The only reason I watched this movie is because I happened to catch it right at the beginning (a rarety!) on Encore. Initially, I did want to see it, but then I heard about it and was convinced it probably sucked.
The premise: Hollywood is remaking Bewitched the TV show. Will Ferrell plays Jack Wyatt, a washed up actor looking for a comeback. Nicole Kidman plays Isabelle Bigelow, a Samantha-like witch who, through her expert nose wiggling, gets discovered by Jack as the nobody to his would-be star vehicle to play Samantha. Trouble is, she's a witch looking for normalcy. Apparently, she's tired of getting everything she wants (we always want what we can't have).
This movie didn't suck hard, but it wasn't great. I'll do something unusual and start with my rating, which is a square 5 for mediocre at its core. It was a little better than fair (rating 4) in that there were some funny girl power moments. Nicole Kidman was an awfully cute Samantha knock-off. Michael Caine was delightful as her father, and Kristen Chenoweth (Glinda from Wicked!) was hilarious as her next-door-neighbor turned best friend. Let's not forget Steve Carell, who appeared as some sort of reincarnated though slightly not real figment of Jack's imagination, an embodiment of Uncle Arthur from the TV show, who was Jack's favorite character. His impression was giggleworthy.
All in all, though, this movie wasn't funny. I love Will Ferrell, but his movies are so hit and miss for me. I mean, he is just not consistent. I loved Elf to death, but Anchorman was not the laugh riot everyone had me believe, for example. In this movie, he was not funny. The only time I laughed hard was when Isabelle (Kidman) magically made Jack (aka Darren) deliver this line about the dog in a number of different deliveries, including ham-fisted Shakespearean, which made me giggle.
Otherwise, I was just bored. Will and Nicole had some chemistry, and it was kind of cute making Shirley MacClaine both a real witch and Endora on the remake, but this flick was so boring. And the predictable punchline just didn't leave me feeling lighthearted and ready to try flying a broomstick because I was so bewitched (drum cue).
Ultimately, I blame this cheesy drivel on Nora Ephron, who both directed and penned the screenplay. First of all, how weird that the soundtrack sounded just like something from Sleepless in Seattle or You've Got Mail. Ok, maybe not so weird, but the crooners were back in full force (fortunately, there was a little Who and Talking Heads and such thrown in there). The writing was just awful; the lines were really just unintelligent and lacked the heart and soul that I know Nora is capable of producing. Nora, you're slipping! You used to have this romantic comedy thing in the bag, but now, you've created a sickeningly saccharin and ultimately mediocre flick.
Ok, so I knew it would be less than bewitching (drum cue). To that end, I also blame myself for electing to watch it. Don't get me wrong, it's not horrible. But it's safe to say that it doesn't pass the test. I'd rather watch the old TV show, with both Darrens, than this movie adaptation again.