Film

Bewitched

Name: Bewitched
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Released: 2005
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Will Ferrell, Shirley MacLaine, Michael Caine, Jason Schwartzman

Other titles called Bewitched: the 1964 series (ABC).

Comedy
Fantasy
Light-hearted

A romantic comedy built on a clever premise: an arrogant actor casts what he thinks is an unknown actress for a TV remake, only to discover she's actually a real witch. It's a film that loves its own joke—the classic sitcom filtered through modern Hollywood vanity and slapstick magic. Charming rather than hilarious, it trades on chemistry and the pleasure of watching beautiful people learn humility.

TMDb rating

2.5

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Enchanted2007

Amy Adams as a fairy-tale princess literally dropped into modern New York. It has the same DNA: a fish-out-of-water romance, genuine warmth beneath the fantasy trappings, and a real affection for the source material it's playing with.

But The tone veers between sincere Disney sentiment and arch comedy without always landing smoothly. Some will find it too earnest, others too cute.

Midnight in Paris2011

Owen Wilson discovers a magical door into the 1920s. Like Bewitched, it's a love letter to an older era told through modern eyes, concerned with whether nostalgia can be genuine, and lit by genuine romance beneath the fantasy.

But Woody Allen's neurotic philosophizing isn't for everyone. The whimsy can feel indulgent if you're not already charmed by that particular sensibility.

The Brady Bunch Movie1995

It captures that exact tone: reverential affection for a classic TV show, deadpan comedy from fish-out-of-water earnestness, and a willingness to let the absurdity be the joke. The film loves what it's making fun of.

But The humor is broad and relies entirely on your tolerance for '70s nostalgia. Without that affection, it reads as just silly.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Bewitched

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Addams Family1991

Both understand that the real comedy comes from treating the supernatural as mundane—the magic isn't the joke, the characters' reactions to it are.

A film that loves its weird family completely and asks the audience to love them too. Like Bewitched, it's a supernatural comedy that never punches down at its characters—it trusts that weirdness is enough.

But The humor is peculiar and mordant; it's not trying to be broadly likable. That deadpan sensibility isn't universally beloved.

Hairspray2007

A musical remake of a beloved original that gets the tone exactly right: it's joyful, inclusive, irreverent about its source material without being mean to it. John Waters' spirit meets Hollywood spectacle.

But If you find big ensemble song-and-dance numbers exhausting rather than delightful, the constant bursts of energy will wear you down.

Crazy, Stupid, Love.2011

It has the same romantic comedy DNA: chemistry between leads, a premise that should be silly but is played with genuine sincerity, and an understanding that romance stories can be both funny and affecting.

But The ensemble grows bloated as it goes on, and the emotional climax asks you to buy a lot of sentiment that the comedy hasn't fully earned.

The Poseidon Adventure1972

A disaster film that somehow works as escapist entertainment. Like Bewitched, it's unashamed about what it wants: pure spectacle and fun. It trusts the premise without winking at the audience.

But The dated special effects and earnest action sequences will feel quaint to modern eyes. There's no ironic distance; you have to meet it where it lives.

Practical Magic1998

Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as witch sisters. It's the same playful fantasy-romantic tone, but with darker edges and actual stakes. Sandra Bullock and chemistry between the leads make it sing.

But The tonal shifts between romance and genuine supernatural dread are uneven. It can't quite decide if it's a love story or a horror film.

Splash1984

Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah as a man and his mermaid. It's the template for this kind of film: grounded romantic comedy built on a fantastic premise, played straight enough to feel real.

But The '80s dating rituals will feel dated and the sentimentality heavy-handed if you're watching for modern sensibilities.

Stardust2007

A fantasy romance that wears its love of the story on its sleeve, doesn't take itself seriously, and trusts its charm to carry it. Michelle Pfeiffer is a joy, and the film knows when to be sincere.

But It's a 127-minute fairy tale that requires you to submit to whimsy and accept coincidence as destiny. That's a high bar for some viewers.

Singin' in the Rain1952

Both are films *about* how movies work, about performing and authenticity, about whether genuine feeling can survive beneath layers of artifice and ego.

A Hollywood love story about Hollywood itself, with a knowing, playful critique of the industry wrapped in gorgeous spectacle. Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor remind us that movie romance is a craft.

But It's a full musical with extensive dance sequences. If you're not already committed to that form, the extended numbers can feel indulgent rather than joyful.

Howl's Moving Castle2004

Both films are about learning to see past surface charm—the hero believing the other person is someone they're not, and the slow recognition of who they actually are beneath the performance.

A Studio Ghibli fantasy romance with the same baroque warmth, the same romantic entanglement between two people who think they know who they are. It's whimsical without being saccharine.

But It's anime, and subtitled if you watch the original. The pacing is deliberately slow and contemplative, which reads as dull to viewers expecting constant momentum.