A movie studio tries to capitalize on the success of an old television property by remaking a movie about the remake of a remake that features the original property’s character. Literally. Oh, and its supposed to be a romantic comedy at the same time. Uh, yeah.

If that plotline wasn’t confusing and muddled enough for you, try inserting a dynamite cast who sleepwalk through their roles. When you have Will Ferrell, Nicole Kidman, Michael Caine, Jason Schwartzman, and Steve Carell you would expect a smashing good time. Instead, prepare to have your brain melted by the oblivious blandness that is BEWITCHED. Watching this film, you immediately get the sense that there is NO script involved and it turns out there really is none! What little redeeming value this movie has isn’t worth the time in my opinion. Yes, Nicole Kidman is quite possibly the cutest thing EVER in this movie and I felt like giving her a gigantic hug. Sure, Will Ferrell throws out tiny shreds of comedy such as the great Don Johnson/Daniel Day Lewis lines, but for the most part he is just doesn’t seem funny. This movie is tired and uninspired. For the original BEWITCHED fans, there’s a slim chance of some nostalgia – I say don’t waste your time and stick to the great TV re-runs.

Video: Presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen means it looks like a charm on 16x9 TV’s (see a pattern? You need a 16x9 TV!). There are some minor compression problems that show up because Columbia crammed everything on one disc. Otherwise, it’s a standard transfer.

Audio: The choice of audio come in the form of both and English and a French Dolby 5.1 track. I actually enjoyed this movie more in French, which is always good for a laugh. Like the transfer the audio is standard fare, using mostly the center channel.

What I got from the special features was how much better the original show was compared to this shoddy remake.

Commentary by Director Norah Ephron: Her commentary will bore you to tears just like the movie! She shows lots of “enthusiasm” with her monotone voice and droning about the good old days of SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE. It also doesn’t help that she cuts out for periods of time. Judging from the commentary, it’s clear that Ms. Ephron threw something together from nothing. In one bit, she explains how good the extras are but then proceeds to correct herself and call them actors.

Witch Vision Trivia Track: This is an option that when switched on, pops up the most random trivia ever! You’ll learn things from when soda tabs were invented to how Will made impersonations over his high school PA system.

Deleted Scenes: I found the first couple deleted scenes to be funnier than the entire movie! Put THESE in the film and you might have had something. These are basically improv moments of Will and Co. having fun.

Featurettes:

“Casting A Spell: Making Bewitched”: The first of three EPKs, this one runs about 20 minutes and is a standard B.S. (behind scenes & that other word). All you’ll learn from this feature is that the studio called Ephron and said, “we have Nicole Kidman and no script, come up with something fast.” There is also an abundant over use of the word “incredible” here too. For the future, please don’t make an EPK about actors calling the movie incredible, it’s just sad. Talk about how the movie was made people!

“Bewitched: Star Shots”: This is a sad re-hashing of the first featurette. You can choose the different actor profiles and hear everyone else talk about how “incredible” they are. Again, like the movie, a waste of time. How about some controversy? How about an FU once in a while. How about showing Michael Caine telling Ephron to f*ck off while he goes back to the H.M.S Shagatcy!

“Why I Loved Bewitched”: Now this EPK is more like it. The focus remains purely on the original show, which is a feat in itself. Lots of stock footage plays and its fun.

Bewitched Trivia Game: Only for the die-hard TV Land fans of the original show. A decent range of trivia can be found here but no rewards are given.

There is also a plethora of movie trailers.

BEWITCHED is yet another movie to add to people’s disenchantment with Hollywood. Please don’t waste your time or money on this fluffy trash. SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE is light years ahead of this. In the words of Will Ferrell, “I don’t want to point fingers, but I have to blame the costume department for this failure.”