Bewitched
Directed by	Nora Ephron
Produced by	Lucy Fisher Penny Marshall Douglas Wick
Written by	Delia Ephron Nora Ephron
Starring	Nicole Kidman Will Ferrell Shirley MacLaine Michael Caine Kristin Chenoweth Heather Burns Jason Schwartzman David Alan Grier Stephen Colbert
Music by	George Fenton
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)	June 24 2005
Running time	102 minutes
Language	English
Budget	$85 million (USD) (estimated)
IMDb profile

Bewitched is a 2005 comedy film produced by Columbia Pictures and inspired by the classic television series of the same name. The film was released in the United States and Canada on June 24 2005. It was directed by Nora Ephron and featured as co-stars Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell. It was rated PG-13 in the US, and PG in the UK and Australia. The film began filming in 2004 and was finished by early 2005.

According to the teaser [1], it was originally scheduled for release in July, but instead, it opened on June 24, 2005.

Plot/Summary

The film is not an adaptation of the television series, but more of a homage. It is about a witch named Isabel Bigelow (Kidman) who wants to give up magic and have a normal life, despite her magic-loving father's warnings that she can't live without it. She meets a failing movie star named Jack (Ferrell) who wants to find an unknown actress to play a witch — and his wife — in a TV show, a modern adaptation of the classic TV show Bewitched.

When she becomes more popular than him and unintentionally takes the spotlight away, the pompous, self-centered Jack decides to downplay her role and make the show focus on Darrin (thus garnering the audience's attention). Isabel becomes angry when she finds out (since he told her during her auditions that he "needed her") and furiously tells him that he's a jerk. The harsh words, strangely enough, appeal to Jack who never had anyone speak their mind to him before, especially his ex-wife (who he claimed preferred to just lock him out of the house). He begins to give her bigger roles and the two begin to fall in love. Isabel feels guilty for hiding her powers from Jack however, and shows him her powers. He becomes upset that she might be using magic to manipulate his emotions and leaves her. Devastated, Isabel decides to return home, where Darrin is told (by Uncle Arthur) she must stay for 100 years once she returns. Jack realizes that he loves Isabel for real after all and tries to find her before she returns home. To his surprise, he finds her at the studio, which she considers her "home". Jack proposes to her and she accepts. Before she accepts, it is revealed that she didn't have to remain at her home for 100 years before she could, once again, return.

Meanwhile the "spirits" of the old Bewitched television show work their own magic on Isabel and Jack by ensuring that the couple ends up in a happy union of witch to mortal like on the original series. The home in which Isabel and Jack finally settle in together is numbered "1164" as a nod to the house address from the original TV series: 1164 Morning Glory Circle.

Criticism

• The movie was panned by critics[2] but earned $127,438,981 in worldwide box-office. The movie was filmed on a budget of US $85 million.

• The pairing of Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell earned a Razzie Award for "Worst Screen Couple" in a 2005 film.

Movie facts

United States Information:

• Release date: June 24 2005
• DVD and UMD Release Date: October 25 2005
• VHS Release Date: December 20 2005
• Running Time: 102 minutes
• Rating: PG-13 for some language including sex and drug references and partial nudity

Trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• The role of Dr. Bombay was given to actor Fred Willard for a sequence that was cut from the film.

• Shirley Maclaine insisted that her role be changed to that of an actress who was also a sorceress.

• Jim Carrey was offered the role of struggling film actor Jack Wyatt but chose to star in another Sony remake Fun with Dick and Jane

• The Office (US TV series) star Steve Carell makes an extended cameo as Uncle Arthur who suddenly appears before Jack.

• After Nicole Kidman saw Kristin Chenoweth perform in Wicked, she approached Chenoweth and promised her a role in her next film. She kept the promise when Chenoweth received a role in Bewitched.

External links

• Bewitched Official Theatre Site — Must be 13 or older to enter, and you must be 18 or older to register.
• Bewitched Official Home Entertainment Site — Must be 13 or older to enter, and you must be 18 or older to order from here.
• Bewitched at the Internet Movie Database
• Film Locations
• Movie Project History from a Bewitched fan site
• Nicole Kidman interview for Bewitched

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