Review · 21 October 2026
Practical Magic 2 (2026)Magic, spells and superstitions
🎯 Today’s focus
Magic, spells and superstitions — the everyday English of luck, the words people use even when they do not believe in magic. Five phrase beats to say what you think is real, name a belief about good and bad luck, protect your good news, wish someone luck before and after a big moment, and hope for something you cannot control. Every one of them appears in the story before it is explained.
🎬 Episode script
Transcript
4 chapters · about 6 minutes of reading🎭 Intro
Teacher Teddy’s whole script for Practical Magic 2 is below, in slow, clear English, from the welcome to the verdict, with a note beside every luck phrase.
Some families pass down old photos. The Owens family passes down magic, and a problem that comes with it. Do you believe in bad luck?
Welcome back for another English movie review lesson — I’m Teacher Teddy, and today, let’s talk about Practical Magic 2.
Today’s lesson is about magic, spells and superstitions: the words for luck that English speakers use every day, even when they do not believe in magic. By the end of this video, you’ll wish someone luck, and ask for a little luck yourself, with the right phrase for the moment. And listen out for one moment in particular. Kylie tells her boyfriend that she loves him, and the next morning, he is hit by a car.
Some families pass down old photos. The Owens family passes down magic, and a problem that comes with it. Do you believe in bad luck?
📜 Plot & how the story is told
The story begins in Massachusetts, in the United States, with the Owens women. They are witches. Sally is the older sister, Gillian is the younger one, and their aunts are Frances and Jet. It is a sequel to Practical Magic from 1998. The family has an old curse. Any man who falls in love with an Owens woman will die. Sally thought the curse was over. Then her second husband dies.
So Sally makes a big decision. She casts a spell on her own daughters, Kylie and Antonia, so that they forget about magic. Years pass, the girls grow up, and they do not “believe in” magic at all. To believe in something means you think it is real. You can believe in magic, in ghosts, or in yourself. The preposition matters. “I believe you” means I think you are telling the truth. “I believe in you” means I think you can do it. Learners often drop the “in”, and the sentence changes. Used in real life: “I don’t believe in ghosts, but I don’t like the dark.”
Kylie and Antonia are not witches, as far as they know. But plenty of people who are not witches are “superstitious”. A superstitious person thinks that certain things bring good or bad luck. Each of those beliefs is “a superstition”. A black cat brings bad luck, and you should not walk under a ladder. A person is superstitious; the belief is a superstition. Most people say they are not superstitious, and then walk around the ladder anyway. Used in real life: “My grandmother is very superstitious about the number thirteen.”
For years, Sally’s plan works. Nobody in the family is hurt, and nobody talks about magic. When you say something good like that, you add “touch wood”, and many people touch a table as they say it. The superstition is that saying good news out loud invites bad luck, and wood protects you. British people say “touch wood”; Americans say “knock on wood”. Used in real life: “I haven’t had a cold all winter, touch wood.”
Then Kylie tells her boyfriend, Gideon, that she loves him, and the next morning, he is hit by a car and ends up in hospital, in a coma — this is the moment to listen for. Kylie takes an old family spell book, the Book of Raven, and goes to England to end the curse. Before a trip like that, an exam or a big conversation, English speakers say “Good luck!” Afterwards, if it went badly, they say “Bad luck!” or, in Britain, “Hard luck”. Luck is something you say to people, before and after. But “bad luck” is for small things, like a missed bus, not for a hospital. Used in real life: “Good luck with the interview! — Thanks. I’ll need it.”
Sally and Gillian follow Kylie to England, where they meet Ian Wright, a professor who studies magic. Nobody knows if the book can end the curse, so all they can do is hope. For that, English has “fingers crossed”. You cross your middle finger over your first finger as you say it. “Fingers crossed” means I hope it happens, and I cannot control it. You can say it alone, or start a sentence with it: “Fingers crossed it stops raining.” Used in real life: “I have an exam tomorrow. Fingers crossed!”
Whether Kylie ends the curse, and what it costs her — I won’t tell you here.
What I can tell you is that the film is at its best when the two sisters share the screen.
📖 Vocabulary spotlight
This episode also has three bonus vocabulary words — the words real critics reached for when they wrote about this film, and the ones you’ll want when you talk about it yourself.
— like sisters, or typical of sisters. WBUR’s critic said the film stresses the sisterly bond between its two leads. Used in real life: “My two best friends have a sisterly way of arguing.”
— easy to guess before it happens. Variety’s headline called it an overlong, predictable sequel. Used in real life: “I guessed the ending after ten minutes; it was so predictable.”
— without new ideas; dull. Digital Spy said the movie around the two sisters is too uninspired to be engaging. Used in real life: “The food was fine, but the menu felt uninspired.”
Now the whole story again, with every word from today in it. See how many you catch. Sally’s daughters grow up and do not believe in magic. Like many people, they are still a little superstitious, and a black cat still makes them nervous. For years everyone is safe, touch wood. Then Kylie’s boyfriend ends up in hospital, and she leaves for England with an old book. Good luck, Kylie. Her mother and her aunt follow, and all three of them have their fingers crossed. The bond between Sally and Gillian is sisterly, but the story around them is predictable and, in places, uninspired.
💬 Critic reception
Now, let’s talk about how critics have described Practical Magic 2.
The words reviewers reach for are the three bonus words above. WBUR praised the warm closeness of the two leading women, who feel like real siblings on screen. Variety felt the follow-up runs too long and lets you guess each turn well before it arrives. And Digital Spy found the film surrounding the pair short of fresh ideas, so it struggles to hold your attention.
Try it yourself. At the start I asked whether you believe in bad luck. Kylie goes to England to try to end a curse that is hundreds of years old. What would you say to her before she leaves? Write two sentences in the comments here or on the website, and use “good luck” or “fingers crossed” in one of them.
So, what’s the final verdict on Practical Magic 2? Here’s mine. As a film, it is predictable, and at more than two hours, it is long. But the sisterly scenes between Sally and Gillian are the best thing in it. For English learners, the story moves to an English village halfway through, so you hear American and British voices in the same film. There are a lot of characters, so read a short summary before you watch. Watch it for the family, not the curse, and keep your fingers crossed for a shorter third film.
That’s my verdict. I’d like to hear yours — let me know in your review in the comments, or get in touch! If this helped you improve your English today, subscribe on YouTube, or follow along on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, for more episodes unlocking native English phrases and vocabulary pulled straight from your favourite movies. Free interactive learning materials for this lesson are in the description. Thanks for your time, and have a lovely day.
⭐ The verdict
Rating
As a film, it is predictable, and at more than two hours, it is long. But the sisterly scenes between Sally and Gillian are the best thing in it. For English learners, the story moves to an English village halfway through, so you hear American and British voices in the same film. There are a lot of characters, so read a short summary before you watch. Watch it for the family, not the curse, and keep your fingers crossed for a shorter third film.
Rated 12A in the UK · Beginner
📚 Study tools
Learning focus recap
Five phrase beats for magic, spells and superstitions, each with a fresh example — plus the three bonus words.
To think that something is real, like magic, ghosts or yourself; without the “in”, “I believe you” means you are telling the truth.
My little brother still believes in Father Christmas.
Superstitious: thinking that certain things bring good or bad luck. A superstition: one of those beliefs.
My uncle is superstitious, so he won’t open an umbrella indoors.
Said after good news so that it does not invite bad luck; British people say touch wood, Americans say knock on wood.
Our old car still starts every morning, touch wood.
Good luck! is said before something difficult; Bad luck! (in Britain, Hard luck) is said after something small went badly.
You lost the match by one point? Hard luck — you played well.
I hope it happens, and I cannot control it; you cross your middle finger over your first finger as you say it.
The flight is full, but fingers crossed there is one seat left.
A simple way to remember it all: Sally’s daughters grow up and do not believe in magic, but like many people they are still a little superstitious. Years without trouble get a quiet touch wood. When Kylie leaves for England with the old spell book, we wish her good luck, and her mother and aunt follow with their fingers crossed.
📖 Bonus words
Sisterly
Like sisters, or typical of sisters.
Predictable
Easy to guess before it happens.
Uninspired
Without new ideas; dull.
✏️ Practice
Fill in the blank
0 of 5 correctType the missing word or phrase from this episode, then check. Stuck? Tap Hint to see three options.
After Sally’s spell, Kylie and Antonia grow up and do not believe magic.
A person who thinks a black cat brings bad luck is .
For years, nobody in the Owens family is hurt, so you add “touch ” and tap the table.
Kylie takes the Book of Raven and leaves for England. Before a trip like that, we say “Good !”
Nobody knows if the book can end the curse, so all Sally and Gillian can do is keep their fingers .
🧠 Check you understood
Comprehension questions
0 of 6 answeredWhere does the story of Practical Magic 2 begin?
- In Massachusetts, in the United States
- In a small English village near London
- In New York, in 1998
What is the Owens family curse?
- The women lose their magic when they marry
- Any man who falls in love with an Owens woman will die
- The family can never leave their town
What big decision does Sally make after her second husband dies?
- She moves the whole family to England
- She gives the old spell book to her aunts
- She casts a spell so her daughters forget about magic
What happens to Gideon the morning after Kylie tells him she loves him?
- He is hit by a car and ends up in hospital
- He leaves for England without her
- He finds the old family spell book in the house
What does Kylie take with her to England?
- A photo of her grandmother
- The Book of Raven, an old family spell book
- A letter from her aunts Frances and Jet
Who do Sally and Gillian meet when they follow Kylie to England?
- A doctor from Gideon’s hospital
- An old friend of their aunts
- Ian Wright, a professor who studies magic
✍️ Your turn
Try it yourself in the comments
At the start I asked whether you believe in bad luck. Kylie goes to England to try to end a curse that is hundreds of years old. What would you say to her before she leaves? Write two sentences in the comments here or on the website, and use “good luck” or “fingers crossed” in one of them.
For example: “Good luck in England, Kylie, and please be careful with that old spell book. I’m not very superstitious, but I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you and for Gideon.”Write a comment ↓📚 Keep learning
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