A Case of You
performed by Joni Mitchell
(Song)

Practical Magic is a 1998 family fantasy film about two witches who carry on a family legacy of witchcraft and tragedy.

Nina, an interpreter, is beside herself with grief at the recent death of her boyfriend, Jamie, a cellist. When it appears that she is no longer able to cope with life, Jamie reappears as a "ghost" and the couple are reconciled – either in Nina's imagination or in an actual reunion: it is up to the viewer to decide. Nina is of course ecstatic, but Jamie's behavior – turning up the central heating to stifling levels, moving furniture around and inviting back "ghost friends" to watch videos – gradually infuriates her, and their relationship deteriorates. Although happy and able to return to a somewhat normal state, Nina's relationship with Jamie is put under strain by his erratic behavior. She meets Mark, a psychologist, to whom she is attracted, but she is unwilling to become involved with him because of Jamie's continued presence. Over Nina’s objections, Jamie decides to leave to allow her to move on.

The film flashes back and forth between the 1970s and 1980s and centers on the relationship between Fielding Pierce, a young Coast Guard officer with political ambitions, and idealistic Roman Catholic Sarah Williams, who is drawn to programs designed to better the lives of the underprivileged and has mixed feelings about his career goals.