Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
Release Date: 1991
Running Time: 1hr 39 minutes
Genre: Comedy/Family
Format: Blu-Ray
Rating: PG-13
Synopsis:
Con artists plan to rid an eccentric family out of their home, claiming they know their long lost uncle.
Based on Charles Addams's original cartoons and the ever so popular TV show of the same name. Director Barry Sonnenfeld brings the cooky show to life! I have a confession. I might have seen this film a ridiculous amount of times. I even went to see it live on stage last week! What I love the most about this terrific adaptation, is the fact that everytime I watch it, I notice something different. Gomez Addams (Julia) has desperately been trying to contact his long lost brother Fester (Lloyd), he attempts on their 25th seance to try again. Is the man who turns up on their doorstep really Fester Addams though? The beauty of the film, is that it captures the terrific quirkiness of the original show. Those who are familiar with the original show are more likely to understand what I mean. There are however a fair amount of differences. The Addams mansion is far bigger than originally shown and an extensive amount of detail has gone into the interior of it. It's equally as incredible on stage as it is on screen.
The late Raul Julia steals the show as the ever so eccentric Gomez Addams. An ex-lawyer by trade, Gomez is a very unconventional man. Armed with a whimsical sense of humour and devilish good looks, Raul Julia delivers a tremendous performance. The onscreen chemistry that he shares with actress Anjelica Houstan is terrific, quite the pair, Morticia Addams is just as eccentric as he is. When it comes to those who have played Morticia Addams, Houstan certainly delivers a more mysterious performance, unlike Carolyn Jones who delivered more humour to her role. Both are fantastically good. Christopher Lloyd is a truly magnificent character actor, Lloyd delivers an incredibly funny performance as Fester Addams. So where has he been all these years? This is where it becomes confusing, as Fester was originally very close to Gomez. Where's he been hiding, The Bermuda Triangle? The underworld?
Wednesday and Pugsley Addams were originally performed by very young child actors. In the film, they are seen more in their early teens. Christina Ricci stars as Wednesday Addams, just as mysterious as her mother, with a magnificent deadpan expression, Wednesday terrifies all whom she comes into contact with. Jimmy Workman stars as Pugsley Addams, although not as eccentric as his sister or his parents, he delivers a very good performance. In the original show, both children didn't attend school because Mr Addams believed his children learnt everything at home. I really like that director Barry Sonnenfeld chose to make some differences in the film, mainly due to the children's age difference. Lurch is a character that is certainly very different to his original counterpart. The idea to not have Lurch talk in the movie, really added mystery and depth to his character, although in the show, Lurch didn't talk an an awful lot, I feel like it ruined the character somewhat.
So is the storyline very much like the original show? Yes and no. There are certainly plenty of elements that have been taken from the show and added into the movie. Elements that were put into the movie are anything from Gomez Addams playing with his famous train set, Lurch playing the organ and Pugsley collecting road traffic signs. Director Barry Sonnenfeld even made a point of introducing Cousin It, Lumpy Addams and Flora and Fauna. This was surprisingly nice, particularly with Cousin it, as he only made a brief appearance in the show. Creepy and Cooky. Visually the film really does look magnificent, as I mentioned earlier, the more I watch it, the more things I notice in the background of each scene. The creativity that has gone into making each and every scene memorable is fantastic. The costume design is wonderfully accurate, I really like that they have given the characters a more darker look, adding even more to their mysteriousness.
Composer Marc Shaiman delivers a magnificent score that works beautifully alongside the film. It really does speak volumes about the storyline and the characters. Terrifically eccentric and dark. I really love that Barry Sonnenfeld chose to use a more contemporary score too for the end credits, to add a real sense of fun to the story. The Addams Groove by MC Hammer is particularly catchy and fun. Considering the time in which the film was made, it's very clever and by far one of the most creative films of the early nineties. I can watch this film, time and time again, I cannot recommend highly enough!
5/5 stars
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