View Full Version : How Did You Bewitched Fans Like The New Movie With Nicole Kidman?


JamesG
02-03-2008, 02:17 AM
I was just wondering to hear from fans of the Bewitched show how they liked the movie with Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell. I personally haven't seen the movie yet so I wanted to hear what you thought about it. Thanks.

AB
02-03-2008, 10:15 AM
It was ok, not nearly as good as the tv show though.

Larry Tate
02-03-2008, 03:22 PM
When I saw the movie I was very unimpressed with it, it is just a poorly made & very incompetently structured movie.
Most important of all & what any movie or TV show revolves around as a fulcrum was the writing which was atrocious, & when that is the case the rest of the process doesn't even have a chance, so Nora E is the one most to blame here.

You have a Romantic Comedy that is not funny at all for 99% of the movie, where the romantic leads have zero chemistry & are not at all believable with the audience as a romantic, passionate couple.
We dislike Jack & couldn't care less what happened to him through out the movie & even Isabele's character was not one that was believable nor even that likeable.

Part of the reason was that her character was written in such a shallow, non substantive way, there just wasn't any there there for her to work with.

When the two leads are not believable in of themselves or together & the audience doesn't care about them or what happens to them, then the movie has nowhere to go but down the toilet.

All this I am saying Bewitched aspects aside, it was just a bad movie, that at times almost had me nodding off as I fought to stay awake, if I had paid for it I would have walked out in the first 30 min. so as to get a refund.

It is one of the worst movies I have ever seen, & I went into it with an open mind, looking at it as if it had nothing to do with Bewitched & was called smouldering blithe spirit, so I could view it as just a movie.

Further more from a Bewitched prospective it hardly played tribute or homage to it, rather it was to me clearly an exploitative rip-off of the show, with just enough bewitched hints & nuances to justify calling it Bewitched so as to be able to use it as a Marketing tool to bring in the fans of the show & give the movie marketing heat with the media, which is all Bewitched the show was to Sony in this process which can then be seen on the screen.

There was zero clarity or focus in the laying down of the foundation of the characters, nor in the development of their interplay & relationships.
I thought the Uncle Arthur one was not that bad, he was ok, & much better then the Aunt Clara who was cold, tough & too starchy & poorly done.
I thought Iris was not too bad & not as bad as she has been portrayed but her handling of the sparkle of a star speech was bad, Michael Caine was good & one of the best parts but he was not as good as he has been reviewed either.

The story as it unfolded was so disjointed & all over the place, with no backbone of structure, & very little was explained & often it instead contradicted itself.

It was almost as if it was existing in two parallel contexts as we watched it unfold, as what was or wasn't a witch was undefined or had both possibilities occurring simultaneously & therefore the premise & it's execution had no logic or meaning.

Really this movie was much more Bell Book & Candle then Bewitched which instead was present as a marketing tool more then anything else.

I didn't expect a Bewitched remake, i did expect to be entertained & to see good artistic craftsmanship, which sadly never got off its broom.

The Bottom line is, was this believable, does the audience buy into this actually happening in front of them as they lose themselves in the movie.
That never happened, instead at all times it was clear to the viewer, that they were watching a movie & a very bad one at that, the thing is that it is not really relevant to Bewitched nor about it or really connected to it except in a minimal way so as to justify calling it Bewitched to sell more tickets.

It has as much to do with Bewitched the TV show as a movie done a few years ago in the states called
'Crazy in Alabama" which was to me was more of a tribute to Bewitched then this movie is.

As "Crazy in Alabama" was not trying capitalise off of Bewitched & did not market itself to do so as Bewitched the Movie has done.

It also had references too & mention of & footage from the show, & even put one of the characters on the set of Bewitched as a stand-in & later participant in the show & renacted pasts of #11 'It takes one to know one," that to me was far more of a homage to Bewitched the show then Bewitched the movie was which was just after $$$$$.

The Bottom line to me is that if you are a fan of Bewitched don't bother to see this movie as it has nothing to do with Bewitched really, it is just a movie in the same general genre & should be evaluated as such.

Unlike 'Crazy in Alabama" which was very well written, acted & directed this movie was not, & I would not waste your money to go see it just on the basis of it being a lousy movie & not worth your $$$$$$$$$.

I am just grateful i had a free ticket to see it from the DVD set.
I can't recommend to Bewitched fans to see it as it will not be what they hope or want it to be, or even a good movie.

I would spend my money on aspects of the original show, like the DVD's , etc.

What bothers me most about this movie is the title, not only does one leave the theatre not Bewitched but it is a fraudulent misleading title to sucker fans of the show into the theatre, as it is a movie deserving of the title about as much as the Munster's TV show is of being called Bewitched the TV show, there are some similarities but only in a very broad generic sense & if this movie deserves to be called Bewitched then every movie ever made in this general Genre does as well, all the way back to the Wizard of Oz, that is how much this movie has to do with Bewitched the TV series.

Larry Tate :)

Mikado
02-03-2008, 06:54 PM
Ok Larry, no need to hold back ;) Anyway, I'll take your word for it and avoid this movie, much as I find Nicole Kidman to be filet mignon among today's ground chuck actresses

comedyfreak
02-05-2008, 05:34 AM
I think it was a little better than other remade movies and I found it to be sort of a tribute to the original show. They should have went with Jim Carrey as Darrin though.

Jude The Obscure
02-06-2008, 03:40 AM
Jim Carrey was all for doing this movie until he heard about how Nora ephron wanted to do it. He then pulled out. He wanted to do a traditional big screen adaptation. And with him in it, it would have done better box office!

Darrin1Fan
02-06-2008, 07:01 AM
Yeah Jude86, that's what I heard too. I totally agree that a faithful remake with Jim would have been a big hit.

OH Nuts!
02-06-2008, 10:06 PM
For me , the movie was a major disappointment. The orig. show was so much better. I'm glad I only spent $5.99 for it. It's going to Goodwill over the weekend.

OH Nuts!
02-08-2008, 07:40 AM
Ok Larry, no need to hold back ;) Anyway, I'll take your word for it and avoid this movie, much as I find Nicole Kidman to be filet mignon among today's ground chuck actresses


If you're a big fan of Nicole Kidman try to borrow it from a library. I would only spend $ on it as a last resort.

OH Nuts!
02-08-2008, 07:42 AM
When I saw the movie I was very unimpressed with it, it is just a poorly made & very incompetently structured movie.
Most important of all & what any movie or TV show revolves around as a fulcrum was the writing which was atrocious, & when that is the case the rest of the process doesn't even have a chance, so Nora E is the one most to blame here.

You have a Romantic Comedy that is not funny at all for 99% of the movie, where the romantic leads have zero chemistry & are not at all believable with the audience as a romantic, passionate couple.
We dislike Jack & couldn't care less what happened to him through out the movie & even Isabele's character was not one that was believable nor even that likeable.

Part of the reason was that her character was written in such a shallow, non substantive way, there just wasn't any there there for her to work with.

When the two leads are not believable in of themselves or together & the audience doesn't care about them or what happens to them, then the movie has nowhere to go but down the toilet.

All this I am saying Bewitched aspects aside, it was just a bad movie, that at times almost had me nodding off as I fought to stay awake, if I had paid for it I would have walked out in the first 30 min. so as to get a refund.

It is one of the worst movies I have ever seen, & I went into it with an open mind, looking at it as if it had nothing to do with Bewitched & was called smouldering blithe spirit, so I could view it as just a movie.

Further more from a Bewitched prospective it hardly played tribute or homage to it, rather it was to me clearly an exploitative rip-off of the show, with just enough bewitched hints & nuances to justify calling it Bewitched so as to be able to use it as a Marketing tool to bring in the fans of the show & give the movie marketing heat with the media, which is all Bewitched the show was to Sony in this process which can then be seen on the screen.

There was zero clarity or focus in the laying down of the foundation of the characters, nor in the development of their interplay & relationships.
I thought the Uncle Arthur one was not that bad, he was ok, & much better then the Aunt Clara who was cold, tough & too starchy & poorly done.
I thought Iris was not too bad & not as bad as she has been portrayed but her handling of the sparkle of a star speech was bad, Michael Caine was good & one of the best parts but he was not as good as he has been reviewed either.

The story as it unfolded was so disjointed & all over the place, with no backbone of structure, & very little was explained & often it instead contradicted itself.

It was almost as if it was existing in two parallel contexts as we watched it unfold, as what was or wasn't a witch was undefined or had both possibilities occurring simultaneously & therefore the premise & it's execution had no logic or meaning.

Really this movie was much more Bell Book & Candle then Bewitched which instead was present as a marketing tool more then anything else.

I didn't expect a Bewitched remake, i did expect to be entertained & to see good artistic craftsmanship, which sadly never got off its broom.

The Bottom line is, was this believable, does the audience buy into this actually happening in front of them as they lose themselves in the movie.
That never happened, instead at all times it was clear to the viewer, that they were watching a movie & a very bad one at that, the thing is that it is not really relevant to Bewitched nor about it or really connected to it except in a minimal way so as to justify calling it Bewitched to sell more tickets.

It has as much to do with Bewitched the TV show as a movie done a few years ago in the states called
'Crazy in Alabama" which was to me was more of a tribute to Bewitched then this movie is.

As "Crazy in Alabama" was not trying capitalise off of Bewitched & did not market itself to do so as Bewitched the Movie has done.

It also had references too & mention of & footage from the show, & even put one of the characters on the set of Bewitched as a stand-in & later participant in the show & renacted pasts of #11 'It takes one to know one," that to me was far more of a homage to Bewitched the show then Bewitched the movie was which was just after $$$$$.

The Bottom line to me is that if you are a fan of Bewitched don't bother to see this movie as it has nothing to do with Bewitched really, it is just a movie in the same general genre & should be evaluated as such.

Unlike 'Crazy in Alabama" which was very well written, acted & directed this movie was not, & I would not waste your money to go see it just on the basis of it being a lousy movie & not worth your $$$$$$$$$.

I am just grateful i had a free ticket to see it from the DVD set.
I can't recommend to Bewitched fans to see it as it will not be what they hope or want it to be, or even a good movie.

I would spend my money on aspects of the original show, like the DVD's , etc.

What bothers me most about this movie is the title, not only does one leave the theatre not Bewitched but it is a fraudulent misleading title to sucker fans of the show into the theatre, as it is a movie deserving of the title about as much as the Munster's TV show is of being called Bewitched the TV show, there are some similarities but only in a very broad generic sense & if this movie deserves to be called Bewitched then every movie ever made in this general Genre does as well, all the way back to the Wizard of Oz, that is how much this movie has to do with Bewitched the TV series.

Larry Tate :)


Bless you for having the patience to list all that was off with the movie; it's a long list isn't it!

comedyfreak
02-08-2008, 08:27 AM
Jim Carrey was all for doing this movie until he heard about how Nora ephron wanted to do it. He then pulled out. He wanted to do a traditional big screen adaptation. And with him in it, it would have done better box office!
I remember when I first heard about a Bewitched remake I sent emails to Jim Carrey and the studio wanting Carrey for the part. He's the only one I could picture as Darrin Stephens.

Jude The Obscure
02-10-2008, 01:24 AM
He definitely has that Dick York essence!

But who would have been a great Sam next to him?

OH Nuts!
02-10-2008, 03:32 PM
I remember when I first heard about a Bewitched remake I sent emails to Jim Carrey and the studio wanting Carrey for the part. He's the only one I could picture as Darrin Stephens.

Jim Carrey --YES! Absolutely a whole lot better than Will Farrell. Sam??? hmmmmm? ????? Still the plot was so contrived that even a better duo wouldn't have made it work--but it would have been less bad.

BarneyFife
03-13-2008, 01:26 AM
I never seen it. would like to rent it though.

Jude The Obscure
03-24-2008, 03:43 PM
Jim Carrey --YES! Absolutely a whole lot better than Will Farrell. Sam??? hmmmmm? ????? Still the plot was so contrived that even a better duo wouldn't have made it work--but it would have been less bad.


if Jim Carrey would have been involved, that movie plot would have not gone through. Jim wanted a traditional Bewitched plot--a faithful big screen adaptation.

catlover79
03-26-2008, 06:10 PM
Didn't care for it - I'll take the original series any day, any time.

Jude The Obscure
03-27-2008, 12:02 AM
Welcome back, Monica aka Catlover :D You have been missed!!

OH Nuts!
03-27-2008, 12:50 AM
Welcome back sweetie!!!

catlover79
03-27-2008, 01:32 PM
Thank you, guys. :blush:

Elizabeth Eden
04-13-2008, 06:09 AM
I was totally unimpressed, knew I would be too. Hollywood need to stop turning great sitcoms into bad movies.

OH Nuts!
04-13-2008, 11:37 AM
I was totally unimpressed, knew I would be too. Hollywood need to stop turning great sitcoms into bad movies.

Some remakes turn out to be pretty decent but this one surely didn't. It was truly barf city & went right to Goodwill

catlover79
04-13-2008, 03:10 PM
Some remakes turn out to be pretty decent but this one surely didn't. It was truly barf city & went right to Goodwill
For every TV show turned movie like The Fugitive, there's a dozen crappy ones like Bewitched, Dukes of Hazzard, Beverly Hillbillies, etc. Remember when the opposite was true - turning movies into crappy TV shows? The last example I remember is My Big Fat Greek Life. Loved the movie it was based on, loathed the show.

OH Nuts!
04-13-2008, 11:14 PM
For every TV show turned movie like The Fugitive, there's a dozen crappy ones like Bewitched, Dukes of Hazzard, Beverly Hillbillies, etc. Remember when the opposite was true - turning movies into crappy TV shows? The last example I remember is My Big Fat Greek Life. Loved the movie it was based on, loathed the show.

And the there are the characters who are great on one show, but when they get their own spin-off it falls flat. A good example is Maude. The character Maude was to die for on AITF but on her own show she could be leaden and one-dimensional.

catlover79
04-14-2008, 12:35 AM
And the there are the characters who are great on one show, but when they get their own spin-off it falls flat. A good example is Maude. The character Maude was to die for on AITF but on her own show she could be leaden and one-dimensional.
Good point. (Off the subject, Rich, I have more rejected titles over at the Rhoda board. :lol:)

OH Nuts!
04-14-2008, 07:54 AM
Good point. (Off the subject, Rich, I have more rejected titles over at the Rhoda board. :lol:)

(Oy vey, between all these titles we're going to give Ida shpilkes, LOL:lol:)

Elizabeth Eden
04-14-2008, 09:14 AM
Some remakes turn out to be pretty decent but this one surely didn't. It was truly barf city & went right to Goodwill
Exactly. I thought Will Ferrell was miscast completely, and as for Nicole Kidman; well there's no replacing Liz so I wouldn't be able to accept anyone in the role of Samantha. ;)

catlover79
04-14-2008, 09:24 AM
The only role I felt that they got absolutely right was Steve Carell as the ghost of Uncle Arthur. He nailed it!!