Product Description

Oscar®-winner Nicole Kidman (Best Actress in a leading role, The Hours, 2002) and wickedly funny Will Ferrell star as actors playing Darrin and Samantha on a remake of the television show "Bewitched" in this cleverly crafty comedy from director Nora Ephron (Sleepless in Seattle, You've Got Mail). Egomaniacal star Jack Wyatt (Ferrell) casts unknown Isabel (Kidman) as his co-star in order to monopolize the limelight and regain his top spot on Hollywood's A-list. When Isabel, a real witch, discovers Jack's self-centered scheme, she conjures a sidesplitting spell the mere mortal will never forget!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5896 in DVD
• Brand: Sony
• Released on: 2005-10-25
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French
• Dubbed in: French
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 102 minutes

Amazon.com
As one of many in the ongoing trend of resurrecting old TV shows and turning them into contemporary Hollywood product, Bewitched tries awfully hard to distinguish itself. It succeeds in lots of surprising ways, not least of which is the star power brought by Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell. Even if they don't create the kind of romantic chemistry that would have elevated the already high concept, they act as delightful foils to each other, but more often to themselves. The conceit of this Bewitched is that it's a self-reflexive look at the entertainment business, with Ferrell playing Jack Wyatt, an actor starring in an updated version of the classic TV show. Out of favor with the Hollywood elite and desperately in need of a hit, he insists on an unknown to play Samantha, as he wants the show to be about him, since if something doesn't come his way soon, he's going to be hearing a lot of no's, despite the yes-men surrounding him. While his agent (Jason Schwartzman in hilarious high Hollywood sleaze mode) gets him the "unknown Samantha" deal, it's Jack himself who discovers his own leading lady in the delightful figure of Isabel Bigalow (Kidman), who possesses just the right nose wiggle, not to mention other wiggles.

But wouldn't you know it, Isabel really is a witch, and exactly the kind of "good" witch trying to rely less on her magical powers that Samantha Stevens was back in her "real" world. Instead of a cranky mother like Endora, Isabel has a distinguished father, Nigel (Michael Caine) who lurks around her as a constant reminder that she can't be who she's not (a mere mortal), and she certainly can't be the star of some zany TV show. As the plot thickens and the movie's reflexivity grows more convoluted, Nigel falls for the non-witch actress who plays Endora (Shirley MacLaine), and Jack and Isabel fall for each other. Here's where the Ferrell/Kidman gel doesn’t quite become aspic, but her perkiness (I mean, come on, it is Nicole Kidman, for crying out loud) and his goofiness (Ferrell is at his peak of intelligent bumbling) are more than enough to make the entirety of the proceedings a delectable trifle. Director Nora Ephron has fun skewering her own business in the script she co-wrote with her sister Delia, and her eye for quality craft makes everything sparkle as it should. Even if we have yet to see the definitive remake of an old TV show on the big screen, at least Bewitched is well more than run-of-the-mill as so many adaptations have been, and so many will be. --Ted Fry

From The New Yorker
We are ever more besieged by attempts to turn ancient TV shows into modern movies, many of them disastrously dull. This one, directed by Nora Ephron and co-written with her sister Delia, courageously tries a different tack, and what we end up with is a disaster of another order entirely. Nicole Kidman plays not Samantha (as incarnated for all eternity by Elizabeth Montgomery) but a witch named Isabel, who, having landed in Los Angeles, just happens to win the role of Samantha in a new version of the original series. The point, one imagines, is to confront head-on the conundrum of trying to resurrect the Samantha legend; the result, sadly, is a flurry of in-jokes without the jokes. After a sprightly first ten minutes, the magic simply evaporates from the surface of the film, and one actor after another comes to grief: Will Ferrell overheats as a fading star called Jack, who fancies himself as a Darren de nos jours, while Shirley MacLaine is handed the part of Endora and pretty much abandoned to her fate. The only person who cheers you up is Michael Caine, who remains knowingly calm as the chaos descends. A disenchanting spectacle all around.-Anthony Lane -Anthony Lane
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Sweet and funny
In a seemingly endless sea of remakes which quickly (and rightfully) sink into oblivion, Bewitched deserves credit for at least putting a new spin on the formula. I can't imagine anyone but Nicole Kidman in the role of Isabel...she simply glows, you can't take your eyes off her. Will Ferrell delivers his usual goofy, over-the-top performance, which suits his character just fine. And at the heart of it all is a sweet and (mostly) old-fashioned love story. It also pays due reverence to its source, as Isabel keeps a picture of Elizabeth Montgomery in her dressing room, and wonders what the "real" Samantha would do. Sure, it's not perfect. In fact (minor spoiler alert!), I knocked off a whole star for the whole "Uncle Arthur" nonesense in the final act. But I laughed. A lot, in fact. I was delighted with Kidman's performance. And I left the film feeling pretty darn good. What more could you want?

For once, don't believe what the majority of critics have said. Bewitched is a great romantic comedy.

How Disappointing
I was anxiously waiting to see the video of Bewitched since I hadn't been able to see the movie when it was in the Theater. I was however a little taken back by the bad reviews it had received and couldn't understand how such star power of Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell along with Michael Caine and the rest of this cast could make something that would be so panned. But after seeing this movie I now understand. What a mess. It wasn't the actors that made this a mess but the director and whoever put this together. Nothing made sense. They introduce the fact that Iris (Shirley Mclean) is a witch and then never follow through or even confirm it except for one line from Uncle Arthur. They never explain how a supposed character from the original show (Uncle Arthur) shows up in real life. They introduce Aunt Clara, but when Isabelle reverses time she never shows back up?? Was Aunt Clara like Uncle Arthur and a character from the original show that comes to life??? I doen't even really think this movie deserved 1 star...but this system doesn't give the option of no stars. Do yourself a favor....Save your money and don't buy this movie....buy the second season of the original show and enjoy a classic.

Bewitching
Forgive me while I step into Robert Eberts shoes for a quick second, and say that Bewitched is probally the most Romantic Comedy I have seen for quite some time. But again, since Will Ferrell is in it, I might be slightly prejudiced on that account.Bewitched is simply lovely, sweet, sincere and romantic the movie centers around a love stricken witch Isabel (Nicole Kidman) who has fallen head over heels for Hollywood's biggest failure in movie making Will, "He's such a adorable mess," Isabel breathes.


Nicole Kidman plays Isabel, a witch who wants to be normal and live like the mortals. Its a hard transition, made harder by not being sutable to work at anything since she always had magic at her command. Enter Will Ferrell, a terrible actor who's just coming off a major flop film. He is handed the idea to play Darrin in the remake of Bewitched, which he uncertainly takes. The only problem arises is that no suitable Samantha can be found to wiggle her nose properly. That is until Ferrell finds Isabel that one fateful day in the bookstore, where she is wiggling her nose like the best of them.
Enchanted, he begs Isabel to sign on to the show, using words like "I need you" to convince her. Having never been trained in the ways of the world, Isabel is overcome and agrees believing he is professing his love to her.

But love doesn't come easily, for Ferrell is eager to get back in the publics good graces, and is consiquently blind to the lack of quality his character portrays in the overeagerness to believe himself one of the greats.
Nicole is consiquently given parts only where she stands around, and never any dialouge in the attempt to make Ferrell seem bigger and better. That is until she finds out.... and hell hath no fury like a witch unleased.

I shan't say more, but if you are a Ferrell fan, don't miss this movie, need I say more on that score?