The Addams Family (1991)
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 A live-action film adaptation that's actually…good?
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The Addams Family is a 1991 American supernatural black comedy film based on the characters from the cartoon created by cartoonist Charles Addams and the 1964 TV series produced by David Levy. Directed by former cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld in his screen directing debut, the film stars Anjelica Huston, who was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance as Morticia Addams, Raul Julia as Gomez Addams, and Christopher Lloyd as Uncle Fester.
Plot
When a man (Christopher Lloyd) claiming to be Fester, the missing brother of Gomez Addams (Raul Julia), arrives at the Addams' home, the family is thrilled. However, Morticia (Anjelica Huston) begins to suspect the man is a fraud, since he cannot recall details of Fester's life. With the help of lawyer Tully Alford (Dan Hedaya), Fester manages to get the Addams clan evicted from their home. Gomez realizes the two men are conspiring to swindle the Addams fortune and that he must challenge Fester.
Why It Rocks
- While many live-action film adaptations don't stay faithful to it’s original source material (exactly like the Disney live-action films), this film makes it one of the rare times where an live-action film adaptation is faithful to its source material, as it captures the personalities and looks of the characters that made the Addams Family so special, which Charles Addams (if he were still alive today) would love this film.
- This film is considered to be very underrated.
- The acting is just, great. Just like J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson in the Spider-Man trilogy, Christina Ricci as Wednesday Addams is a perfect picture casting choice. This movie, along with its sequel, had skyrocketed the career of Ricci (despite Mermaids being her first film), which is why this is considered one of her greatest film roles. Raul Julia as Gomez and Anjelica Huston as Morticia (including Christopher Lloyd as Fester Addams) are perfect casting choices.
- Neat and sweet direction from Barry Sonnenfield, which this was his feature directorial debut on the big screen.
- Fast and good pacing.
- The story is very nice with also sweet writing by Caroline Thompson and Larry Wilson. Not to mention, the comedy also manages to capture the spirit of the 1960s TV show and the New York Timers comics.
- It’s sequel, Addams Family Values, is also good, just like the movie. It also takes the story way too far with Gomez and Morticia giving birth to a baby named Pubert, Fester marrying a woman who plans to kill him for his money, and Wednesday and her brother Pugsley being sent to summer camp.
- The visual and special effects are beautiful to look at. For example, Thing (the Addams' pet hand) has no arm, just a hand, which he is played by Christopher Hart, despite not saying a single line in the film.
- The opening, as well as the ending, are very well done with also well done acting by the actors.
- In fact, the ending even foreshadows its sequel, which would be released two years later, consisting of Morticia telling Gomez that she is pregnant.
- This film is considered to be better than the infamous 2019 film and it's sequel, which is mainly because of the reasons mentioned below.
Bad Qualities
- This film can be scary for little kids, which is why this film has a PG-13 rating.
- A lawsuit was filed from the 1960s TV show's producer David Levy.
Reception
Critical response
The film was a critical and commercial success. On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 64% based on 47 reviews, with an average rating of 5.80/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "The movie is peppered with amusing sight gags and one-liners, but the disjointed script doesn't cohere into a successful whole." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 57 out of 100 based on 19 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.
Box-office
The Addams Family made $191.5 million at the box-office, which led to the film getting renewed for a sequel.