Video/DVD Review: The Witches of Eastwick
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What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that there's much sex talk, including
frank discussions of what penis sizes/shapes women prefer. No
sex is actually shown, despite female characters dressing in
alluring clothes and obviously participating in a bedroom
foursome with Daryl Van Horne. Some religious households may be
offended by the "witchcraft" (present in the title more than
anywhere else), likeability of the devil, or the insignificance
of the neighborhood church. Horrific elements -- mostly played
for laughs -- include gross vomiting and Daryl mutating into a
monstrous being at the end, potentially scary for litle one,
who shouldn't be watching in the first place thanks to frequent
swearing (the f-word, above all). There are idealized scenes of
romantic, recreational drinking. Teens assigned to read the
John Updike novel for school should know that the movie is no
substitute; it doesn't share the same themes, tone, or even
time period.
In the small New England community of Eastwick, widowed sculptress Alexandra (Cher), divorced reporter Sukie (Michelle Pfeiffer), and divorced music teacher Jane (Susan Sarandon) are lifelong friends with a strong sorta-psychic bond; when they all want something together, it happens (that's really about it for the "witch" part). Bored by their routines, they yearn for an exciting new man in their lives. Into town drives Daryl Van Horne (Jack Nicholson), a mysterious, lusty, charismatic millionaire who buys Eastwick's most historic home and turns it into his adult playpen. Van Horne woos and seduces each of the three women in turn, making them a personal harem (the ladies get over their initial jealousy), and revealing along the way that he has seemingly magical powers. When a neighbor who disapproves of Van Horne is struck down by a curse, Alexandra, Jane, and Sukie have second thoughts about their temperamental new boyfriend.
Sorcery elements in THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK may attract teens, but this is a more or less grownup fairy tale, heavy on the pillow talk and the dating/mating/relating satire, at least until a climactic firestorm of special effects and sloppy storytelling that goes on a bit too long and indicates that the filmmakers didn't buy into brainy writer John Updike's uncinematic novel for the philosophy bits.
This is a slickly made, big-budget frolic, ostensibly about
the innate and untapped power of women, unleashed (to his
eventual regret) by the most evil man in the universe, the
original Serpent from Eden. Still, the cast is wonderful, and
Jack Nicholson's jolly devil is
a pretty likeably guy for most of the movie, most amusing and
sympathetic when he claims he just wants a little love and
gratitude from the women he helps. That this is based on a book
by a
guy, with a script by a
guy, directed by a
guy, attempting to make a statement about emancipated
females, is apparent after a while.
The Craft
Practical Magic
Bewitched
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