The Addams Family

Based on Charles Addams’ comics, The Addams Family follows the title brood (Raul Julia’s Gomez, Anjelica Huston’s Morticia, Christina Ricci’s Wednesday, Jimmy Workman’s Pugsley, and Judith Malina’s Granny) as they prepare for the arrival of Gomez’s long-lost brother (Christopher Lloyd’s Uncle Fester) – with complications ensuing as it becomes clear that Uncle Fester may not be who he says he is. First-time filmmaker Barry Sonnenfeld has infused The Addams Family with a gleefully broad visual sensibility that remains a highlight from start to finish, as Sonnenfeld’s off-kilter directorial choices, coupled with a series of irresistibly engaging performances, effectively compensates for a narrative that’s occasionally just a little too stagy and claustrophobic for its own good (ie it ultimately feels like 90% of the movie transpires within the Addams’ expansive estate). The somewhat episodic atmosphere paves the way for a hit-and-miss midsection that’s held aloft primarily by the actors’ superlative efforts, and it’s clear, too, that the picture benefits from a smattering of hilarious stand-alone sequences (including a fantastic fish-out-of-water sequence wherein the Addams’ are forced to stay at a motel). The end result is a decent adaptation that isn’t quite as consistently engrossing as one might’ve hoped, although it remains impossible to deny the impact and effectiveness of the various actors’ almost iconic work as the title characters.

*** out of ****