Film Hick: Bewitched (2005)

Directed by Nora Ephron. Starring Nicole Kidman; Will Ferrell; Shirley Maclaine; Michael Caine; Jason Schwartzman. Cert: PG. Running Time: 1 Hr 38 Mins.

I hated this film. The review should perhaps end then. I like Nicole Kidman, Will Ferrell, Shirley Maclaine, Michael Caine and Jason Schwartzman — in fact I love a number of each of their films. And Nora Ephron is usually so reliable.

This kind of thing has been done before and done well — the first Brady Bunch movie achieved it; Charlie\’s Angels pulled it off; even Starsky and Hutch got some things right. Why does this movie go so wrong? Because it thinks it is being clever and it is in your face about it. And this film manages to replace any charm the original had with the soul of a petulant sulky child. Watching it was like having hot needles pushed into my eyeballs and I only sat there because I have a self-destructive nature that makes me unable to not watch a film from start to finish.