The Addams Family | | Cast : | Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, Christopher Lloyd | | Director : | Barry Sonnenfeld | | Studio : | Paramount Studio | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Dolby | | Released Date : | November 22, 1991 | | DVD Released Date : | August 09, 2005 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), English (Original Language), English (Subtitled) | | Audience Rating : | PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | August 05, 2005 | | Summary | A Fun Movie | Content
 | THE ADDAMS FAMILY is by no means a masterpiece (though I thought so at age 11), but it's a hell of a lot of fun.
Long-lost Uncle Fester returns to the Addams household after being missing for 25 years. In this version, he is Gomez's brother (in the show he was Morticia's uncle). It is actually a scheme, however, by con-artists Gordon (who poses as Fester) and Abigail (who tricks Gordon/Fester into believing that she is his mother, after finding him with amnesia 25 years ago) to raid the Addams' fortune. While trying to find the money, Gordon/Fester begins to believe he is part of the family and grows attached to its bizarre members: Gomez, Morticia, Wednesday, Pugsley, and the rest of the gang. It turns out at the end, that it actually WAS Uncle Fester all along, that he had been found with amnesia in the Bermuda Triangle, and Abigail had been using him for various money making scams, exploiting his confusion and naivety.
It is interesting and humorous to see how Fester gradually regains his memory (until at the end when a bolt of lightning completely restores it) by remembering random things (like gory details about wounds). One also can't help but identify with the confusion and naivety and childlike way he sees the world while trying to figure out who he is.
Of course, the plot also has predictability. Anyone watching this film would know within the first quarter that it really is going to be Uncle Fester at the end, having had amnesia the whole time. And the fact that the reason Fester left long ago because of a fight over women was also cliche. This is, of course, a story that has been done a number of times before.
But it's still a lot of fun. What is also interesting is how the average audience buys into the fact that Wednesday and Pugsley can repeatedly kill each other, with both parties having fun with it. And of course, the school play with the spouting blood is hilarious as well (Fester was very proud of the kids). The Mamushka scene was always my favorite, and the actors seem to have as much fun doing the dance as we do watching it.
Speaking of the actors, with the exception of Jimmy Workman (who played Pugsley, and seemed to just be reading his lines), the casting was great. Raul Julia and Angelica Huston made a terrific team of Gomez and Morticia. Christina Ricci was hilarious as Wednesday. Last, and certainly not least, Christopher Lloyd as Uncle Fester was ingenious. Only Christopher Lloyd could have played Uncle Fester. The hilarious neuroses that seem to accompany his body language comes across as, well, festering. He seems to be rotting while he's acting (you'd have to see it to believe it), and you really buy into his confused and childish naivety (while ironically he hooks up with Siamese Twins, which is also good for a laugh). Christopher Lloyd was as born for this role as he was for Doc in BACK TO THE FUTURE.
And, of course, the special effects. While sometimes it was obvious that Thing, the hand, was done with blue screen (occasionally you can see that the images are obviously composited), for the most part it was done pretty well. I am sure that Thing would be completely CG today (though, quite frankly, I think a little of both would be the best solution). Otherwise, the special effects were mediocre. The golf balls going into the neighbor's windows were a screamingly obvious composite. The hurricane at the end looked like '70s special effects, as did the lightning (the lightning in BACK TO THE FUTURE, which was made 6 years prior to this, was more convincing). And, the part where Lurch sets fire to a statue was obviously fake as well. There were also scenes were paintings obviously were used to take the place of a built set.
Not a classic by any means, but overall, it's a fun movie, with multi-level jokes, so children and adults can laugh at the same jokes for different reasons (like the stuff Gomez and Morticia do behind closed doors). Plus, you can watch it several times and still have fun.
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| Rating | | | Date | May 08, 2005 | | Summary | extremly entertaining | Content
| this movie is a very nice movie for gloomy days. this gothic but entertaining movie is perfect to cheer you up because i think the movie is very good. the actors who played them are also great which adds to the concept. the movie is about the addams in there kooky way and then there long lost uncle fester comes but he isen't what he use to be, he's to normal. i coud be a imposter trying to steal the addams fortune. so wendsday (brilliantly played by christina ricci) and pugsley plan to shed light on him. see this movie, it can cheer up anything. evn a disembodied hand. |
| Rating | | | Date | April 29, 2005 | | Summary | Wow! | Content
| I just finished watching this, It`s the best movie ever. I want this on dvd. Go Christina Ricci! Wow you ought to love this movie. If you hate this movie you are crazy. I love this movie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
| Rating | | | Date | December 30, 2004 | | Summary | This Movie Rules (Not Unlike Anjelica Huston's Preformance) | Content
| When I first wached this movie it was right after I wached The Mists of Avalon- long story. I loved Anjelica Huston then (And still do), and wanted to see her in this movie. Well. Exelent choice! I simply LOVE this movie. Everyone thinks that Mz. Ricci stole the show, but I gess that I'm more of a Morticia type. Anyway, the movie is about this family. Not any family, but the Addams family. With Gomez, the man of the house, looking for his long-lost-brother;
Morticia, his wife, content helping (And Kissing) him;
Wensday, the daughter, staying mysterios and scary, hardly has time to heat up her electrec chair;
Pugsly, the son, has only eanough to look astouned when everything happens;
Fester, their uncle. Mabey? He appers to be a fake. But, who knows.
Grandma, the odd, (Probibly) mentily disabled grandparent.
Can they outwit a sly trator? And another sly trator? Ha!!! Watch it and find out. (Though you probibly know already)
-An Anjelica Huston Fan |
| Rating | | | Date | October 18, 2004 | | Summary | OMG, you have to see this movie | Content
| this movie roxx my soxx! its so funny!! anjelica huston and raul julia make a stunning pair as gomez and morticia. its so funny seeing the to totally in love, they can barely keep their hands off each other. wednesday and pugsley have balls torturing each other, which is half the fun. this movie will have you laughing your pants off.
personally, i think wednesday stole the show. the fight scene in the play had me laughing for eternity. the blood kept gooshing out and spraying the front row...lol.
mind you, this movie was originally based for the original cartoons mde by charles addams, which is why the movie's a bit darker. but, they still kept some elements from the 1960s tv show. the french, the passion, and cousin itt. but, fester becomes gomez's brother (he was originally morticia's uncle). although it can never rekindle the flame between carolyn jones and jown astin, i still loved the movie. in a different sense, its still funny. u gotta see this!! |
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