Uh-oh! It's not a good sign when I sit down to write the review and I've already begun to forget the movie I'm supposed to be reviewing. In a nutshell, that is Bewitched. It's like cotton candy. Nice and sweet, but no real substance. But then again, it's a light romantic comedy so how much substance is it really supposed to have?

Bewitched, isn't exactly a remake. It's a movie about the making of a remake. So we have to give it at least half a point for a little originality. They at least attempted to make a rehashed concept a little bit newer. Jack Wyatt (Will Ferrell) is a washed up movie star who decides with the help of his manager, Ritchie (Jason Schwartzman), to reinvent himself on television by starring in the remake of Bewitched. What they both seem to have forgotten was that Darren was never the star of Bewitched, Samantha (the witch) was. So they demand an unknown to play Samantha (a woman who can wiggle her nose with ease) so they can retool the show with Darren in the lead. In the meantime, real-life witch Isabel (Nicole Kidman) decides she wants to live life as a normal mortal without using her magic at all. Her father (Michael Caine) discourages her at every turn. Jack has a chance meeting with Isabel at a bookstore and is immediately interested when he sees her effortlessly twitch her nose.

The word that immediately comes to mind (maybe because I heard several people use it as we exited the theatre) is 'cute'. Nicole Kidman was very cute in her little hats and billowing skirts. Even her voice was cutesy. Will Ferrell was cute as the washed up actor who waffled between a nice guy and a self-centered actor. Heck, even Michael Caine was cute as Isabel's warlock father who would pop up unexpectedly on boxes of fish sticks and cans of green beans. There are some really funny moments in Bewitched. But the story just wasn't there and no amount of star power could make up for it. Another word I recalled hearing as we left was 'bored'.

While not a true remake, I think you can enjoy Bewitched without being familiar with the classic TV show but I think knowing the show would help. Steve Carrell, at the end of the film, does a great impression of late actor Paul Lynde. At the very end, there is a brief homage to the nosey neighbors from Bewitched series. If you aren't familiar with the show, these little nods won't make any sense. Outside of Steve Carrell, the ending falls flat and was a bit of a disappointment. It almost seemed like writers Nora and Delia Ephron just got tired of figuring out how it should end and just tacked something on.

If you really want to see it at a theatre, I would strongly suggest a matinee or better yet, if you have one of those $2 second run theatres in your area, catch it there. Otherwise, Bewitched would make a 'cute' rental.