Don't Ever Ask Sandra Bullock This Question About Practical Magic

What can you do when you're part of a witch family whose romances are cursed? That's the premise of "Practical Magic," the 1998 fantasy film that has cast a spell on audiences for nearly three decades. Yet it wasn't well received in the press when it debuted; the revered Roger Ebert called it "too scary for children and too childish for adults," per his website. Other critics had a different issue with the movie, and one of its stars is still steaming hotter than a cauldron over it.

Sandra Bullock — who, along with Nicole Kidman, is still a bombshell after all these years, btw — reminisced about the film's reception ahead of the sequel, "Practical Magic 2." In an interview with Vanity Fair, the "Blind Side" Oscar-winner explained that the film "was such a horrific experience for us, because it was a movie that we were just so proud to make, and then the reception was so brutal. You know: How many women do you need in a film? And all that kind of stuff." Along with Bullock and Kidman, "Magic" featured a heavily female cast, including Dianne Wiest, Stockard Channing, and Evan Rachel Wood.

Critics also found the movie's style hard to pin down. "'There's just so many tones, like comedy and drama and magic,'" Bullock echoed the complaints in a presser with Entertainment Weekly. "And I'm like, have you lived any life?"

When old stereotypes and misconceptions get overthrown in Hollywood, it's cause for celebration. Despite the skepticism surrounding "Practical Magic," beloved female-forward releases like "Bridesmaids," "Legally Blonde," "Hidden Figures," "Wicked," and "The Barbie Movie" followed afterward. In fact, the genre is so much a part of our current culture that younger generations can't imagine a time when it didn't exist. During the "Practical Magic 2" press event covered by Entertainment Weekly, the outlet noted that co-stars Joey King and Maisie Williams were stunned when Sandra Bullock spoke about the "too many women" complaints.

The original film's lack of nasty girl-rivalry, along with its messaging about sisterhood and support, were also considered both foreign and unbankable. Today, these messages are not only acceptable in our media, but practically mandatory. The new film, perfect for our favorite season, also celebrates motherhood, with King and Williams playing the daughters of Bullock's character, Sally Owens.

That's good news for Gen Alpha actors, who have less of a chance of running into the same criticisms and roadblocks Bullock and her peers faced. (Off screen, Nicole Kidman is even proving that a love life can sizzle again in midlife after her divorce from Keith Urban.) Bullock foresees a new chapter for her younger colleagues in the near future. "We'll do a number three if this takes off," she told Vanity Fair. "And we'll pass the torch to the girls." In other words, Bullock and Kidman walked so King and Williams could fly — on their broomsticks, that is.