The curse that was meant to be lifted 30 years ago has returned – and it’s for the next generation. In the opening scene of Practical Magic 2, Kylie Owens (Joey King) sees her boyfriend get hit by a vehicle and, in a matter of minutes, she boards a plane to England to save him before the family’s millennia-old curse takes another life.
Her mother Sally (Sandra Bullock) and aunt Gillian (Nicole Kidman) are not far behind, running after her daughter across the Atlantic with a mysterious professor of dark magic who seems too interested in Sally. So, what’s the danger level of that chase and should your teneager join you to watch this movie?
What’s Practical Magic 2 Movie All About?
Thirty years after the original cult classic made a generation of viewers believe that margaritas at midnight and magic under the moon were the ultimate in sisterly bonding, Practical Magic 2 does the opposite. The curse of Maria Owens, which was supposedly lifted at the end of the first movie, has come back, and it’s asking for its revenge.
When it sets its sights on Kylie’s new boyfriend Gideon (Xolo Maridueña), she sets off for England hunting a cure, with her mother, her aunt, and her younger sister Antonia (Maisie Williams), now on her way to becoming a neurosurgeon, swept up in the search. Ian Wright (Lee Pace) is a professor of dark magic who becomes an ally in the fight against the curse and a possible love interest for the ever-cautious Sally.
The movie is very nostalgic, with Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest reprising their roles as the Owens sisters’ aunts, Frances and Jet. The comparisons to other legacy-sequel movies are inevitable, as this is a film that’s designed to ride on the coattails of its predecessor, The Devil Wears Prada, which was a talking point earlier this year, but was never going to find its redemption in new story.
Most importantly, this sequel fails to capture the essence of what made the original so popular. Alan Silvestri’s light romantic score, which made Practical Magic a Halloween staple, is gone. Instead, it’s a darker, longer movie that recaps the ending of its predecessor solely to make sense of a new story. The script is one of several places where it seems to give up on its own characters’ history for convenience, such as killing off Aiden Quinn’s Gary Hallett almost immediately after his introduction in the first movie.
But there are real questions to be sat with under the noise, primarily about grief, and about parents who attempt to shield their children from who they are. Sally’s attempt to wipe her daughters’ memories of their powers to make them “normal” is a reprise of her arc from the original movie, but this time it’s a more literal form of control. It’s frustratingly ambiguous whether that’s a comment on overprotective parenting or simply a plot twist to reset the stakes.
King adds warmth to Kylie, especially in one gutting scene where she tells Gideon that he’s in a coma, but the character is otherwise underdeveloped. Kidman is the movie’s biggest strength, able to make Gillian funny when she’s not given much to work with, and she’s the one who brings the old Owens sisters chemistry back for a few moments.
Pace, as the new love interest, injects some much-needed charm into a film that otherwise takes itself too seriously for its own good. The late arrival of the villain, meanwhile, is so underwritten that his motivations are not even felt by the time the third act limps to its conclusion..
Why the Content Rating Makes Sense
For a movie about a lethal family curse, Practical Magic 2 keeps its content mostly within the bounds of a typical fantasy-drama PG-13, but there’s more here than the whimsical original suggests.
While Practical Magic 2 is mostly a standard fantasy-drama PG-13, it’s not as light as the original, which is also whimsical.
The inciting incident is a boy being hit by a car, and the film’s focus of hospital rooms and grief continues throughout.
The dark magic menace of the story’s antagonist comes in late, and is of the kind that warrants a warning, but without ever becoming graphic.
Some innuendo about a character’s romantic history, and a few mild profanities thrown in through the dialogue, and it’s a film that’s a notch more intense than the original, without any one scene being particularly intense.
My recommendation for parents: This is fine for most tweens and older, but if your child was particularly impacted by illness, loss or hospital environments in other media, it’s best to preview first.
Directed by Susanne Bier. Starring Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Joey King, Lee Pace, Maisie Williams. Running time: 130 minutes. Theatrical release September 18, 2026. Updated September 10, 2026.
Why is Practical Magic 2 rated PG-13?
Practical Magic 2 is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for thematic elements, some violence, and brief suggestive references.
Violence: The film begins with Gideon, Kylie’s boyfriend, being hit by a car, which is shown swiftly but vividly. He has been seen later unconscious in a hospital bed, in a coma. The curse is restated in the early minutes of the film, resulting in the death of a character, but the death itself does not occur on screen, and is only mentioned in passing. The main curse of the plot targets more of the Owens family’s loved ones, and there are several tense encounters with dark magic, including a climactic stand-off with the plot’s antagonist, which is not a physical confrontation but an encounter with supernatural threats. No blood or gore is involved and this is nothing like a horror movie. The violence serves primarily as a way to heighten suspense, rather than to shock.
Sexual Content: There’s no nudity or explicit sexual content. Gillian’s romantic past is mentioned briefly, and a few lines refer to her dating a series of unreliable men over the years, but there is no indication or description of any of these relationships. A slow-burn romance between Sally and Ian Wright has some flirting and some mild tension but it remains chaste on screen.
Profanity: Language is mild and infrequent for a PG-13 movie. There will be a few words such as “hell” and “damn” and a few “oh my God”s and other exclamations. No sexual expletives are used, the ones usually used in R-rated movies, and no slurs of any sort.
Alcohol/Drug Use: Adult characters are seen socializing with wine and cocktails, including a reference to the iconic “midnight margaritas” scene from the original film. No drug use, no scenes of intoxication are played for anything other than light comedy.
What you need to know about Practical Magic 2
Is Practical Magic 2 appropriate for a 10-year-old?
Most 10-year-olds who enjoyed fantasy or witch-themed films should be fine with it, though the hospital and coma scenes involving a teenage character may be upsetting for more sensitive kids.
Does Practical Magic 2 have any curse words?
The film includes only mild language, words like “hell” and “damn,” with no strong sexual expletives.
Is there a sex scene in Practical Magic 2?
No. The film includes light romantic tension and some references to past relationships, but no depicted sexual content or nudity.
How does Practical Magic 2 compare to the original 1998 film in terms of content?
It’s slightly heavier, with more emphasis on grief, a car-accident injury, and darker magical peril, whereas the original leaned more into romance and comedy.
Do you need to watch the first Practical Magic before seeing the sequel?
Yes, the sequel assumes familiarity with the original’s characters and curse, and even alters key details from its ending.
Is Practical Magic 2 scary for kids?
It has some tense, dark-magic-themed scenes, but nothing resembling horror-movie scares. Younger children might find a couple of moments intense rather than frightening.
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Reference Source
Rebecca Hollis is the founder of Screen Parent Guide and a film content analyst with seven years of experience reviewing films for an independent ratings consultancy. A Film Studies graduate of Emerson College, she specialized in content classification and how ratings systems communicate, and often fail to communicate, what families can expect from a movie.