The Addams Family (1991)

Today, your friendly neighbourhood... some guy... decides to review something that came out before I was even born. Hey, I never said it would all be relevant...

The year is 1991. Curtains aren't just something that covers your windows, popular singer Ed Sheeran is just coming in to the world and I am still an accident two years from happening. Nice. Now you all have that horrifying image in your head, you're all set to read my thought on the hit movie, The Addams Family.

The Addams Family originated as a single panel cartoon by Charles Addams (ever the egotistical man) that ran in newspapers like 'The New York Times'. That's pretty much the extent of my knowledge on the series, other than being aware that there was a live-action sitcom in the 60s. I thought I'd try a review that I wasn't so maniacally embedded into the fanbase with.

Now the film begins with Christmas carols being sang in front of the wonderfully charismatic Addams mansion, before introducing some of the family members about to murder the singers. It was a great way to dig at the conventional family movie of the era and to set the tone of the entire movie to come. Combined with the ever-classic theme tune done in a beautiful orchestrated way, it instantly raises a smile, that for me didn't fade much at all. That's right. I'm not all bad scores and criticism.

The plot is fairly simple, but a very interesting one. It starts with the family getting ready for an annual tradition to contact the spirit of Fester, the main character Gomez's brother who he believes is dead. This leads a debt-ridden lawyer to start up a dastardly scheme involving his loan shark's son as a way to break in to the mansion's vault, as he bares a striking resemblance to the aforementioned deceased brother. Quite literally. His dead white skin and hunched back is a miracle of costume and makeup.

Doc Brown really went downhill after BttF...

It would have been very easy to have a loose plot that tied together the morbid jokes, but I felt like it gave way for development of characters that would have been otherwise overlooked. It leaves the gates open for (and I'm going to use this a lot in my reviews so watch out) heart. And heart is essential for a family movie like this, even the ones that involve taking the corpse of your Uncle out from a closet. Every scene involving Fester's imposter becoming more involved with the family is brilliant, and warming in an odd sort of way. As it slowly becomes apparent that it might in fact be the real Fester, you already feel like they've all known each other for years.

That leads me on rather nicely to the characters. They are all so supremely written it's incredible. Movies today rarely have such charming characters, let alone a 90s film based off a newspaper strip. For one thing, it has genuinely interesting and powerful female characters within it. The inner feminist in me wants to run up and squeeze the director tightly for such an incredible job, but it also makes me want to punch Mark Webb in the face again. Sorry, wrong time for Spider-Man.

Gomez and Morticia provides one of the most believable on-screen couples I've ever seen. Thinking back to being a child and watching this movie, I have to say it's the first time I've thought that I was really watching two people in love. Their kooky and over-the-top love scenes are hilarious and thoroughly enjoyable, and never for a moment over acted. In fact, I have to commend the great Raul Julia for his performance. In the way only he can, he portrayed Gomez as an articulate and deeply honourable man with some genuine flaws, especially given the scenes with Fester where he apologises for his foolishness as a teenager.

Given my previously aired gripes about child actors, Wednesday and Pugsley are done extremely well. Though Pugsley's role generally involves foolishly agreeing to his sisters every wish, he never over acts and his dimwitted character plays through. Wednesday is one of the stand-out performances of the movie. I've never seen a kid act so calmly and so... creepily. Her dead-pan delivered one liners are written amazingly and her portrayal definitely earned her more screen time in the sequel.

Wednesday's deadpan delivery was second-to-none.

Some of the background characters confuse me, mostly Cousin Itt and Thing, for they seem to be believable, likable characters without a line of (comprehensible) dialogue.  Thing in particularly is characterised only in one-way conversations and gestures, with remarkable CGI for the time. It's no wonder he was such a fan favourite.

I've briefly mentioned it already but every single set of this film is absolutely superb. It reeks of macabre whilst still maintaining a slightly comic feel that just makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I'm not sure if it's nostalgia, but I find myself overcome with joy at every cobweb, creepy chandelier and dead looking thing etched on to the walls. I've never seen anything look out of place and manages to never feel overdone with set pieces. It's definitely the type of place you just want to be in, the mark of a truly great atmosphere.

To conclude, I bloody love this movie. When I sat down with my partner (who isn't a movie person by her own confession), even she had a grin of childish glee pasted across her face at every gag, every interaction between family members and every silk costume that Gomez Addams donned. I can't recommend this movie enough, it will brighten up anyone's day by throwing gothic nonsense at it.