| Bewitched | |
|---|---|
.png) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Nora Ephron |
| Written by |
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| Based on | Bewitched bySol Saks |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | John Lindley |
| Edited by | Tia Nolan |
| Music by | George Fenton |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Releasing |
Release date |
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Running time | 102 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $85 million[2] |
| Box office | $131.4 million[2] |
Bewitched is a 2005 Americanfantasyromantic comedy film co-written, co-produced, and directed byNora Ephron, and starringNicole Kidman andWill Ferrell alongside anensemble cast featuringShirley MacLaine,Michael Caine,Jason Schwartzman,Kristin Chenoweth (in her film debut),Heather Burns,Jim Turner,Stephen Colbert,David Alan Grier,Michael Badalucco,Carole Shelley, andSteve Carell. The film follows an actor (Ferrell) who discovers, while filming theremake ofBewitched, that his co-star (Kidman) is an actualwitch.
Produced and distributed byColumbia Pictures withRed Wagon Entertainment, the film is are-imagining of thetelevision series of the same title (produced by Columbia'sScreen Gems television studio, nowSony Pictures Television).Bewitched opened theatrically on June 24, 2005, to negative reviews and failed to meet expectations at the box office.
Jack Wyatt is anarcissistic actor who is approached to play Darrin in a remake of thesitcomBewitched, but insists that an unknown play Samantha. Isabel Bigelow is an actualwitch who decides she wants to be normal and moves toLos Angeles to start a new life and becomes friends with her neighbor Maria. She goes to a bookstore to learn how to get a job after seeing an advertisement ofEd McMahon on television. Jack happens to be at the same bookstore after attending some failed Samantha auditions. Jack spots Isabel and persuades her to audition. At the same time, while she tries to settle into her new life, Isabel's intrusive father Nigel keeps appearing to convince her to return home.
After Isabel impresses the show's producers and writers, Jack finally convinces Isabel to join the show. Also joining the show is legendary actress Iris Smythson, as Endora. After a successful taping of the pilot, Isabel happens to overhear a conversation between Jack and his agent Ritchie about how they tricked Isabel into appearing without having any lines. Furious, Isabel storms off with Maria and her new neighbor friend Nina. She sees she has three choices: quit, get mad, or live with it. Instead, Isabel's Aunt Clara visits and aids Isabel in casting aLove spell on Jack. At the same time, Nigel is introduced to Iris and becomes infatuated with her.
The hex works and Jack becomes lovestruck by Isabel, insisting on several script changes to give her some dialogue and jokes, ignoring statements from test groups preferring Isabel over him. Jack's affection for Isabel grows and he asks her out on a date, making Isabel forget about the hex. But when he brings her home, she remembers and reverses it back to when she and Aunt Clara cast it. The next day, rather than the events the hex presented, Jack is outraged by the scores he received and takes his anger out on Isabel, who lashes back at him. Ritchie fires her, and she storms off.
Rather than be angry at her, Jack is fascinated with Isabel and chases after her, accepting all her comments. After another taping (with Isabel having dialogue), their romance blossoms. But the next day, Jack's estranged wife Sheila arrives, determined to woo Jack back. Isabel sees this and casts a spell on her, making her sign the divorce papers and having her decide to move toIceland. Jack, thrilled, announces he will be throwing a party at his house, to celebrate the divorce.
Nigel attends the party with Iris and when Nigel begins flirting with much younger guests, Iris reveals that she is also a witch and casts a spell on each girl. When Jack makes a toast stating that the truth will be revealed to everyone, Isabel decides to tell Jack she's a witch. At first, thinking she's simply an amateur magician, Jack finally believes her when she levitates him with her broom. Jack becomes frightened and shoos her away with a stick. Offended and heartbroken, Isabel flies off.
Jack takes this hard, being brought to the studios by the police and becoming disenchanted with the project. Isabel decides to return home, having no further reason to stay. Jack, imagining himself on theConan O'Brien Show, is visited by Uncle Arthur, who convinces Jack not to let Isabel leave, because Jack still loves her, and she won't be able to return for 100 years (which is later proven to be a lie Arthur made up to inspire Jack). Arthur drives him to the studio where he finds Isabel at the set. Jack apologizes to her and tells her he wants to marry her. Six months later, they get married and move into their new neighborhood (which resembles the neighborhood in the series, with the Kravitzes living right across the street).
Additionally,Elizabeth Montgomery,Dick York,Agnes Moorehead, andPaul Lynde reprise their roles from theoriginal series in an uncredited video cameos.
Bewitched had a complicated development process that took nearly a decade.Rob Morrow andCynthia Nixon were in talks to star in an adaptation directed by actorTed Bessell and written by Broadway'sDouglas Carter Beane, before Bessell died in 1996.Jim Carrey was in talks to play Darrin. Several writers, including Laurice Elehwany, made changes to the script.Nora Ephron was ultimately hired in 2003.[3]Principal photography took place from the end of 2004 to the beginning of 2005.[citation needed]
The film was originally planned for release in July 2005 but was later pushed ahead to its eventual release date, June 24, 2005.[citation needed] Budgeted at $85 million, it achieved a worldwide gross of $131.4 million, considered a "box office dud".[4][5] The total gross for the United States was $63.3 million, with international at $68.1 million. The film was released in theUnited Kingdom on August 19, 2005, and opened at #2, behindCharlie and the Chocolate Factory.[6]
On the review aggregate websiteRotten Tomatoes,Bewitched holds a 23% approval rating, based on 185 reviews with an average score of 4.61/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Bewitched is haunted by scattered laughs and a lack of direction".[7] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 34 out of 100, based on 39 reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[8] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C+" on an A+ to F scale.[9]
The New York Times called the film "an unmitigated disaster".[10] Australian criticsMargaret Pomeranz andDavid Stratton gave the film three and a half stars out of five stars. Both said that Kidman captured the original character authentically.[11]
The film earned Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell aGolden Raspberry Award for Worst Screen Combo. The film was also nominated forWorst Director,Worst Actor (Will Ferrell),Worst Screenplay, andWorst Remake or Sequel.[12]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Americans in the Arts | March 25, 2006 | Outstanding Supporting Actress Performance in a Film | Kristin Chenoweth | Won | [13][14] |
| Razzie Awards | March 4, 2006 | Worst Actor | Will Ferrell (also forKicking & Screaming) | Nominated | [15][16] |
| Worst Screen Couple | Will Ferrell andNicole Kidman | Won | |||
| Worst Remake or Sequel | Bewitched | Nominated | |||
| Worst Director | Nora Ephron | Nominated | |||
| Worst Screenplay | Nora Ephron &Delia Ephron | Nominated | |||
| Stinkers Bad Movie Awards | March 3, 2006 | Worst Picture | Bewitched | Nominated | [17] |
| Worst Sense of Direction (Stop them before they direct again!) | Nora Ephron | Nominated | |||
| Worst On-Screen Couple | Will Ferrell and Nicole Kidman | Nominated | |||
| Worst Actress | Nicole Kidman | Nominated | |||
| Most Annoying Fake Accent: Female | Nominated | ||||
| Most Intrusive Musical Score | George Fenton | Nominated | |||
| Worst Resurrection of a "Classic" TV Series | Bewitched | Nominated | |||
| Teen Choice Awards | August 16, 2005 | Choice Summer Movie | Nominated | [18] | |
| Young Artist Awards | March 25, 2006 | Best Family Feature Film - Comedy or Musical | Nominated | [19] |
The film was released onVHS andDVD on October 25, 2005 bySony Pictures Home Entertainment. It includeddeleted scenes, such as Jack and Isabel's wedding and an extended version of Isabel getting mad, several making-of featurettes, a trivia game, and anaudio commentary by the director.[citation needed]
In Australia, aBlu-ray version was released on February 7, 2018.[20]
It was announced that Sony development a reboot of the movie withTerry Matalas andTravis Fickett will write the script and John Davis and John Fox are producing throughDavis Entertainment.[21]
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