‘The Witches of Eastwick’ (1987) Review

The Witches of Eastwick Synopsis: Three single women in a picturesque Rhode Island village have their wishes granted – at a cost – when a mysterious and flamboyant man arrives in their lives.


The Witches Of Eastwick
Starring: Cher, Michelle Pfeiffer, Susan Sarandon, Jack Nicholson
Directed by: George Miller
Written by: Michael Cristofer
Released: 06.12.1987
Runtime: 118 minutes
Rated: R

Okay, I will be the first to admit The Witches of Eastwick is not a conventional rom-com. It’s more of an anti-rom-com to be honest, but you know what, I am going to review it here anyway!

In the small Rhode Island town of Eastwick, three women lacking in love – Sukie (Michelle Pfeiffer), Jane (Susan Sarandon), and Alex (Cher) – come together and discuss what they consider to be their ideal man. Soon after, a mysterious stranger buys an expensive property in town, intriguing the women. They discover his name is Daryl Van Horne (Jack Nicholson), and he appeals to all three women in different ways. Soon they learn they’re actually witches, and are responsible for his arrival in town.

Alex, Jane, and Sukie discover their association with Daryl is beginning to affect not only their lives, but the town of Eastwick itself, and they decide Daryl has got to go. Unfortunately, getting rid of an appealing, handsome devil is harder than it looks.

This was my first watch of The Witches of Eastwick. With this cast, it’s baffling that it took me this long, to be honest. But I also went into the film not really knowing what it was about and I’m glad for it. It’s always a treat watching acting powerhouses such as Susan Sarandon, Cher, and Michelle Pfeiffer work together. I appreciated that the roles of Jane, Alex, and Sukie felt distinctly different from one another, properly fleshed out and giving them depth. Each actress delivers a strong performance, humorous and seductive in their own way.

The real star of the movie, however, has to be Jack Nicholson, as Daryl, aka, the Devil. He’s mischievous, unhinged, untethered, slightly repulsive and yet… still appealing, somehow. When he begins to lose control of his three witches, he completely loses control of himself as well, a manic sex-crazed beast who cannot function without being wanted, needed, and taken care of by his choice of women. While the women have plenty of sharp and amusing one-liners, the real comedy is drawn from Nicholson, and his performance alone makes this movie worth watching.

Another bright spot in this movie is Veronica Cartwright, who plays Felicia, the wife of Sukie’s boss at the local newspaper. After she pokes fun at Daryl’s name, she is thrown down a flight of stairs where she breaks her leg. From there, she seems to receive visions of Daryl and the behavior of the women sleeping with him. She appears to be the only person who sees Daryl for what he is, and she descends into something akin to madness while trying to convince the rest of Eastwick to see what she can see. Cartwright gives a rather unsettling performance, an unpredictable, but welcome foil to the witches.

It’s a beautifully filmed movie, which isn’t a surprise considering its director is George Miller, but the downside to The Witches of Eastwick is that it seems to want to be the ultimate battle of the sexes and I’m not sure it gets its feminist message across in an effective way. Sukie, Alex, and Jane all supposedly received their powers when their husbands left them – and then they realize how dangerous Daryl is as well – I get it, women can become stronger without a man around to hold them down. But in the end, all three women still end up exactly where a patriarchal society thinks they should be. Just in a nicer home.

The Witches Of Eastwick 'The Witches Of Eastwick' (1987) Review

Watched: 10.21.2024
Notable Song: The Dance of the Witches by John Williams

Rating:

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