"Bewitched isn’t just funny, it’s classy in the way that only the best romantic comedies manage."
Joshua Tyler CINEMABLEND.COM
"Kidman is so darn cute in this movie! Bewitched is a great date movie and a funny film for anyone who has or hasn't seen the original television show. "
Willie Waffle, WAFFLEMOVIES.COM
"Nicole Kidman can twitch her nose at me any time she wants."
Jackie K Cooper, JACKIEKCOOPER.COM
"Kidman again reveals her light, precise comic touch."
Cynthia Fuchs, POPMATTERS
"In a summer somewhat devoid of quality romantic comedies, Bewitched fills the gap well."
Stefan Halley HERO REALM
"So enjoyable I'd love to tune in every week to catch the adventures of Kidman and Ferrell."
Jeffrey Lyles GAZETTE
"Kidman doesn't compete with Montgomery's memory because she doesn't need to. She has crafted her own memorably witchy woman."
Carla Meyer SACRAMENTO BEE
"As cute as the magical twitch of Samantha Stephens' nose."
Nell Minow, MOVIE MOM AT YAHOO! MOVIES
"The fluffiest surprise of the summer. When it comes to the race for giggles, it's Nicole by a nose."
Roger Moore ORLANDO SENTINEL
"Kidman is absolutely divine. Ferrell is his usual pleasantly goofy self. A Funky Contrast."
Clint Morris MOVIEHOLE
The Inside Story
I must admit that over the years I have had the displeasure of seeing some pretty awful films, but "Bewitched, starring Will Ferrell and Nicole Kidman isn't one of them. As a matter of fact, I personally found it a pretty reasonable experience. But then I went in armed with the knowlege that in the USA it had received one hell of a pasting at the hands of the critics, and I didn't along to a screening expecting to see a literal remake of the smash hit television series which starred that delicious dish, Elizabeth Montgomery. In fact my 'first contact' with "Bewitched" the film, came via the Adelaide Premiere which screened to a packed house at the Wallis Academy Cinema in the heart of Adelaide. Now unless I was on some sort of mindbending psychotropic drug I could have sworn I'd heard a hearty dose of laughter during this screening of the film. No it wasn't a continuous thunder clap of laughter, but as I've written, "a hearty dose of laughter." And didn't I get a feeling that those I walked out with were in what appeared to be a 'happy state'? And didn't I get feedback telling me that "Bewitched" was surprisingly good in light of what those people had read in the media, both print and on the internet? Of course I did. Which just goes to show, either Adelaide people have pretty good taste or we're a pretty screwed up bunch of anal retentive bastards. I'd like to thing that like many Australian cinemagoers our taste in films is a lot better than that of ourcounterparts in the USA. And just to dispel any thoughts about the film being a remake of the 60's show here's what acclaimed Producer Lucy Fisher had to say about this production, "Bewitched". "We always knew we didn’t want to slavishly imitate the 1960s style of the show," Fisher said. "We didn’t just want to do a remake with movie stars. That would have been too much of a retread and creatively unambitious. What we did want to do, however, is somehow pay tribute to the essence of the show, though in a more modern, edgy context. Nora has managed to keep all the aspects people loved about the series while also taking the film in a new direction." Multi Award winning Producer Douglas Wick notes, "What Nora and Delia did was to somehow manage to maintain the romance and comedy of the original series and suffuse it with a smart, modern spirit." It was a concept that assured right from the start that Australian actress Nicole Kidman would appear in the film as Isabel Bigelow. Nora Ephron recalls, "I told her this basic idea of a witch in 2005 who is cast in a remake of the television show purely on the grounds that she looks exactly like Elizabeth Montgomery and would be no competition for the guy who is the lead in the show because he doesn’t really want an equal relationship with an actress. That was the beginning of it." The original concept came from Producers Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher of Red Wagon Entertainment who "had long entertained the idea of turning the beloved romantic comedy series "Bewitched" into a feature film." Wick explained, "We always saw the movie as a love story between the most otherworldly of women and the most earthly of men. Nicole’s statuesque beauty gives her the perfect, witchy exterior. Her brilliance as an actress makes her credible as a woman with supernatural powers. Then, there’s the added bonus of Nicole’s nose and its miraculous similarity to that of Elizabeth Montgomery’s." Norah Ephron is full of praise for the talented actress who plays the lead in her film and who, by the way, has that the natural ability to produce that "Bewitched" nose twitch.
"I can’t think of anything similar she’s ever done," Norah says. "The thing about Nicole is that she has immense depth and range and, as with any great actor, she works unbelievably hard to make it look as if what she’s doing is easy." Academy Award ® winning 'aussie' actress Nicole Kidman admits "her initial interest was rooted in nostalgia. But when Ephron got involved, she realized that the project could be much more, offering her the rare opportunity to work in a romantic comedy under the direction of a filmmaker who clearly loves, and is constantly redefining, the genre." And she does have an uncanny likeness to Elizabeth Montgomery. "Everyone always told me I looked so much like Elizabeth Montgomery, so that was the first thing that got me interested in the possibility of a film version," Kidman admitted. "As a little girl, I watched almost every episode of the series. However, when Nora said she would write and direct, I thought, well, this is something I have to do. It was great to see her slowly construct this very, very clever dual story." Now all they needed was a male lead to play opposite Kidman. Columbia Pictures chairman Amy Pascal, who had first suggested Nora Ephron, now suggested they look at actor Will Ferrell. "It didn’t feel like ‘smart’ casting," says Ephron. "It just felt like we were exactly one minute ahead of everyone. Then Elf came out a few months later and we all thought, how lucky for us." And how lucky for the cinem audiences because Will Ferrell in the role of Jack Wyatt is just perfect pairing. "We had been fans of Will from the days of Saturday Night Live," says Lucy Fisher. "We loved the idea of him for this movie. Will and Nicole just clicked, although they are each in parts that are very different for them. Nicole is so girlish and feminine and soft and funny in this film, accessible and vulnerable. And Will is a wonderful romantic lead." And very funny too I might add! The two leads met on the set of "The Stepford Wives and were introduced to each other by Norah Ephron who recalls the magic moment. "We all met at the Kaufman-Astoria studios in Queens while Nicole was making The Stepford Wives. Will arrived at the meeting in a pair of very large plaid Bermuda shorts, a baggy t-shirt, athletic socks and sneakers. We went into Nicole’s dressing room, where she greeted us wearing the most exquisite white ensemble I have ever seen, the most perfect white cashmere sweater and white skirt with perfect make-up. She looked like a fairy princess. They were the most completely ludicrous and mismatched couple I had ever been in a room with. During the meeting, I just started laughing at the enormous physical contrast between them [on every single level], yet they truly found each other charming." And what did the two outstanding Hollywood stars think? "We were so fortunate to get Will," says Kidman. "I was excited to come to work every day because he genuinely made me laugh. And he’s so likable and genuine as a person. It’s a wonderful combination." Ferrell had plenty to say about his leading lady. "Well, let’s just say it wasn’t that hard to play falling in love with Nicole Kidman," he says. "But even beyond that, it was a treat to work with her because she is so available in her performance that any sort of awkwardness I might have felt about playing opposite someone of her caliber just disappeared immediately. What I found really interesting was that she was a great comedienne because she is such a fantastic actress. Even though this is a romantic comedy, she still approached it with the same seriousness as she would have for a period piece or a drama." Kidman and Ferrell are just two of the many bonuses for those who take in "Bewitched".
Casting About
"BEWITCHED" stars .......
Academy Award ®, Golden Globe, BAFTA and Berlin Film Festival Silver Bear Award winner Nicole Kidman ["Dead Calm", "The Hours", "Moulin Rouge" and "Cold Mountain"]; Will Ferrell ["The Wedding Crashers", "Old School", "Elf", "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" and "Melinda and Melinda"]; Academy Award ®, BAFTA, Golden Globe and New York Critics’ Best Actor Award winner Michael Caine ["Alfie", "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels", "Miss Congeniality" and "The Actors"]; Academy Award ®, Golden Globe and Berlin Film Festival Golden Bear Lifetime Achievement Award winner Shirley MacLaine ["Sweet Charity", "Terms of Endearment", "Guarding Tess" and "Irma La Douce"]; Jason Schwartzman ["Rushmore", "Slackers", "Simone" and "I Love Huckabee"]; Kristin Chenoweth ["The Pink Panther", "Stranger Than Fiction" and "Running With Scissors"]; Heather Burns ["You’ve Got Mail", "Two Weeks Notice", "Miss Congeniality" and "Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous"]; Jim Turner ["The Lost Boys", "St Elmo's Fire", "My Samurai" and "364 Girls a Year"]; Steve Carell ["Bruce Almighty", "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" and "Melinda & Melinda"] and Carole Shelley ["It's Great to Be Young!", "Carry On Cabbie", "The Whoopee Boys", "Little Noises", "The Road To Wellville" and "Jungle 2 Jungle"] as Aunt Clara.
Crew Bytes
"BEWITCHED" was .......
directed by Nora Ephron ["Sleepless in Seattle", "This Is My Life", "Michael" and "You've Got Mail"]; screenplay by Delia Ephron ["You've Got Mail", "Michael", "Sleepless In Seattle" and "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants"] and Nora Ephron ["Mixed Nuts", "Lucky Numbers", "When Harry Met Sally" and "Hanging Up"]; costume design by Mary Zophres ["The Ladykillers", "O Brother, Where Art Thou?", "Catch Me If You Can" and "The Terminal"]; production design by Neil Spisak ["Spider-Man ®", "Spider-Man 2®", "The Gift" and "For Love of the Game"]; edited by Tia Nolan ["Spanglish", "The Affair of the Necklace", "You’ve Got Mail" and "The Others"]; director of photography by John Lindley A.S.C ["You’ve Got Mail", "Sleeping with the Enemy", "Money Train" and "The Sum of All Fears"]; original music by George Fenton ["Cry Freedom", "The Object of My Affection", "Bread and Roses", "Groundhog Day", "Stage Beauty" and "Ae Fond Kiss"] produced by Motion Picture Club’s Producer of the Year, the 2002 NATO ShoWest Producer of the Year, 2002 Hollywood Award for Outstanding Achievement in Producing, Saturn Award winner and Academy Award ® winner Douglas Wick ["Peter Pan", "Working Girl", "Stuart Little", "Gladiator" and "Win a Date with Tad Hamilton"], Penny Marshall ["Jumpin’ Jack Flash", "A League of Their Own", "Calendar Girl" and "Riding in Cars with Boys"] and Hollywood Award for Outstanding Achievement in Producing, Crystal Award from 'Women in Film' and Premiere magazine' Icon Award winner Lucy Fisher ["Men in Black", "My Best Friend’s Wedding", "Air Force One", "Jerry Maguire", "Zorro" and "As Good As It Gets"].
What It's All About
Isabel Bigelow is no ordinary woman, although she'd like to be. You see, Isabel is a Witch. A Witch with a wish. Isabel would like to live a more ordinary lifestyle. One that is more human and offers things like a real home, true love and not the things she can get at the snap of her finger. Jack Wyatt on the other hand is all about material things. Jack's an actor. An actor whose last adventure film was one huge flop. Now he's being thrown a lifeline. The starring role of Darren in a remake of the 1960's television smash hit, "Bewitched". Told to be more assertive by his manager, Jack stuns the producers by demanding that a complete unknown must be found to play the role of Samantha. Endless screen tests fail to produce one candidate who can imitate the magical nose wiggle the original Samantha was famous for. Then Jack runs into Isabel Bigelow. She has the perfect nose wiggle. Isabel is hard to convince but the egotistical Jack soon swings her over and much to the producers delight, Isabel is just perfect. Poor unfortunate Jack has decided that Isabel is only window dressing for his role in the show. While she may have innocently misinterpreted his words that he needs her, Isabel soon wises up to Jack's intentions. Watch out Jack. Isabel really is a Witch and that could spell trouble. Trouble for Jack and trouble for the show.
The Verdict
"I get the feeling that the Box Office figures will tell the tale as to how people feel about seeing Kidman and Ferrell in "Bewitched". It's not a huge film but it is certainly worth having a look at. Don't expect a continued 'laughfest' and that the film is a complete reproduction of the TV comedy show. The bewitching part about the film is that Nicole Kidman once again shows how talented she is. And yes, Will Ferrell is very funny. Make up your own mind by seeing "Bewitched". Bright, breezy, lighthearted and of course it's very romantic. Worth a look at? Why not!"
The Cast
Nicole Kidman
Will Ferrell
Shirley MacLaine
Michael Caine
Jason Schwartzman
Kristin Chenoweth
Heather Burns
Jim Turner
Stephen Colbert
David Alan Grier
Michael Badalucco
Carole Shelley
Steve Carell
Katie Finneran
Amy Sedaris
Richard Kind
Ken Campbell
P J Byrne
Carol Androsky
Clay Bravo
Heather Freedman
Jonathan Floyd
Jennifer Hall
Roxanne Beckford
Hugh Davidson
Joe Zymblosky
J J Sacha
Mo Rocca
Jason George
Wendi McLendon-Covey
Julie Claire
Terry Savage
Dianne Dreyer
Kate Walsh
Valerie Azlynn
Ed McMahon
James Lipton
Conan O'Brien
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Isabel Bigelow/Samantha
Jack Wyatt/Darren
Iris Smythson/Endora
Nigel Bigelow
Ritchie
Maria Kelly
Nina
Larry
Stu Robison
Jim Fields
Joey Props
Aunt Clara
Uncle Arthur
Sheila Wyatt
Gladys Kravitz
Abner Kravitz
Writer
Writer
Realtor
Coffee Shop Waitress
Beverly Hills Hotel Hostess
Cable Man
Book Soup Cafe Waitress
Francine
Network Executive
Randall
Voice-Over Announcer
E! Reporter
E! Anchor
E! Anchor
Hillary
Dinner Party Guest
Production Staff Assistant
Sexy Waitress
Gorgeous Model
Himself
Himself
Himself
The Crew
Directed by Nora Ephron
Written by Delia Ephron & Nora Ephron
Produced by Lucy Fisher/Penny Marshall/Douglas Wick
Original Music by George Fenton
Cinematography by John Lindley
Film Editing by Tia Nolan & Stephen A Rotter
Casting by Francine Maisler
Production Design by Neil Spisak
Art Direction by Steve Arnold
Set Decoration by Karen O'Hara
Costume Design by Mary Zophres
Run Time 102 minutes
Rated PG [AUST]
Copyright ©2005 - Columbia Pictures - All Rights Reserved
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