In brief: A charming and innovative way to adapt the property to film, with some nice laughs and funny characters.

Written by Delia Ephron and Nora Ephron
Directed by Nora Ephron

---Cast:
Nicole Kidman as Isabel Bigelow
Will Ferrell as Jack Wyatt
??????? as Iris Smythson
Michael Caine as Nigel
Jason Schwartzman as Ritchie
Kristin Chenoweth as Marie
Heather Burns as Nina Johnson
Jim Turner as Larry
Stephen Colbert as Stu Robison
David Alan Grier as Jim Fields

Obviously, movies based on beloved TV shows have not had a stellar track record. So I was naturally skeptical when I learned that a Bewitched movie was being made. Sure, it had Nicole Kidman in it, but then, lots of good actors, even Oscar-winning ones, have done lousy movies. Maybe Kidman just wanted to make one for her kids. But then I saw the trailer, and thought that the approach was novel. And I found out that Nora Ephron ({When Harry Met Sally…}, Sleepless in Seattle) was directing. Hmmm….maybe I'd check it out at the screening being held at the Sony building on Friday.

In this version, Bewitched is exactly what it is in real-life: A TV show from decades ago. Will Ferrell plays Jack Wyatt, a movie actor with two strikes against him who decides to star as Darren in a TV remake of the show, as a career comeback. The stereotypical actor, he is obsessed over his career, and makes sure that the focus of the new show will be on him rather than on Samantha, for which he demands an easily-manipulated unknown be cast.

He spots a beautiful blonde with the most oceanic blue eyes in a book store grimacing with her nose, and a star is born. But his find, Isabel Bigelow, is not what she seems. It turns out that she really is a witch, one who is trying to live among the unfamiliar world of humanity, vowing not to use her powers to make life easy for herself, all the while declaring to her overprotective father (Michael Caine) that she can make it on her own. She makes effort not to use her powers when moving into a new house, even trying to set up her own VCR before just deciding to fix it all with a magical flick of her hands. When this strange man comes up to her asking her to star in his new TV show Bewitched, she is uncertain, telling him that she was never allowed to watch that show when she was a kid, and a series of similar gags when she tries to explain that she really is a witch to Jack and the producers, who think she's just staying in character (She doesn't carry poison apples, for example, because, she says you need a permit for that…).

This starts off as a variation on the Foreigner learning Earth Culture cliché, as seen in such movies as Splash, Date with an Angel, etc, but soon becomes more than that, as Isabel, who more than anything else wants to fall in love as mortals do, comes to think that Jack is truly in love with her, but soon discovers that he may have other priorities.

It's a charming romantic comedy that I think fans of the original show may enjoy. Although I'm not an expert on the show, and my memories of the episodes I saw as a kid have faded, it appears that the Ephrons have created a film with plenty of loving tips of the hat to the original series, including an appearance by Steve Carell (Bruce Almighty, Anchorman, The Daily Show) that you have to see to believe, to say nothing of the actress who shows up playing the actress who plays Endora on the show. You can find out easily by going to imdb, but since the trailers and commercials seem to be showing a rare bit of restraint in not revealing it, I think I'll let you discover these priceless bits yourself.

The TV Ad for this movie had me convinced that they had somehow CGIsurrected Paul Lynde to play Uncle Arthur...so disappointed to find it it wasn't.

Hide the spoilers, please! Moderator?

Wait, that was a spoiler? It was in the TV Ads!!

Yeah, I guess you're right.

The concept for this movie struck me as a bad idea. The commercials make it seem even more so. But worst of all is Nicole Kidman, trying in vain, to replicate Elizabeth Montgomery's nose twich. My word, I've never seen anything so pathetic. Better they should've used GCI to fix it than actually show that, ever.

Bottom line, I'm not sure which TV-to-Movie I'm less interested in seeing this summer. Between this and the Honeymooners, it's a hard decision as to which looks more pathetically without value.

That's my opinion, and I'm sticking to it.

Mr. Cranky has another take on this movie. He calls the Ephrons' body of work "misogynistic" and says that this film takes a disgustingly low pot shot at the late Dick York. (I haven't seen it, and I probably won't, unless it comes to HBO real fast, so I won't judge it.)

I thought the movie was OK, not great, not horrible (and definitely not anywhere near as bad as the above Mr. Cranky makes it out to be). It was a light and fluffy popcorn flick more likely to lightly amuse than produce any real laughter. I would recommend renting it rather than paying out the cash to see it first run though.

Saw it in Vegas during a down day. Ghel has pretty much got it correct.

Ruminations:

Shirley MacLaine does a great Endora. Steve Carrel has to be channelling Paul Lynde as Uncle Arthur.

Other than that, nice light entertainment, but nothing particularly memorable.

I haven't seen it...unless it comes to HBO real fast...

Actually, it won't be coming to HBO at all. Nor will any of Sony's films released since 2005. They'll be showing exclusively on the Starz/Encore super pack, as per a deal signed in 2000, giving Starz pay-cable rights to Sony's output from 2005-11 or so.

Here's more on Dick York. The article gives him a lot of credit. Much more than the awful script for this horrid film did.

Just goes to show you...even Nicole Kidman can make a bad movie into a good movie.