This film is definitely not your typical family film, but it still mangages to be entertaining.

Since I was a child I followed the adventures of The Addams Family with great fondness whenever they show up on television. Later, when I got hold of the internet, several times I've looked at all 64 episodes of the original series. I can not say I'm a huge fan, but I really love The Addams Family and for me this movie is a disappointment. The Addams Family have always been original, in their weird way, and this film is not. The plot does not bring anything new. Color movie can not even come close to the atmosphere of the black and white series, and the hour and a half was not enough for me to overcome the original actors and get used to the new cast. Raul Julia is, I have to admit, the perfect Gomez who does not fall behind John Astin. Christina Ricci and Jimmy Workman are quite ok as Wednesday and Pugsley, but the rest of the team I didn't accept well. Carolyn Jones from the original series was beautiful, elegant and irresistibly morbid Morticia. She was everything that Anjelica Huston is not. (Yes, you did not misunderstand me, Anjelica is ugly and antipathic and unsuitable for Morticia.) Christopher Lloyd is decent Fester, but he's not even close to Jackie Coogan, and the new Lurch is completely missed. New actor is not even a shadow of genius Ted Cassidy and Lurch's character is totally neglected in this film. And finally, The Addams Family is family-friendly horror comedy, and this film is just family-friendly, and not a bit spooky or funny. I can not say it's bad, but it was pretty boring for me. It may be good for you if you have not watched the series, but after a series this is totally lame.6/10

For some reason, the 90's and early 2000's were a bit of a heyday when it came to contemporary adaptations of kitschy old TV-shows and stories. Everything from "The Flintstones" to "Charlie's Angels"... from "The Brady Bunch" to "Dudley Do-Right"... they all got remade, rebooted and re-imagined for then-modern audiences. But strangely, almost all of them were redone in typically either a self-satirical or self-deprecating way. Almost like the filmmakers were ashamed of the properties they were meant to be paying tribute to. But one particular film among them stands out for doing quite the opposite. For creating a respectful, honorable and faithful adaptation that kept changes to a necessary minimum while simply delivering a bigger and wilder version of what came before.And oddly enough... that film was "The Addams Family", directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and released in 1991. Loosely inspired by the original comics of creator Charles Addams, while taking many cues and nods from the beloved 1960's sitcom, Sonnenfeld crafted a delicious and delightful comedic throwback that's filled to burst with classic Addams humor... with dark visual references, creepy double-entendres and plenty of cynical gallows humor gags. All the while, treating audiences to top-notch visuals and fantastic comedic turns from an all-star cast. "The Addams Family" might not be a perfect film... but it's darned entertaining and is a great riff on a classic piece of source material.The very creepy and kooky Addams Family is getting along fine, though Gomez Addams (the late and great Raul Julia) still laments the disappearance of his brother Fester 25 years earlier. But things take an interesting turn when the Addams' lawyer Tully (Dan Hedaya) ends up in too deep with devious loan shark Abigail (Elizabeth Wilson)... Out of time, Tully hatches a plan to pay off his debt- To disguise Abigail's oafish son Gordon (Christopher Lloyd) as the long-lost Fester, of whom he is the spitting image, so that he can infiltrate the Addams clan and discover their secret vault, which holds an immense treasure. Gordon is welcomed "back" into the clan under the pretense of suffering amnesia. Though the more time he spends with the devilish family, the more he grows attached to them, and the more he doubts he'll be able to go through with the plan...The peculiar thing about both this film and it's immediate follow-up "Addams Family Values" is that in many ways, they come across more as a series of clever but only tenuously connected vignettes than as singular, cohesive narratives... and yet, they both function quite well. The story lines are kept almost as an after-thought and only serve the basis of building and contriving funny situations to find our heroes in. And I think it actually works better this way given the nature of the material. The humor of the Addams Family was almost always about contrast and subversion of modern American ideals. And structuring the film in such a way to base much of the humor on almost random interactions with standard members of middle-class culture was a good way to go. It keeps the pacing light and refreshing, and only bogs itself down with the intricacies of plot and character development when needed.Visually, the film is a delightfully Gothic masterwork of manic energy thanks to Sonnenfeld's breezy and slick cinematography and use of movement and flow. It's got an energy to it that's all its own, and feels unique and even special in a weird way. This is complimented by the remarkable and even awe-inspiring set and costume design and Marc Shaiman's fabulous score, which incorporates that classic theme we all know and love and makes good use of it for varying levels of humor and suspense.And then there's the cast. My lord, this is just an exceptional ensemble of performers. Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston frequently steal the show as the demented obsessive lovers Gomez and Mortitia, and their chemistry is out of this world. Particularly admirable is the childlike energy Julia exudes in every scene. Lloyd is a blast and a half as the would-be Fester, and he really nails the character in the best of ways. Jimmy Workman, Carel Struycken and Judith Malina round out the clan in fine supporting roles. And then- newcomer Christina Ricci is a complete joy as the sardonic daughter Wednesday in a wonderful performance. Hedaya and Wilson also do quite well as our devious and bumbling villains, and have some good scenes to shine.In all honesty, it's really hard to say anything critical of the film, because so much of it feels like it's accomplishing and excelling at every goal it sets out to achieve. And yet, there's just something about it that holds it just shy of perfection. Mainly lying in the intrusions of plot that pop in now and again and feel tacked on, and the fact that the film does feel very short and sometimes rushed. There's just some very small squabbles I have that are noticeable enough to hold it back a teeny bit. But even beyond those minor issues, I can't help but give "The Addams Family" a whole- hearted recommendation. It's fantastically fun and darkly hilarious, and I love every single second of it. And so I give it a very good 8 out of 10!

The Addams Family (1991): Dir: Barry Sonnenfeld / Cast: Raul Julia, Anjelica Huston, Christopher Lloyd, Elizabeth Wilson, Dan Hedaya: Big screen adaptation of the classic TV show about the monstrous family that are totally outside traditional values. Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston look the parts of Gomez and Morticia, the head couple with Pugsley and Wednesday as their two demented children who have the disturbing past time of finding methods of execution. Christopher Lloyd plays Uncle Fester who went missing twenty-five years ago. He turns up with a couple of the most forgettable villains the screenwriter can conjure up. Elizabeth Wilson poises as a psychiatrist claiming that Fester was lost in the Bermuda Triangle and lost his memory. He is told that he is Gordon who she brought him in. Lloyd as Fester is sent to possess the Addams fortune but predictable elements occurs such as his growing close to the family. Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld who presents the film's look and the special effects and art direction hold appeal with a black and white mostly presentation. While the Addams cast play their roles with appeal but the villains played by Wilson and Dan Hedaya have less personality than the severed life hand, Thing. This is not a great film but for those who loved the TV show, they will enjoy the recreation and bizarre nature of this odd family. Score: 7 ½ / 10