The Addams Family

by Barry Sonnenfeld (Director)

Other authorsElizabeth Wilson (Actor), John Franklin (Actor), Paul Rosenberg (Producer), Christopher Lloyd (Actor), Allegra Kent (Actor), Jim Miller (Editor), Charles Addams (Author), Marc Shaiman (Actor), Marc Shaiman (Composer), Larry Wilson (Author), Eugene Jackson (Actor)54 more, Judith Malina (Actor), Caroline Thompson (Author), Christina Ricci (Actor), John Sweeney (Designer), Dana Ivey (Actor), Dan Hedaya (Actor), Scott Rudin (Producer), Owen Morse (Actor), Anjelica Huston (Actor), Richard Macdonald (Designer), Barry Sonnenfeld (Actor), Raul Julia (Actor), Mercedes McNab (Actor), Dede Allen (Editor), Jimmy Workman (Actor), Kate McGregor-Stewart (Actor), Sally Jessy Raphael (Actor), Owen Roizman (Cinematographer), Jack Cummins (Producer), Richard Tanner (Actor), Joe Zimmerman (Actor), Jimmy Ross (Actor), Ryan Anderson (Actor), Jim Rhine (Actor), Bonnie Arnold (Producer), Graham Place (Producer), Zelda Rubinstein (Actor), Paul Benedict (Actor), Lauren Walker (Actor), Victoria Hall (Actor), Steven M. Martin (Actor), Carel Struycken (Actor), Tony Azito (Actor), Steve Welles (Actor), S. Scott Bullock (Actor), Whit Hertford (Actor), Patty Maloney (Actor), Douglas Brian Martin (Actor), Ryan Holihan (Actor), Lela Ivey (Actor), Christpoher Hart (Actor), Darlene Levin (Actor), Richard Korthaze (Actor), Maureen Sue Levin (Actor), Daniel Pikus (Actor), Michael Hittesdorf (Actor), Valeri Walker (Actor), Jonathan Wee (Actor), Diane Burt (Actor), Bruce Holman (Actor), Victor Sein (Actor), Benny Wills (Actor), Margie Stone McShirley (Designer), Cheryal Kearney (Designer)
Blu-ray, 1991

Description

When long-lost Uncle Fester reappears after twenty-five years in the Bermuda Triangle, the other members of the off-beat Addams clan plan a great celebration, only to begin to suspect that he may not be who he claims to be.

Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

1991-11-22

Publication

1991

Local notes

In the same box set as the sequel, but on separate discs.

Awards

Kid's Choice Award (Nominee — 1992)

Rating

½ (29 ratings; 3.8)

User reviews

LibraryThing member comfypants
Con artists try to rob the Addams family.

It's not funny. It has none of the TV show's charm. The characters don't make sense.

Concept: B
Story: F
Characters: D
Dialog: D
Pacing: D
Cinematography: C
Special effects/design: D
Acting: C
Music: C

Enjoyment: D

GPA: 1.4/4
LibraryThing member Familiar_Diversions
Tully Alford, the Addams family's lawyer, pays them a visit in the hope that they'll provide him with the funds he needs in order to pay off his loan shark, Abigail Craven. It doesn't work out, but the visit and his realization that Abigail's son, Gordon, strongly resembles Gomez Addams's brother,
Show More
Fester, does give him an idea. He convinces Abigail, who's also a con artist, to have Gordon pretend to be Gomez's long-lost brother, returned from the Bermuda Triangle, so that he can figure out the secret to getting into the Addams family vault.

Gordon is initially horrified by the Addams family and its weird and sometimes terrifying quirks, but he gradually grows to like them. Unfortunately, that means he must somehow choose between his mother and the Addams family, with the knowledge that, if the Addams family discovers he isn't who he says he is, they may cast him out.

I'll probably watch the new Netflix show when it comes out, but I suspect it will only work so-so for me at best, simply because the cast of this movie is the Addams family of my heart. I have no personal connection to the comic or original TV series and no clue how well the cast members of this film represent those versions of the characters. It doesn't matter - for me, this is the Addams family.

The makeup and acting are perfect. Raul Julia's manic energy as Gomez, Anjelica Huston's elegant Morticia, Christina Ricci's creepy Wednesday, and Jimmy Workman's darkly mischievous Pugsley. I loved all of them. The movie's pacing was occasionally a bit odd - Gordon went from being terrified of the Addams family to fitting right in in the space of what looked like just a few moments. But I appreciated how well the movie balanced its odd, creepy, and comedic elements, resulting in an Addams family that was charming and likeable despite their occasional murderous moments.

I had completely forgotten this movie's plot, so this rewatch was fun on several levels. At some point I need to see about rewatching Addams Family Values.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
Show Less
Page: 0.1461 seconds