The Witches of Eastwick

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source: The Witches of Eastwick

The Witches of Eastwick

Yes, one of the best years for movies. 1987. Tons of great movies came out and this was one of the best! A great mix of dark comedy, thrills and the supernatural. To this day I'm wondering where Michelle P. got those bruises on her face like she was beat up when Jack visits her and it is pouring rain out. Maybe there was a scene that they cut out of the movie? Oh well, this is a great movie with great music, great New England scenery, great direction by Mad Max George Miller and a great screenplay. This is one of the rare cases where the movie is BETTER than the book. Have a devilishly good time with The Witches Of Eastwick, daddy-o! Jack Nick is the coolest cat on Earth!!!

Three single women in a picturesque village have their wishes granted - at a cost - when a mysterious and flamboyant man (Jack Nicholson) arrives in their lives. So, the role Jack Nicholson plays originally was intended for Bill Murray? That is a mind-blower. Nicholson is creepy, dirty, lewd... he always has that edge of crazy. Dangerous crazy. Murray can be crazy, but silly crazy... I cannot see him being the dirty old man so much as the funny overseer. It would be a completely different tone. Great film, though... definitely worth seeing, and a great demonstration of Cher as an actress. She seemed to only have a few years to a decade of being in big movies, but she did those well.

In John Updike's playful novel, 'The Witches of Eastwick', the "witches" are three ordinary divorcées considered such for two reasons: by others for their unconventional and active sex lives, and by themselves, as they start to fear that some occult games they engaged in have actually created the devilish new lover who appears in all their lives. This film starts reasonably true to the book; but soon descends into a terrible mess. The sexual element is downplayed, whereas the mystical element is taken increasingly literally. The move ends with an extended, excruciating sequence of supposedly comic horror; this is neither comic nor horrific, but moreover, stripped of the writer's subtlety, at least one scene becomes directly misogynistic. If the film's worth seeing at all, it at least gives one an exposure to its triple dosage of 19080s big hair; for a wry take on sexual politics, look elsewhere.

Cher, Susan Sarandon and Michelle Pfeiffer play single gals in New England (with untapped psychic abilities) who fall in lust with the new man in town: a fat, balding, horny character with a high charisma-rate and a smile of temptation. The picture has a sassy opening and some ribald humor but is incredibly uneven, both a fantasy and a frolic while at the same time attempting something deeper (and embellished with special effects that make it seem weighty and lumbering). Jack Nicholson's rampant dementia is good for a few laughs early on, and the ladies are lovely, although Pfeiffer's character appears to get lost in the editing. Slick but shallow, with a noisy third act--complete with a second vomiting scene--that collapses like a house of cards. **1/2 from ****

I have to admit that this is one of my favorite movies. The two best things about this movie are the things that movies should have-a great plot and a great cast. The plot is original, funny, dramatic, and there is even a bit of horror. The cast is perfect, each person brings something into the movie-especially Jack. The three women characters bring strength, sensitivity, and sexuality, but the movie does not focus on one trait-women have all three, but its funny that this movie has a character for each character trait-the devil needed to have three for himself, when one man would only need one woman-a good man, anyways. But, my favorite thing about this movie is the plot. There is not one boring part to this film, and that's why I have to say that it is one of the greatest.

Three lonely New England women (Cher, Susan Sarandon and Michelle Pfeiffer) dream of a man to satisfy their every need as they suffer from isolation with their husbands constantly away. That man---Jack Nicholson (always on a lucky streak it seems). Wicked little comedy with Jack going over the top and having great fun with the helter-skelter material. The women (Cher and Sarandon in particular) match his intensity and the star power makes up for the crazed screenplay and unsteady direction by George Miller. Overall I liked "The Witches of Eastwick". I am not quite sure why I did, but once again Nicholson proves that if there is just enough substance available that he can raise mediocre film-making techniques and share the spotlight with his fellow co-stars. 4 stars out of 5.

What fun Nicholson must have had with this! He really hams it up here. Very good supporting work by Cher, Susan Sarandon, Michelle Pfieffer, and Veronica Cartwright. The plot is a little bit impenetrable. The "witches" are at first unaware of their power. I suppose I should read Updike's novel, but the one book of his I did read sucked. Anyway, I recommend the film, for it seems a bit different than normal Hollywood formula.