If this were written as a term paper for a college course called Disaster 101 it would get an A+. What a mess! Nichole Kidman's Samantha is a stereotypical dumb blonde and although the character wises up a bit toward the end of the film, she's still a tired stereotype of pretty, brainless babes. Elizabeth Montgomery's Samantha was sharp and sassy. The rest of the characters are even worse -- played like those the stiff, dialogue-heavy caricatures in limited animation cartoons. For a movie where magic is the central theme, there isn't much on screen. There were more visual effects in a typical 20-minute episode of the original series than in this 2-hour epic. Even the musical score is a mess! There is no consistent style. The film is laced with a weird variety of pop tunes that they probably paid a ridiculous amount of money to license, while failing to enhance the film. Michael Caine, who is generally an outstanding actor is just a Disney animatronic here. Shirley MacLaine fares better as Endora but the script gives her little to work with. I never liked the Aunt Clara character in the original series and her pointless sequence could have been left out. Impressionist Michael Airington does a vastly better Paul Lynde and bares a closer resemblance than Steve Carell. I recently saw Airington in his stand-up show "An Evening With Paul Lynde." "Bewitched" has the look and feel of a film written by a corporate committee -- or perhaps several -- who never sat in the same room together. Farcical comedy is difficult to pull off, but it can be done, as in Colin Higgin's films "Foul Play" (1978) and "Silver Streak" (1976).
