Editing Practical Magic (section)

===Critical reception===
''Practical Magic'' received negative reviews from critics upon release,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Galuppo |first=Mia |date=June 10, 2024 |title=Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman Returning for 'Practical Magic' Sequel |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/practical-magic-sequel-sandra-bullock-nicole-kidman-1235918619/ |access-date=November 4, 2024 |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Nateras |first=Jose |date=November 1, 2021 |title=Does Practical Magic hold up? 'Tis the season to find out |url=https://www.avclub.com/does-practical-magic-hold-up-tis-the-season-to-find-o-1847963517 |access-date=November 4, 2024 |work=[[The A.V. Club]]}}</ref> who panned its inconsistent tone and script.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Framke |first=Caroline |author-link=Caroline Framke |date=October 31, 2016 |title=The flawed but fun Practical Magic is the Thelma and Louise of witch movies |url=https://www.vox.com/2015/10/31/9647652/practical-magic-review-witches |access-date=November 4, 2024 |work=[[Vox (website)|Vox]] |quote=The scattered script (written by Akiva Goldsman, Robin Swicord, and Adam Brooks) and constantly changing tenor are why Practical Magic received such negative reviews upon its 1998 release.}}</ref> The [[review aggregator]] [[Rotten Tomatoes]] reported an approval rating of 26%, with an average score of 4.8/10, based on 101 reviews. The site's consensus states: "''Practical Magic''{{'}}s jarring tonal shifts sink what little potential its offbeat story may have{{snd}}though Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock's chemistry makes a strong argument for future collaborations."<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/practical_magic | title = Practical Magic | work = [[Rotten Tomatoes]] | publisher = [[Fandango Media|Fandango]] | access-date = December 29, 2024 | archive-date = 11 October 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231011205927/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/practical_magic | url-status = live }}</ref> Another review aggregator, [[Metacritic]], which assigns a [[weighted average]], gives a score of 46 out of 100 reviews based on reviews from 22 critics, indicating <!-- Cited terminology, please do not change! -->"mixed or average reviews".<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.metacritic.com/movie/practical-magic | title = Practical Magic | publisher = [[CBS Interactive]] | work = [[Metacritic]] | access-date = December 4, 2012 | archive-date = May 29, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230529054623/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/practical-magic | url-status = live }}</ref> Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of 'B-' on an A+ to F scale.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Practical Magic |url=https://www.cinemascore.com/ |access-date=2022-09-20 |website=CinemaScore |language=en-US |archive-date=1999-11-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991127210934/https://www.cinemascore.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Owen Gleiberman]] of ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' gave ''Practical Magic'' a negative review, calling it "a witch comedy so slapdash, plodding, and muddled it seems to have had a hex put on it."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/1998/10/16/practical-magic/|last=Gleiberman|first=Owen|title=Practical Magic Review|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|date=October 16, 1998|access-date=December 4, 2012|url-status=live|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120112150837/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,63751,00.html|archive-date=January 12, 2012}}</ref> [[Roger Ebert]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' spoke of the film's unsure tone, "veering uncertainly from horror to laughs to romance", and opined that the film "is too scary for children and too childish for adults".<ref name=Ebert>{{cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/practical-magic-1998|last=Ebert|first=Roger|title=Practical Magic|work=rogerebert.com|publisher=Sun-Times Media Group|date=October 16, 1998|access-date=December 4, 2012|archive-date=October 26, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026124115/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F19981016%2FREVIEWS%2F810160303|url-status=live}}</ref>

Garth Stahl of the ''[[Hartford Courant]]'' was more positive, noting that women in [[Black comedy|dark comedy]] and depictions of sisterhood are rare in film.<ref name="Stahl">{{Cite news |last=Stahl |first=Garth |date=1998-10-25 |title=Practical Magic Should Have Focused on Its Dark Side |url=https://www.courant.com/1998/10/25/practical-magic-should-have-focused-on-its-dark-side/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241024012711/https://www.courant.com/1998/10/25/practical-magic-should-have-focused-on-its-dark-side/ |archive-date=October 24, 2024 |access-date=October 24, 2024 |work=Hartford Courant}}</ref> He wrote ''Practical Magic'' "has its flaws. Some scenes are weak, occasionally lines are a little muddled, and there is some plot underdevelopment. Yet it is daring and fun — a frolic for two charming actresses and a dapper film premise".<ref name="Stahl" /> He concluded "The main source of attraction is undeniably the enchanting and witty witchcraft. It is simultaneously what makes the Owen sisters outcasts and what makes them special. With a few very sharp scenes, including a jazzy dance sequence, 'Practical Magic' is worth [it]. It is a step toward allowing women to assert themselves in the genre of dark comedy. Now isn't that practical."<ref name="Stahl" />

Reviewing the film for [[Amazon (company)|Amazon]], Tom Keogh said, "The film has a variety of tonal changes—cute, scary, glum—that Dunne can't always effectively juggle. But the female-centric, celebratory nature of the film (the fantasies, the sharing, the witchy bonds) is infectious, and supporting roles by Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing as Kidman and Bullock's magical aunts are a lot of fun."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Keogh |first=Tom |title=Practical Magic |isbn=0790740060 }}</ref>

The film has acquired a cult following over the years.<ref name="Vulture">{{cite news |last1=Shapiro |first1=Lila |title=''Practical Magic'' Got Cursed by an Actual Witch. Is That Why It Bombed? |url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/10/practical-magic-griffin-dunne-witch-curse.html |access-date=23 October 2024 |work=[[Vulture (website)|Vulture]] |date=October 26, 2017 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20181013093747/https://www.vulture.com/2017/10/practical-magic-griffin-dunne-witch-curse.html |archive-date=October 13, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="VF" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Goldstein |first=Jessica |date=2020-10-20 |title=Stockard Channing Answers Every Question We Have About ''Practical Magic'' |url=https://www.vulture.com/2020/10/stockard-channing-answers-our-practical-magic-questions.html |access-date=2024-10-24 |website=Vulture |language=en}}</ref> Writing about ''Practical Magic''{{'}}s legacy in 2018, David Sims of ''[[The Atlantic]]'' discussed how the film centers relationships between women through the Owens bloodline as well as in the final scene involving the town's women uniting to free Gillian from Jimmy's control.<ref name="Sims">{{cite web |last=Sims |first=David |date=2018-10-16 |title=Thank the '90s for ''Practical Magic'' |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/10/practical-magic-revisited-20-years-later/573097/ |work=The Atlantic |access-date=2019-10-16 |archive-date=2019-01-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190110133657/https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/10/practical-magic-revisited-20-years-later/573097/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=Vox>{{Cite web |last=Framke |first=Caroline |date=2015-10-31 |title=The flawed but fun Practical Magic is the Thelma and Louise of witch movies |url=https://www.vox.com/2015/10/31/9647652/practical-magic-review-witches |access-date=2024-10-24 |website=Vox |language=en-US}}</ref> He described the film as a mainstream [[Major film studios|studio]] feature "that wove dark themes about gender and power into an ostensible crowd-pleasing comedy", qualities that made it unusual for its time and have contributed to its staying power.<ref name="Sims" />