Fridae

Imagine Nicole as a witch? Hell yeah! Imagine Will Ferrell as the
human love interest? Holding my own counsel... A witch and an Elf
form an unlikely pair, methinks.

Bewitched is not so much a remake of
the original TV series starring the iconic Elizabeth Montgomery,
as it is a re-imagining of its premise. Nicole plays Isabel Bigalow,
a witch with no bad hair days and who doesn't stick to a perpetual
black wardrobe. She wants to relinquish her powers to become a normal
human being. Ferrell is the hapless Hollywood actor Jack Wyatt who
wants to revive his fledging career by starring in a remake of the
original Bewitched TV series. One day, Jack chances upon
the hidden powers of Isabel and persuades her to play the role of
Samantha, the original witch

Nora Ephron, matron of romantic comedies who never fails to amuse
with her whimsical tales, wields her magic wand again, but instead
of a pumpkin ride to the ball of comedic heaven, we are left with
the three blind mice each leading the other into a slush of last
year's pumpkin pie. Her days of You've Got Mail and When
Harry Meet Sally are sorely missed. Many factors are to be
blamed for this miscast of spell, the miscasting of the two leads
no less — c'mon, glam-girl Nicole and the ratty Ferrell?!
It is as impossible as a straight guy falling in love with one of
us guys out here; let's not kid ourselves. There is simply no chemistry
between them!

The film is also bogged down by a script that draws its laugh from
cringe-worthy non-sequiturs. The grace notes of the film come from
the consummate acting of the cast. Nicole is as versatile as ever,
channelling the sassiness, and voice, a la Marilyn Monroe.
Will's wild antics are completely hilarious, though he fails miserably
as a romantic lead. And Michael Caine as Isabel's Warlord father
castigating his daughter for turning her back on her bewitching
heritage is funny in an understated way.

But taken as a whole this brew not only has a bland aftertaste,
it also generates a soporific effect in the audience. Head down
to the cinema for this jagged little pill of a movie if you ran
out of Valium.