The Addams Family [1991] | ![The Addams Family [1991]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/517PW91J50L._SL500_.jpg)
| Actor: Barry Sonnenfeld|anjelica Huston|raul Julia|christopher Lloyd
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Category: Video
New (5) Used (7) from £2.83
Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 2174
Format: Dolby, Pal, Surround Sound
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: Parental Guidance
Media: VHS Tape
Discs: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 95 Minutes
EAN: 5014756281021
ASIN: B00004CM7E
Theatrical Release Date: November 22, 1991
Release Date: June 1, 1998
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Amazon.co.uk Review
Director Barry Sonnenfeld (Men in Black) brings his distinctly cartoonish sensibility to this feature film version of the old Charles Addams comic strip. Anjelica Huston was born to play Morticia Addams, matriarch of the ghoulish Addams clan, while the late Raul Julia is a very agreeable, lusty Gomez. But it's Christina Ricci who arguably steals the show as their stone-faced daughter, Wednesday. As is often the problem with adaptations of comics or television shows, somehow an original story has to be implemented that doesn't clutter things up. But clutter is an issue here as the script gets tangled on a lame plot concerning efforts to steal the Addams' house and fortune. Still, it's fun to see an ideal cast reanimate an old favourite. --Tom Keogh
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
 Blast From The Past! September 30, 2008
Marlyly (London - UK)
I'm pretty sure the last time I saw this film I must have been less than 6 years old, and now over 13 years later, I caught this film on TV and decided to re-visit the family that, I have been told, as a kid I not only adored watching on film but on the cartoon tv series too. Well, what can I say - I'm sure this stuff must have had some sort of diverse effect on my mental well-being as a child, and I can say honestly had an effect on my sense of humour - I find this kind of stuff hilarious.
Don't get me wrong, this film isn't great by any stretch of the immagination. The plot is horrifically predictable, the film just isn't very exciting, never seeming to go anywhere, never raising my excitement or getting me personally involved. But it is funny - full of dark, gothic humour, and each actor embodies the famous characters to perfection - Uncle Fester is JUST as I remember him, Wednesday is the sharp and cynical older sister I always thought was oh-so cool (except, whilst I used to look up at her as being so old and mature when I was 5/6 years old, I now realise that she was only a child), cousin IT was the memorable mound of walking hair, Thing the detached hand. It brought back loads of childhood memories, and brought many smiles to my lips, but still, the film isn't great, and it would be wrong for me to give it any more stars than 3 just because of nostalgia or sentimental value.
I gotta say, something I had never paid attention to as a kid was the acting, but now I'm old enough to actually realise that the characters don't exist and are played by actors, I have to congratulate Raul Julia on his performance as Gomez. I only discovered today that Julia passed away in 1994, and though this unexpected news makes me sad, at least he left behind performances of which he could honestly be proud. The second is Elizabeth Wilson as Abigail Cravern - her ability to switch between accents is incredible (and especially admired by me, who can't even master a single accent correctly).
Overall, this film is good, but not great. I'm surprised that this is classed as a children's film, and amazed by how much I used to love it as a kid, but I'm obviously not in touch with my inner child as I once was. A funny film, but not incredible.
 death, coffin, black rose and humour - perfect August 3, 2007
Svetlana Lensselink (NL)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Just amazing movie for all the times. Can watch for many times and still you wanna watch more and more of it.
Anjelica Huston and Paul Julia are pale example of perfect eternal unusual, amazing, inimitable love. Christina Ricci is a perfect daughter - cold-livered deadly beauty. All actors match perfect and create "one big happy family"
Everything that have to be dead - will be alive in this movie, everything that have to be alive will be dead with a smile on it's face.
Dark and comical fantasy is a treat October 23, 2006
Stampy (England)
Gordon Craven (Lloyd) pretends to be the long lost brother of Gomez Addams (Julia) in hope of gaining access to the family's money.
This 1991 comedy from Barry Sonnenfeld (Get Shorty) is one of those rare gems that will never be praised enough.
The Addams Family brings a dark and dismal tale to a vibrant colourful light with its superb choices of characters and settings, not to mention a great use of slapstick comedy.
The narrative revolves around a man who has obeyed his mother and gone into the home of the craziest people in the village. The imposition and slight conventional ideology may have you raising an eyebrow as the scheme starts to take place but bear with it as the crazy ideologies and dark imagery will take over and create an ultimate enjoyable fantasy with sensational acting and characters.
Raul Julia gives an unusual performance as Gomez Addams, a crazed and vibrant man with a sharp confidence and dominance. When we see him teeing off on top of his roof we know this character is something very different and the writing is so sharp and exquisite that Gomez has become an icon in the comedy horror genre. Every performance in this film is especially sweet but Julia steals the show with an utterly astounding act.
Huston (Prizzi's honour) creates another memorable protagonist in Morticia, Gomez's wife. Her delicate and light heartedness somehow fit in the dark and gruesome tale and her onscreen moments with Gomez are those of a dark fairytale. Not discounting Lloyd (One flew over the cuckoo's nest) who is always impressive in whatever film he stars in takes himself to an even higher level with his role as Gordon.
All characters truly look the part with Oscar nominated costume design.
The black clothes and the white make up create a ghostly feeling, a sombre motion in a darkly lit tale, which really adds that extra belief and realism to its own vintage context.
The setting of the Addam's mansion is beautifully executed by Sonnenfeld. The dark imagery and specialist field help make the Addam's crazier, such as casual sword fights, bizarre food choices and books that come to life.
The use of two worlds is an extra bonus as we see many puns on day to day life. Having this style of comedy revolving around everyday life can be associated with audiences of all ages and adds another dimension to the fantasy. The slapstick comedy is also delicious, original and thankfully not repetitive.
Though there is a slight convention in the plot, the dark imagination juxtaposed with the crazy characters makes the Addams Family a refreshingly interesting comedy.
8.5/10
Fantabulous! December 28, 2003
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
I grew up with this film so maybe I'm biast. It was this film that made me fall in love with the delightful Christina Ricci and making Wednesday Addams my idol. What's so lovable about these characters, is that they don't KNOW they're weird. To them burying a cat alive is perfectly normal. The reactions of those around them is hilarious and you can't help but wonder why someone wouldn't be impressed by the blood soaked Shakespere performance of Wednesday and Pugsley. Beautifully gothic sets suit the Addams perfectly. Anyone watching this however should not expect a deep a meaningfull plot. That's not what these films are about. Funny, beautiful and an absolute delight. A great film for you to just sit and watch over and over again, each time noticing more and more things about not only the characters but everything around. (A special note on the lighting which I always loved. The subtle effect of Mortisha's eyes always being highlighted while the rest of her face is shadowed.) So if you like a good fun film to watch, a fan of mad outrageous sets and characters, then this is a film for you.
"Screams in the night - it can only mean one thing" October 22, 2002
Jennifer Litchfield (Auckland, New Zealand)
5 out of 7 found this review helpful
The Addams Family begins with a hearty chuckle, as a group of nauseatingly cheery carol singers are treated to a dose of Addams hospitality. The film is of course a 1990s revamp of the 1960s television series with the catchy refrain: "They're creepy and they're kooky, mysterious and spooky, they're altogether ooky." However, the film lacks the delicate balance between finesse and crudity that marked the original; perhaps this is the result when a cult show is turned into movie fodder for the masses.The Addams' live in a decaying mansion that boasts such attractions as a graveyard, a swamp and a vault full of money. It is this last which attracts the attention of a crooked accountant and his unscrupulous client Mrs. Craven. Their plan is to install Mrs. Craven's son Gordon in the house as 'long-lost' Uncle Fester Addams, with the purpose of gaining access to the vault. Initially Gordon is all for this plan, but once he gets to know and like the family, he undergoes a crisis of confidence and must decide where his loyalties lie. The plot may be depressingly formulaic, but fortunately it is in the Addams' nature to be quirky. The humour is generally quite fresh and clever - who would have picked the villain's ultra-conventional wife pairing off with hirsute (and definitely unconventional) Cousin Itt? But along with the hits, there are some equally spectacular misses, including almost everything involving Grandma Addams. The other female Addams' are excellent, especially young Christina Ricci as the perpetually sullen Wednesday. Ultimately though, you have to wonder if the mysterious and macabre charm of the Addams has lost something in its modernisation, and if perhaps they should have been left to rest in peace.
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