The Good Witch

source: The Good Witch

First of all, Catherine Bell's beauty will grab you from the start. The storyline is good, the cast was very well selected. I liked the movie- especially since they don't really ever show if this beautiful woman is, in fact, a witch or if she's just very intuitive. Does she simply understand humans and human nature VERY well or is she a witch? Is she just one of those "animal people" or does her witch powers allow her to communicate with the fur people? I enjoyed the story and thought the acting was excellent. Keep in mind, this is a holiday film- not intended to be a major Holleywood release. This film is not intended to be a competitor for the Oscars for Best Film or anything like that. With that clearly in mind, you have to really enjoy it for what it is.

Jake Russell, the friendly police chief in town so small initially worries about mysterious outsider heiress Cassandra 'Cassie' Nightingale, who moved into the house held to be haunted by the 'grey lady', and opens a strange gift shop full with attributes of occultism, soon causing the rumor she's a wicked witch. After Cassie kindly helps his brave son Brandon (and his sissy sister Lori) with a dog, bully Kyle -abused by his own poor dad- and their own fears, Jake soon makes friends with her, even romantically interested. Yet the 'chief' is professionally obliged to handle a flood of complaints and harassment started by the mayor's haughty wife, her busy bodies-bunch, and teenage brats. Finally Derek Sanders, Jakes's only deputy, hits on Cassie's hidden background. Silly throw away movie that's awfully slow.

This is such a lovely family movie. It has everything you need for a warm tale about love kindness and all things magical. It makes you want to be a better person and be more open and accepting towards all others. I know sappy right...but who doesn't love a sappy clichéd movie. I originally thought this movie would be kind of like Sabrina the Teenage Witch with lots of magical power, potions and spells but instead they have gone down the pathway of inner magic that everybody has the ability to possess. It's nice. Not what I was expecting but it does let your imagine run wild with the possibilities. If your looking for something to watch that makes you feel good inside then I would definitely recommend this movie. I will certainly continue watching the entire series.

I didn't know about this movie until I noticed the 3d part of it on this site. And I thought that it will be interesting. So, today I watched the first part of the "Good Witch". It is a story of a beautiful woman, who came to live in the Grey House. Everybody around thought that she was a witch, because once she talked with dog, who scared children, and after that the dog has changed a lot. She had friends, but she had enemies. We can see how this woman tried to survive in this small town. It was very well-done, very bright, colorful and kind. A very good story with love and rivalry. I think that you can watch it with your family if you want to rest. The acting was brilliant, the plot is not very difficult to understand. Watch it! You will love it!

Jake's question to Cassandra in the final scene seems to epitomize the premise of the movie. Is she? Or isn't she? A review of the events in the plot support the conclusion that most feats of "magic" were actually accomplished by the recipient of its benefit...Lori's monster removal, Brandon's "taming" of Kyle, George's decision to visit Ireland, and Nancy's pregnancy. The two episodes that was never explained to be other than supernatural was Cassandra's "conversation" with the enraged Doberman and the miraculous appearance of Cassandra's broom in the shop during the final scene. Yes, Cassandra was involved in each of these events, but was it magic or merely the effect of her suggestions that caused the change? Was it the dream catcher, or was it the "prescribed" bunnies that chased Lori's monsters? Was it the purple rock or was it Cassandra's insistence on Brandon's closer contact with Kyle that changed their relationship? But isn't that what witches do? Don't they employ the various forces already existing in nature (and in people) to effect their "magic"? When Jake asked "You're not a witch, are you?", Cassandra merely replied "Silly!" She neither confirmed not denied the implication, leaving us to our own conclusions, but that last depiction of her with that half smile and those knowing eyes certainly cemented my own. Kudoes to the entire cast and to the writers for an entrancing tale. Special applause should go to Catherine Bell for her sparkling performance as Cassandra and to the director(s) of this intriguing story which left me wanting to see more of and to be a part of this "magic" throughout several sequels.

Let me say at the start that this film is about as far from "normal" as it gets for me. I don't have a family, I don't watch afternoon TV (and this film *definitely* fits both those bills), and I generally avoid Hallmark movies like the plague. But, you know what? I liked this one. It is VERY low-key - perhaps even overly so at times - but it's the very "ordinaryness" of the characters that makes Cassie stand out, and the languid pace of the story fits well with the small-town atmosphere. Everyone, the kids included, do their jobs well; and the upshot is a very pleasant hour and a half immersion in a children's story, with just enough to keep the adults amused. It's not J.M. Barrie, but it's not pap either, and it has the good sense not to overstay its welcome. And for someone who likes Seagal and Willis and Pacino (when he can't find a "Casablanca" or a "Shawshank") that's pretty high praise.

The Good Witch has the same charm as Bell Book and Candle (1958). It's a benevolent look at a very kind women that seems to be a witch. Like most of us - she just wants a place to call home. To that end she helps others she meets with in the small town community in an informally magical way resolve their own problems. The show made me smile. I don't do that very often - but it felt good. The only other film has the ability to do that is Pollyanna (1960) - the original. The film is just charming. It is a film that looks for the good in people and helps them find it with in themselves. We could use a lot more films of this type. I hope to pick up a copy as a DVD as soon as possible. "My favorite line is: Life's a journey - not a destination." How's that for an optimistic outlook?

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie,& somewhat expect it's a pilot for a regular series.If not,I hope the producers will consider making one, or possibly make other movies with the characters.Another idea might be have Cassandra be a roving witch,going from one place to another helping locals out.Catherine Bell was top-notch in the role, as were all the others.In many ways,this movie was a composite of BEWITCHED & THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW, although without the special effects of the former classic series.It may not ever be the classic series either became,but still,I hope the networks,broadcast & cable,& the stars & producers will consider a series if they haven't already.

Old-fashioned, never-never-land fable about a mysterious woman who comes to a small town to claim an inheritance, specifically, the town's notorious haunted house. She sets up a shop full of potions and gemstones and charms, which does not go down well with the mayor's pompous wife (and tellingly, the only fat woman in the entire cast). This chubby busybody, straight out of a 1940s comedy, is convinced the new arrival is a witch (she does own a black cat and an antique broom) and spends the rest of the film trying to drive her out of town. Meanwhile, the newcomer performs a series of subtle good deeds that help various town folk with problems ranging from sterility to bullies. This Hallmark movie bears more than a passing resemblance to "Bell Book and Candle," and in fact the reputed witch names her New Age-y store Bell Book and Candle. The delectable Catherine Bell plays the mysterious woman, a woman similar to the character played by Kim Novak in "Bell Book and Candle." Since this is a Hallmark TV movie, Bell has to rein in her incredible sensuality, but she's still quite a dish even while playing more of a Mary Poppins character. I got a kick out of the cover for this one, which shows Bell grasping what appears to be a long, black phallic object, while giving us a knowing smile. The object, if you look hard enough, is actually a very long broomstick. Familiar TV actor Chris Potter plays the local sheriff, a widower with two small children who is smitten by Bell at first sight. Spending an evening alone on a couch in front of a roaring fireplace, wineglasses in hand, Bell and Potter manage one chaste kiss -- no tussling in the sheets for these two. This is a Hallmark movie, after all. So a chaste kiss is all we get. Entertaining, low-key family movie that was shot in Canada.