Tremendously Unmemorable

Bewitched (2005)

Mainstream movies that've been released in the past dozen years are, for the most part, movies that I have not yet seen. That doesn't necessarily mean I'm not familiar with standout performances from certain actors and actresses as well as directors and highly acclaimed films that some have made. Though I have not seen any of Nicole Kidman's most recent movies, I do know her work. So seeing her star in this movie had me scratching my head.

Kidman plays Isabel Bigalow who is cast as the new Samantha in a new Bewitched TV series revival. Opposite Isabel is Jack Wyatt, a washed up movie star looking to make a name for himself once again (played by Will Ferrell.) The question is -- why were these two paired together in this movie? Imagine Jerry Garcia doing a song together with Michael Jackson. Weird, ain't it? Well, here Will Ferrell and Nicole Kidman go together kinda maybe like mustard and watermelon. Like dropping a '62 VW Bug engine into a new Ferrari. Like the Pope at an orgy.

Anyway, as Wyatt is looking to regain his A-list star status, Isabel just wants to be as normal as your ordinary average mortal rather than the witch she is. Her dad (Michael Caine) isn't making that easy for her. While the crew of the TV series is casting the new Samantha, Wyatt spots Isabel in a bookstore one day and casts her in the series and subsequently falls in love with him.

Nicole Kidman, I must say, did a good job with the material she was given. She's truly an A-lister herself, a world class actress which is why it's strange to see her in this role. Even though she did a good job, playing Isabel was not her kind of character. And Will Ferrell was okay, his usual goofy self. Still these two who excel in their craft in their own way just didn't work in this.

Also showing up here is a slew of names including Shirley MacLaine, Jason Schwartzman, Kristin Chenoweth, David Alan Grier, Stephen Colbert and Steve Carell. But none of them could save this movie from being just a mediocre forgettable film.