NORA EPHRON

Bil’s rating (out of 5):  BBB

USA, 2005.  Columbia Pictures Corporation, Red Wagon Entertainment.  Screenplay by Nora Ephron, Delia Ephron, based on the television series by Sol Saks.  Cinematography by John Lindley.  Produced by Nora Ephron, Lucy Fisher, Penny Marshall, Douglas Wick.  Music by George Fenton.  Production Design by Neil Spisak.  Costume Design by Mary Zophres.  Film Editing by Tia Nolan.  

Surprisingly charming comedy inspired by the original television series. Will Ferrell plays an obnoxiously self-centred movie star whose latest bomb has forced him to take the lead role in a television remake of Bewitched. When he meets beautiful Nicole Kidman on the street, he finds himself irresistibly attracted to her nose-twitching and begs her to take the female lead; what he doesn’t know is that she’s a real witch who just wants to fit in to a normal life.

She takes the role, since normal people have to have jobs, but soon discovers that what Ferrell wanted was not a co-star but a shadow.

Nora Ephron, who should never direct her own scripts (Sleepless In Seattle notwithstanding), fills the screen with plenty of healthy chuckles and chipper dialogue, but the plot has no direction and leaves too many tangents unresolved.

No matter, though, as it’s fluffy candy fun, with a delicious performance by Kidman and supporting work by Kristin Chenoweth (appearing here after her success in Broadway’s Wicked), Shirley MacLaine, Jason Schwartzman and especially Michael Caine that make it all that much more enjoyable.