Bewitched (2005) Review

It now appears as if Jessica Simpson's Daisy Duke is going to leave skid marks this summer all over Nicole Kidman's Samantha.

Perfect casting, imperfect execution © Columbia Pictures 

Just as there were two Darren's in the original Bewitched TV series, there have in Hollywood been two interchangeable Nora Ephron's. The first is responsible as a writer-director for When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle and You've Got Mail, a string of Meg Ryan vehicles that redefined the notion of cuter-than-cute-romantic comedy. The second Ephron has been far less fortunate, cranking out such forgettable fare as Mixed Nuts, Michael, Lucky Numbers and now, Bewitched.

In many ways, the second Ephron has no one but herself to blame. She chooses to ground her screenplays in fantasy rather than reality, sides with more idiosyncratic leading men (Steve Martin, John Travolta, Will Ferrell) and, in the case of Bewitched, dares to return to the realm of Meg Ryan romantic comedy without the presence of Meg Ryan. It all adds up to a marginal chick flick that feels more contrived than bewitched.

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