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From the sequel to a 1990s cult favorite, just in time for fall, to the return of a Peacock sitcom with co-creator roots to “The Office,” Richard Roeper reviews what’s new to watch in theaters and to stream at home.
“Practical Magic 2” (in theaters)
The original “Practical Magic” in 1998 was neither a commercial nor critical smash, but the film became something of a cult favorite for a new generation who loved the star power of Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock, appreciated the thematic messaging about the power of sisterhood—and celebrated the joy of a good margarita. Nearly 30 years later, we get the highly anticipated sequel, with Kidman and Bullock remaining as captivating as ever, but they’re stuck in an overlong, meandering, only intermittently entertaining second chapter that spins its wheels as it wanders off in multiple directions.
Bullock’s Sally Owens, now working as the town librarian, is more guarded than ever following the death of her two husbands, while Kidman’s Gilly Owens remains a globe-trotting free spirit, determined not to fall in love because of the curse of the Owens women: If you declare your love for someone, that person will die. Really puts a damper on long-term vacation planning.
Joey King and Maisie Williams are Sally’s daughters Kylie and Antonia. (King replaces Evan Rachel Wood from the original. Williams, a fine actress, sometimes lets her British accent slip through here.) When Kylie’s boyfriend Gideon (Xolo Maridueña from “Cobra Kai”) is critically injured after Kylie declares her love for him, “Practical Magic 2” turns into a road trip movie, with Kylie and eventually Sally and Gilly traveling across the pond to England in an effort to finally break the centuries-old Owens curse. The constant bickering between Sally and Gilly becomes tedious, with the screenplay letting down Kidman and Bullock by not giving them sharper, more poignant dialogue. I also felt it was a mistake to split up the ensemble, with half the gang staying at home while the main players go traipsing about England. It’s wonderful to see the OG aunties played by Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest get their victory laps, and there are some moments when Bullock and Kidman sparkle together, but with a running time of 130 minutes (some 25 minutes longer than the original), “Practical Magic 2” comes dangerously close to casting the spell of sleepiness upon us.
2.0 stars
“The Uprising” (in theaters)
If you come into “The Uprising” expecting some sort of Robin Hood origin story, as early publicity hinted at, you’ll be sorely disappointed. If you’re prepared for a gritty, brutal, impressively staged and well-acted historical epic about the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381 in England, here’s your ticket.
“The Uprising” is like a History Channel documentary as filtered through a modern-day action movie lens. Andrew Garfield is a farmer who calls himself Ploughman (“I am what I do”). He’s a broken soul who mourns the loss of his wife and two children from the plague, and his heartache and rage boil over when the taxman comes to further deplete the meager resources of the town, assaulting young women in the process. Ploughman teams up with Jamie Bell’s John Ball and Cosmo Jarvis’ Wat Tyler to marshal the oppressed from around England to march on London to meet with the king and present him with their demands.
Director Paul Greengrass is a master at action films, with a resume including “The Bourne Supremacy,” “United 93” and “Captain Phillips,” and he brings his signature kinetic, hand-held style to the Late Middle Ages setting. It’s at times a bit jarring, but “The Uprising” keeps us in its grips throughout. There are some obvious political parallels to the state of the Western world in 2026, but this is primarily a spiritually accurate, fictionalized tale of one of the most significant revolts by commoners in the history of England.
3.0 stars
“The Paper” Season 2 (all episodes streaming on Peacock)
And here I thought I was working with some colorful characters all those years at the Chicago Sun-Times! Even on our wackiest days, we never approached the lunacy permeating the newsroom of the Toledo Truth Teller. I guess that’s because we weren’t starring in a sitcom.
“The Paper” carries an inescapable inheritance, or should we call it baggage: It will forever be judged against “The Office.” That is the bargain you strike when Greg Daniels co-creates your show and brings Oscar Nuñez and his Oscar Martinez character along for the ride. Following a promising inaugural outing, Season 2 confirms that “The Paper” is highly unlikely to ever match the enduring brilliance or endless rewatchability of its Scranton-based predecessor. The 10-episode second season offers flashes of crisp writing and a generally likable ensemble, but it remains breezy where it should be brilliant, and clever more than resonant. Unlike “The Office,” it’s not filled with instant-classic storylines or quotable quotes. It feels destined to settle in as a respectable, comfort-watch, workplace comedy. Nothing wrong with that.
Picking up right after the Season 1 finale, the Toledo Truth Teller is fresh off three upset victories at the Ohio Journalism Awards. Yet the publication remains financially precarious and staffed by mostly inexperienced reporters. The emotional anchor remains the blossoming romance between editor-in-chief Ned Sampson (Domhnall Gleeson) and reporter Mare Pritti (Chelsea Frei). Their workplace dynamic carries a natural, endearing chemistry. Gleeson and Frei bring a warmth to their roles that has us hoping they’ll overcome all the usual sitcom stumbling blocks and figure out a way to make their relationship work.
When the show embraces a darker edge, it hits its stride. A storyline where the newsroom scrambles to write an obituary for a colleague who turned out to be a terrible human being is inspired comedy, worthy of “Seinfeld” or “The Office.” A messy 125th-anniversary celebration serves as an affectionate tribute to old-school print media. Where Season 2 stumbles is in its broader caricatures. Sabrina Impacciatore (who can be brilliant, i.e., “The White Lotus” Season 2) as Esmeralda Grand is cartoonishly over-the-top and grating. Instead of a fleshed-out human, she plays a collection of frantic sketch-comedy tropes. Other storylines veer into behavior so bafflingly unhinged you half-expect an episode to end with an intervention.
The Toledo Truth Teller is a decent publication with a solid foundation. It should be enough to carry “The Paper” another couple of years.
3.0 stars
