The Addams Family (1991)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Barry Sonnenfeld

Writers (WGA):

Charles Addams (characters)
Caroline Thompson (written by) ...

Release Date:

22 November 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Thriller

Tagline:

It's not the same old Thing.

Plot:

Con artists plan to fleece the eccentric family using an accomplice who claims to be their long lost Uncle Fester.

Plot Keywords:

Uncle | Uncle Fester | Eccentric | Macabre | Accountant

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 12 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sun. Nov. 15	9:00 PM	MTV
Sun. Nov. 15	11:00 PM	MTV

Cast

Anjelica Huston	...	Morticia Addams
Raul Julia	...	Gomez Addams
Christopher Lloyd	...	Uncle Fester / Gordon Craven
Elizabeth Wilson	...	Abigail Craven / Dr. Greta Pinder-Schloss
Christina Ricci	...	Wednesday Addams
Judith Malina	...	Grandma
Dan Hedaya	...	Tully Alford, Addams' Attorney
Carel Struycken	...	Lurch
Paul Benedict	...	Judge Womack
Christopher Hart	...	Thing
Dana Ivey	...	Margaret Alford / Margaret Addams
Jimmy Workman	...	Pugsley Addams
John Franklin	...	Cousin Itt
Tony Azito	...	Digit Addams
Douglas Brian Martin	...	Dexter Addams

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Germany:12 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | USA:PG-13 (Certificate #30985) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Chile:TE | Finland:K-10 | Italy:T | Netherlands:AL | Peru:PT | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Brentwood Theatre - 11000 Wilshire Blvd., Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Orion Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

To make Anjelica Huston's eyes look slanted like the original Morticia, the make-up artists had to attach stings with spirit gum to the outside corners of her eyes and anchor the stings on her head.

Goofs:

Continuity: Wednesday pulls down one of the four levers on the electric chair, but in the next shot, the other two levers are pulled as well.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Gomez: [to Thing] Think of it, Thing. For twenty-five years we've attempted to contact Fester in the great beyond, and for twenty-five years, nothing. I'm beginning to think my brother truly is lost.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008)

Soundtrack:

Playmates

Not brilliant but consistently amusing, well performed and solid enough to stand as its own beast

The Addams family are far from being normal but they are rich and as such are their attorney's only chance of getting rich. Tully has debts up the yazoo and the only thing that stops his knees being violently replaced with fresh air is the fact that Abigail Craven's son Gordon looks eerily like Gomez's missing brother Fester. Shaving his head, Gordon enters the Addams home as Fester and tries to use his spare time to get into the family vault. However Gomez's joy at his return is gradually marred by a sneaking feeling that Fester is not himself – meanwhile Wednesday has no such doubts at all and is out to expose the impostor.

One of the few remakes that actually works, The Addams Family takes the Gothic humour of the TV series and makes it feel fresh and entertaining. The story is essentially a nail for us to hang our coats on so we can watch the gags come but even with this it is actually pretty good. Making one of the family a "new character" is a clever way of adding to the formula without having to bring in new characters to lead the film and it does work. Within this frame the twisted comedy is rather entertaining and, although rarely laugh out loud funny, it is still consistently amusing and enjoyable.

The cast are roundly good. Julia is a perfect Gomez and Huston is a great Morticia despite the latter being a fairly one-note affair. Lloyd is enjoyable in the lead and manages to do well to carry the "new character" aspect of Fester without disrupting the dynamic of the family. Ricci is excellent and the only downside is that the film doesn't give her enough to do; Workman is also good and has good chemistry with her. Hedaya, Wilson, Ivey and others are strong in support and generally do well to shore up the story.

Overall a kooky affair that is enjoyable in you are in the mood for its particular brand of dark silliness. The plot is more than enough to act as a frame, the jokes maybe don't hit many real highs but they do consistently get very close to the target and the fact that the actors all buy into the joke makes it that little bit better. An enjoyable remake that succeeds because it has the strength to stand as its own beast.