Steve Carrell, Amy Sedaris, Richard Kind. Box Office: $63.3M (US)/$131.4M (World)
Rating: * ½
When I was growing up, the sitcom Bewitched was one of the most popular shows in syndication. In those early years, I must have watched a few episodes, but I couldn’t tell you which ones. It was only this year that I finally watched the show, all eight seasons. It’s a funny show despite a few things like the tendency to recycle scripts in later seasons and Darrin’s inability to learn not to piss off his mother-in-law Endora lest she put another spell on him. As for the whole Darrin debate, let’s just say I’m on Team 1 (Dick York). However, I’ll take Darrin 2 (Dick Sargent) over Will Ferrell any day.
The SNL funny man actually plays Jack Wyatt, an out-of-work actor cast as Darrin Stephens on a reboot of the classic sitcom in Bewitched, a film adaptation that gets credit for trying to do something different. It’s too bad it doesn’t work. Directed and co-written by Nora Ephron (Sleepless in Seattle), it’s NOT a direct adaptation of the Sol Saks sitcom about a young, attractive witch married to a mortal man. Instead, it’s a rom-com set around a new version of Bewitched, one that will focus on Darrin as per the demands of Jack Wyatt, an egotistical movie star looking to fix his career after his last film bombed big. His demands include, among other things, an unknown actress cast in the role of Samantha. What is it Oscar Wilde said about wishing for things?
Isabel Bigelow (Kidman, Moulin Rouge) is looking to start a new life away from her father Nigel (Caine, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) and a life of privilege, magically speaking. You see, Isabel is a witch; a real broom-riding, house-haunting, cauldron-stirring witch. She longs to live a normal life without magic, so she moves to L.A. to pursue her dream. Isabel first encounters Jack while browsing the shelves at a bookstore. When he spots her twitching her nose, he knows he’s found his Samantha. He convinces her to take the role without knowing she’s more ideally suited for the part than he realizes.
Isabel soon learns what her co-star really had in mind when Jack asked her to be on the show. He wants the spotlight to himself. This means not giving her any lines and upstaging her at every opportunity. Naturally, she’s furious and decides to deal with him the best way she knows how, a love spell concocted by batty Aunt Clara (Shelley, The Odd Couple). It works, perhaps a little too well.
I saw Bewitched when it first came out in ’05 and hated it. At that point, I was only familiar with the original series. I knew the premise and major characters, that’s about it. When I finished watching the entire series this past week, I decided to give the movie version another go. I still don’t like it, but I’m willing to concede it has a few good points. It’s too bad Ephron doesn’t know what to do with them. Take Shirley MacLaine (Terms of Endearment). She plays Iris Smythson, the diva actress hired to play Endora. I can’t think of more perfect casting for the troublemaking mother-in-law. Sadly, she goes WAY underused, a crime that continues even after it’s revealed Iris is a witch too. Caine is similarly wasted as Isabel’s intrusive father who falls for Iris.
It’s no secret I’m not one of Ferrell’s biggest fans. Although I’ve liked him in a handful of movies, I really don’t get his appeal. He always seems to playing the same basic character, a buffoon with a too-high opinion of himself. Look at his characters in the Anchorman movies, Talladega Nights, Semi-Pro and Land of the Lost. They’re all pretty much the same. He does the exact same thing in Bewitched. It proves he’s the last person that should play Darrin. It would be a grievous bit of miscasting. I guess it’s good he’s playing a character one step removed from Darrin. As for what Ferrell actually does, it’s not a bad performance per se; it’s just in the wrong movie. It feels like Jack Wyatt belongs in a different movie which brings me to my next point.
At times, it feels like Bewitched is onto something with the idea of a rebooted Bewitched, but it never quite gets there. Am I the only one that sees satire potential here? A lot of fun could be had with the trend for Hollywood to remake/reboot everything. Sadly, Ephron downplays the satirical aspects in favor of lame-brained comedy involving magic spells and Ferrell acting (is he acting?) like an ass.
As I watched Bewitched, I couldn’t help but notice a resemblance between Elizabeth Montgomery and Nicole Kidman. I think she’d make a good Samantha Stephens. As for her performance in Bewitched, it’s nice to see her relaxed after intense roles in more serious films like The Others, The Hours and Cold Mountain. We won’t talk about the Stepford Wives remake. Kidman has a gift for comedy. It’s a crying shame the rest of the movie fails her. I also like Steve Carell (Anchorman) as Uncle Arthur. He does an uncannily great impression of Paul Lynde.
Here’s the bottom line about Bewitched. It’s composed of a few good parts that unfortunately don’t gel. Had it been more of a show biz satire, Jason Schwartzman’s (Rushmore) sycophantic agent would have been a great fit. As it is, it’s just not a good movie. It’s mostly unfunny and always frustrating. This movie’s misguidedness is especially disappointing given the talented filmmaker at the helm. The late Ms. Ephron’s resume includes the underappreciated This Is My Life (see it if you haven’t already), Sleepless in Seattle, You’ve Got Mail and her swan song Julie & Julia. I’d also include Mixed Nuts, a comedy I watch religiously at Christmas every year. She really dropped the ball with Bewitched thus proving even a different slant on old material won’t necessarily help.
