Practical Magic Ending Explained

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Practical Magic

Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Practical Magic.

When Practical Magic first hit theaters on October 16, 1998, it received mixed reviews and didn’t break even on its budget, but over the years, it developed a cult following that helped it become known as one of the best witch movies. Beyond the interesting story about a family curse, magic, and romance, part of what keeps people returning to Practical Magic is its star cast which includes Sandra Bullock as Sally Owens and Nicole Kidman as Gillian Owens. At its core, Practical Magic is about sisterhood, with Bullock and Kidman developing great chemistry.

Unfortunately, it was the only time the two stars shared the big screen, which made it even more special. With Practical Magic 2 recently announced, Kidman and Bullock will hopefully reunite onscreen as the Owens sisters. Little has been revealed about the sequel yet, but Practical Magic is worth the rewatch for viewers to refresh themselves on the plot, or a first watch for those unfamiliar with the late 1990s cult classic. Over 25 years later, there’s still a lot to talk about and be explored with Practical Magic.

Practical Magic Cast & Characters

Cast	Characters
Sandra Bullock	Sally Owens
Nicole Kidman	Gillian "Gilly" Owens
Goran Visnjic	James "Jimmy" Angelov
Stockard Channing	Frances Owen
Dianne Wiest	Bridget "Jet" Owens
Aidan Quinn	Investigator Gary Hallet
Caprice Benedetti	Maria Owens
Evan Rachel Wood	Kylie Owens
Alexandra Atrip	Antonia Owens
Mark Feuerstein	Michael

How Sally Got Rid Of Jimmy’s Spirit In Practical Magic’s Ending

Sally & Her Aunts Used More Than Magic

In Practical Magic, the Owens sisters were painted as opposites. Sally was careful, calm, and down-to-earth, while Gillian was larger-than-life and always searching for a new adventure, usually with a lover. Gillian left their aunt Frances and aunt Jet’s home as a young woman to be with a guy and had been traveling ever since. While Sally was settling down with her husband and two daughters, Gillian was with a Bulgarian named Jimmy Angelov, who likened himself to cowboys.

When Gillian called a now-widowed Sally looking for help after Jimmy hit her, Sally came to pick her up and bring her home. Unfortunately, Jimmy had other plans, taking them hostage before Sally accidentally killed him by putting too much belladonna in his tequila instead of the amount meant to sedate him. This kicked off a slew of crazy events, with a failed attempt to resurrect him to avoid murder charges leading to them killing him again and burying him in their aunts’ garden.

However, Jimmy’s spirit never died in Practical Magic. He left little hints that he was still around and eventually possessed Gillian. The Owens women had been ostracized from everyone else in their town because of their magical powers, but Sally was able to rally the townswomen to make a coven and help exorcise the violent Jimmy from Gillian’s body.

It was a great display of the power of community and women in particular. Yet, when the exorcism seemed to be hurting Gillian as much as Jimmy, Sally interrupted it and came up with another plan. She lured Jimmy with tequila, only to cut Gillian’s hand as a younger Gillian had once done to her to form a blood pact. This brought Gillian back and Jimmy was banished for good. In the end, Practical Magic showed that the blood bond between sisters was stronger than any magic, dark or otherwise.

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The Owens Women Curse Explained

Was The Practical Magic Curse Real?

Caprice Benedetti As Marie Owens In Practical Magic.jpg

At the beginning of Practical Magic, Aunt Frances and Aunt Jet explain the Owens women’s curse to a young Sally (Camilla Belle) and a young Gillian (Lora Anne Criswell). The story goes back three centuries to their ancestor, Maria Owens, who used magic to survive an attempted execution for witchcraft. However, Maria accidentally cursed the Owens women when she cast a spell to prevent her from ever falling in love again when the father of her unborn child abandoned her.

From there on, every man an Owens woman loved was doomed to die prematurely. Sally and Gillian went to live with their aunts after their father died, causing their mother to also die of a broken heart. Despite her best efforts to never fall in love so she could avoid the curse, Sally's husband, Michael, died as well. When an Owens woman hears or sees the Deathwatch beatle, they know their love will die shortly after, and Michael was killed when he was struck by a car.

Belief is the most powerful magic of all.

However, Aunt Jet didn’t believe in the curse, claiming the deaths were incidental. Whether she was saying this to avoid scaring the girls or not is unknown. However, Investigator Gary Hallet, who came to find out more about Jimmy’s sudden disappearance, later told Sally, “Curses only have power when you believe them.” Thus, it’s possible that the Owens women's belief in and fear of the curse in Practical Magic manifested it to come true.

A composite image of Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock looking on in Practical Magic

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The Symbolism Of Gary’s Badge Explained

Sally’s Speech On Magic Had A Deeper Meaning

Aidan Quinn As Gary Hallet Holding Up His Badge Looking Scared In Practical Magic.jpg

As aforementioned, Gary arrives in Practical Magic to investigate Gillian and Sally, whom he (rightfully) believes had something to do with Jimmy’s disappearance/death. While Gillian has no trouble lying to him, Sally, who eventually catches feelings for Gary, has a harder time. He knows they’re not being completely honest and the rumors of their magic and the curse make him even more skeptical.

At one point, Gary confronts Sally about being a witch, and she jokes with him about her magic. However, when he tells her about rumors of “devil magic,” Sally, who doesn’t like to use her powers and often looks down on magic, tells him, “ there’s no devil in the craft .” Sally adds “Magic isn’t just spells and potions,” and likens it to Gary’s police badge. She says to Gary,

“ It's just a star, just another symbol. Your talisman. It can't stop criminals in their tracks, can it? It has power because you believe it does .”

These words seemed to touch Gary, and later on, when he came into Gillian’s room and saw Jimmy possessing her, the badge protected him. Jimmy had put his hand in Gary’s chest, intending to rip his heart out, but his badge burned a star-shaped hole in his hand, stopping him. When he realized this, Gary held the badge up, and Jimmy’s spirit evaporated temporarily. Sally’s Practical Magic speech about Gary’s badge had foreshadowed it saving him, reminding him that belief is the most powerful magic of all.

Was The Curse Really Broken At The End Of Practical Magic?

Sally Believed The Curse Was Broken

When Sally learned about the Owens women’s curse in Practical Magic, she did what she could to try and protect her from it, just as Maria had tried to protect herself from ever being hurt again. She made a love potion, wishing for a man with highly specific and seemingly impossible characteristics, hoping he’d never show up and she’d be spared. However, she still fell in love with Michael, who was killed. On top of this, Gary seemed to be the man Sally had described as a young girl in her Practical Magic spell.

She tried to push Gary away because of the curse, but that’s when he said his line about not believing in them. What truly broke the curse was Sally embracing her magic with the coven and saving Gillian with their blood bond. Sally had been running away from magic and the curse for so long, and when she finally stopped, she was able to break the Practical Magic curse. The film ends shortly after they get together, so whether the curse was truly broken was never fully tested, but Sally was sure of it.

How Practical Magic’s Ending Set Up Practical Magic 2

Practical Magic 2 Can Focus On Sally’s Children

Evan Rachel Wood As Kylie & Sandra Bullock As Sally Owens In Practical Magic.jpg

Practical Magic 2 was confirmed 26 years after Practical Magic, and the announcement might have surprised some viewers. However, Practical Magic is based on the 1995 novel of the same name, to which there are two prequel novels and one sequel. Author Alice Hoffman revisited the book series 20 years after she first wrote Practical Magic with The Rules of Magic (2017), Magic Lessons (2020), and The Book of Magic (2021).

In the sequel novel, The Book of Magic, Sally’s older daughter Kylie’s boyfriend falls into a coma after a tragic accident, and she needs to find a cure for the curse. She travels to England to find out more about her ancestor Maria and the Owens women’s curse. At the same time, Jet hears the Deathwatch beetle and knows she only has a week to live. The three generations of Owens women and their long-lost brother work to break the curse while uncovering old family secrets.

It hasn’t been confirmed whether Practical Magic 2 will follow the story of The Book of Magic, but it would be the most logical way to continue after Practical Magic’s ending, even if it brings the curse back into play for the story. An 11-year-old Evan Rachel Wood played Kylie in Practical Magic, and she grew up to have a successful acting career.

Wood can revive her role as Kylie and take on a larger role in Practical Magic 2 along with the rest of the original cast. Practical Magic has a happy ending, but something must create conflict to justify a sequel.

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The Real Meaning Of The Practical Magic Ending

Sisterhood And Belief Trump Everything

Practical Magic , at its heart, is about sisterhood.

While some see Practical Magic as a cozy fall movie with hints of horror, others see it as a Halloween rom-com. The truth is that Practical Magic, at its heart, is about sisterhood. That’s also exactly what the end of the movie is really about as well.

Jimmy’s spirit is banished and Sally is able to fall in love again in the final scenes of the movie. Beyond that, however, Sally also fully embraces her heritage, the craft, and her bond with her sister. To save Gillian’s life, she has to call on the very people who have ridiculed her family and whom she’s pretended to be civil toward since she was a child. She bonds with them when she believes in herself and embraces who she is as well.

Sally, Gillian, the aunts, and Sally’s daughters, also all participate in a Halloween tradition in the end. They jump from the roof of a building in town, dressed in black dresses and hats like stereotypical witches, and holding umbrellas. It’s the final suggestion that Sally truly believes in the craft and her abilities and won’t be turning away from it anymore. It’s also the final suggestion that the movie is about sisterhood as each pair of sisters jumps together and the group watching them jump and glide to the ground includes the women of the coven formed to save Gillian.

Sisterhood and belief are able to trump everything in Practical Magic, creating a heartwarming story among the thrilling moments.

Practical Magic is a romantic fantasy film directed by Griffin Dunne, featuring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as sisters Sally and Gillian Owens, born into a family of witches. Living under a curse that dooms any man they fall in love with to an untimely death, the sisters navigate love, loss, and their magical heritage while confronting family secrets and societal prejudices.

Director Griffin Dunne

Release Date October 16, 1998

Runtime 104 Minutes

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