Sandra Bullock Marks 28 Years of 'Practical Magic': 'A Story About How We Choose to Love Courageously'

Sandra Bullock Looks Back on a Film Critics Weren't Ready For

Sandra Bullock has marked the 28th anniversary of Practical Magic, paying tribute to the 1998 fantasy romantic drama that critics initially greeted with a shrug and audiences eventually embraced as a beloved story about love, heartbreak and courage.

The Hollywood star took to Instagram on Friday, sharing a string of pictures and videos from the film, which was based on Alice Hoffman's 1995 novel of the same name.

"28 years ago today, the first Practical Magic premiered. It was quite polarizing, with critics saying it had too many women, a tone that couldn't quite find its footing, and was somehow too scary for children and too childish for adults. But what it was, at its heart, was a story about how we choose to love courageously, even in the face of heartbreak," Bullock wrote in the caption.

'It Found Its Audience'

The actress honoured the original film and encouraged fans to keep leading with their hearts, noting how the movie's fortunes shifted well beyond its opening weekend.

"Somewhere along the way, it found its audience and became something far greater than any of us could have imagined. Now, 28 years later, there's another chapter to the story with Practical Magic 2," she wrote.

Bullock said the upcoming instalment remains unapologetically female-centred, and hinted that its tone still defies easy categorisation.

"This new chapter is still full of women, maybe a little too scary for children, and just the right amount of childish for adults. As Alice Hoffman wrote, 'My darling girl, when are you going to realize that being normal is not necessarily a virtue? It rather denotes a lack of courage.' Today, I want to honor the first film," she added.

She closed her post with a message to the film's devotees: "Happy Practical Magic Day to those who celebrate, don't stop being courageous with your heart."

The Story Behind the Owens Sisters

Directed by Griffin Dunne, Practical Magic stars Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Dianne Wiest, Stockard Channing and Aidan Quinn. Bullock and Kidman play sisters Sally and Gillian Owens, descended from a long line of witches.

Raised by their aunts after their parents' death from a family curse, the sisters are taught the uses of practical magic as they grow up. Years later, they must use their magic to destroy the evil spirit of Gillian's abusive boyfriend before it kills them.

Nearly three decades on, Bullock's tribute frames the film's initial critical drubbing as a footnote to something more enduring — a story that, in her words, was always about choosing to love courageously.