Bewitched (PG-13)
Mike:
Scott:
Scott: Today we are reviewing Bewitched
, a pseudo remake of the 1960s-70s TV series.
Mike: It's an interesting take on the show; it's like the show within a show. It's a neat concept that it's a movie about remaking the old TV show rather than a straight movie remake of the show.
Scott: Yes, and in the ads you never got that impression.
Mike: But it ends up being a remake of the TV show because she really is a witch. I liked it.
Scott: I thought it was ok, but I will get back to that.
Mike: My one word for it is my wife's typical description, "cute". A good date movie, too bad my date was you.
Scott: Yes, cute is a good way to put it. I am always your date, beotch.
Mike: You're not as cute as some of my other dates.
Scott: Moving on... Will Ferrell, as Jack Wyatt and Darren, was great again. This guy is funny.
Mike: Will Ferrell is hilarious as usual.
Scott: He just has an innocence to him that makes his jokes stand out, especially when he is trying to be serious.
Mike: Sometimes he was very much like he was on SNL or Old School. In one scene he was very much like he was in Elf. Which is a whole other kind of funny. Will Ferrell may be the best of the SNL people to go into movies. He is on a streak.
Scott: Let's talk about your honey, Nicole Kidman, as Isabel Bigelow and Samantha.
Mike: Yes,lets talk about Nicole. I love her. This movie just makes me love her more.
Scott: She is very attractive in this flick.
Mike: Yes and the innocence of her character is very attractive. She is very much a fish out of water.
Scott: She acted well, but she kept reminding me of Meg Ryan, which really isn't a good thing. Her voice was a bit too soft at times, and too flighty as well.
Mike: That's funny, but she didn't strike me that way. The Meg Ryan reference is interesting because she has starred in quite a few of Writer/Director Nora Ephron films.
Scott: She looked really good though, which is always a bonus for a movie.
Mike: I liked the fact that this movie made many references to the original Bewitched. It was obvious that there was genuine affection for the show rather than a spoof.
Scott: One thing I didn't like about the movie was it jumped around a lot, never really found its groove.
Mike: I agree
Scott: I kept waiting to settle in, but it just never did.
Mike: When it got about two thirds of the way through the movie, I was trying to figure out where they were going with this.
Scott: Yes, it was trying to be a romantic comedy and remake at the same time, but the movie got confused in the process.
Mike: I thought that Nicole and Will had nice chemistry, I didn't expect that. Very sexy Samantha and very goofy Darren.
Scott: Me either, he never seemed the romantic type, so this was his biggest romantic part so far. Elf was semi-romantic, but mostly comedy, this had more romance.
Mike: Yes, and more romance than I was hoping for. With Nora Ephron helming I had a feeling it was going to be there. She is the one behind Sleepless in Seattle, You've Got Mail and When Harry Met Sally.
Scott: Women all over will like this movie if for no other reason, Nora Ephron directed it.
Mike: Even with the romance, there are some genuinely funny scenes in the movie and they are not all Will Ferrell.
Scott: Very true.
Mike: The scene where Isabel puts a spell on Jack while they are trying to film a scene of the show is a riot.
Scott: That was the funniest part of the entire movie. I want to know how much of that was improv. A minor problem I had was the unsettled relationship between Michael Caine as Isabel's Dad and Shirley MacLaine as her 'TV' mother Endora. It provided some comedic relief, but no resolution.
Mike: I was surprised that such big stars had such little parts.
Scott: Yes, but the roles were written too small or too large, depending on one's point of view.
Mike: I think that they were the perfect people for her Dad and Endora, though. I loved seeing Aunt Clara and Uncle Arthur too. The lady they got to do Aunt Clara was a dead ringer for the original!
Scott: Yes, but Steve Carell as Uncle Arthur, didn't have much to work with and he didn't work very well with it.
Mike: I almost thought she was the original actress, but knew that was impossible.
Scott: She certainly was, right on, even the disappearing after messing up a spell was the same as the TV series. One more thing about the original Aunt Clara...she was born in 1883!
Mike: Dang!
Scott: No joke.
Mike: I had a feeling she was no longer with us.
Scott: Died in 68.
Mike: I hate to say it but I think the entire original cast of that show is dead.
Scott: What do you rate it?
Mike: I would give it a 3 out of 5. And I will probably go back with my wife to see it or rent it when it comes out. Makes me want to see the old TV show again. I think it helps if you were a fan of the original.
Scott: I give it a 2.5 out of 5 and a date movie or if you can get away with it, a girls night out movie.
Mike: Probably not one of the summer blockbusters, but it should do well.
Scott: That's it for this review.
Mike: Goodnight Derwood.
