Director: George Miller
Cast: Jack Nicholson, Cher, Susan Sarandon, Michelle Pfeiffer, Veronica Cartwright, Richard Jenkins
Screenplay: Michael Cristofer
118 mins. Rated R.
Academy Award Nominee: Best Sound
Academy Award Nominee: Best Music, Original Score

George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road) is of a rare breed: a director with such versatility that he can seemingly work in almost any genre. From the post-apocalyptic frenzies of Mad Max to the dancing animated penguins of Happy Feet, he has a level of comfort that is rarely seen. I had not seen The Witches of Eastwick (when growing up a horror fan, you sometimes miss the kind-of-horror-esque films), but my wife had. Three stunning witches facing off against perhaps the Devil himself? Count me in.

Three single women, all plagued with relationship troubles or prior trauma, are each, individually swayed by the mysterious and provocative Daryl Van Horne (Jack Nicholson, The Shining) when he arrives in town and purchases up a nearby mansion. Upon coming into contact with him, the women each discover connected magical abilities. While initially comfortable with their arrangement, they soon come to discover that all the gifts and dreams that Daryl offers come at a big cost, and when the town begins to unravel and their newly awakened standing within is tested, they realize that Daryl’s wants are too dangerous, too deceptive, and their shared connection to him may be harder to break than they’d anticipated.

Our three leads, sculptor Alex (Cher, Moonstruck), divorced music teacher Jane (Susan Sarandon, The Rocky Horror Picture Show), and supermom columnist Sukie (Michelle Pfeiffer, Scarface), are all quite great in their roles and quite great together, with a comfortable and friendly chemistry, which is surprising considering the nightmare production on the part of the producers and a situation that arose from Cher getting the role originally intended for Sarandon (again, on the part of producers). It’s never noticeable onscreen, and whenever they are together, there’s a palpable energy that feels right at home in this makeshift coven. Sarandon is probably my favorite performance of the three because she has this more visual and physical sexuality awakening in her. Prior to meeting Jack, she’s a bit mousier, small, and trying to avoid any recognition, but once she lets her hair done and causes a stir in the convenience store

Once Jack Nicholson is introduced, the movie gets this chaotic boost. He’s delicious in all his evil roles, and the screenplay gives him the most to work with, which can be disappointing for our titular witches, but having a quality bit crazy like Nicholson is never a bad thing and here, he’s unhinged in a performance that recalls Jack Torrance but also feels like prep work for Jack Napier/The Joker. When it comes to chemistry, Nicholson works great with Sarandon and Pfeiffer, but I couldn’t feel any dramatic or romantic chemistry with Cher. I’m not sure if there was anything behind the scenes here, but these two just felt like they were on different frequencies the whole time, especially when he’s “wooing” her.

The supporting players, particularly the oddball frenetic nature of Veronica Cartwright (Alien) and Richard Jenkins (The Shape of Water) as Felicia and Clyde Alden, the former a bit of a religious zealot and the latter being Sukie’s boss, are both strong and match each other’s performances quite a bit, where I could believe that these two were both married but miles apart in terms of conviction.

The film’s biggest drawback comes from a relatively formless screenplay. I feel like a lot of the plot points moving and shifting around keep the energy high but there also feels like this ambiguity to a lot of the machinations of the story, specifically in describing and explaining the witch abilities and the true nature of Daryl Van Horne. A lot is implied but rarely specified, as if the screenwriter was trying to avoid actual fantasy elements as often as possible. Thankfully, there’s a director involved who is not so subtle.

Miller’s imagination is where this whole film really comes together, especially in the back half where the witches begin to discover the cost of angering or removing themselves from Daryl’s grasp and it’s pretty damn fun to see Miller use unique and creative effects work to give the showdown a bit of a pop. The humor is stronger here and the performances are working at their best because it’s all been building to this. Holding off on some of the more bombastic action actually helps in the finale because I honestly didn’t believe we were going to some of the places Miller wanted to take us.

The Witches of Eastwick has strong performances and direction, but I wish it didn’t seem so afraid to confront the fantasy elements in the first half. It certainly aids the ending, but the first act of the film is almost afraid to confront the idea of witches until it can no longer be avoided. Still, the liveliness of these characters and their little town being engulfed by Daryl Van Horne’s undeniable oafness and the sway he has over them is delightful and a lot of fun.

3/5
-Kyle A. Goethe

For more George Miller: Mad Max, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga