| The
Addams Family
^
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The first big-screen version of Charles Addams'
famous, but unnamed "family" that appeared in many of his cartoons for The
New Yorker magazine. As most of us know, it had already been adapted for
television and lasted a whopping two seasons, but is still repeated on channels
all over the U.S.
Anyway, the casting here was almost flawless. The late
Raul Julia as Gomez, Anjelica Huston as Morticia, Christopher Lloyd as Fester, Christina
Ricci as Wednesday, Jimmy Workman as Pugsley, and Carel Struyken as an all-but-mute
Lurch. I forget who played Grandma. Magician Christopher Hart's hand was Thing, who,
thanks to modern special effects, did NOT appear only in boxes and poking out of holes,
heh heh. Barry Sonnenberg directed and Marc Shaiman composed the music.
Seriously, I would have been happy watching an hour and a half
of gags straight from the Addams' cartoons. I spotted plenty throughout, but of course most
moviegoers want plots, so the writers came up with one. Here we have shyster Abigail Craven,
her son Gordon, and the Addams attorney Tully Alford conspiring to steal the Addams fortune by
dressing up Gordon as Fester. Trouble is, he starts to get soft on the macabre (but
very "functional") family, to Abigail's dismay. Eventually it's revealed that Gordon really
is the long-lost Fester, brother to Gomez (as opposed to uncle like in the
TV series).
This was Christina Ricci's breakthrough movie. Her Wednesday
was a work of art. I admit I wasn't thrilled with the main plot of whether or not Gordon was Fester, plus
the constant references to The Bermuda Triangle (being lost in it was the reason presented for
Fester's disappearance).
Highlights include every scene with Wednesday, and the Addams'
ball to celebrate Fester's return. Tully's wife also surprised me by not only learning to handle
the Addamses, but actually falling in love with and getting engaged to hairy Cousin It by the film's
end.
I got the soundtrack for this film, too. Marc Shaiman shows himself
the equal of Danny Elfman, my favorite film composer. In the notes, Shaiman confesses to
wondering if Elfman had been unavailable when he was approached. I want to dance the Mamushka
at my wedding (if that day ever comes), and that's no joke!
Cool Quotes:
Dr. Pinderschloss: "Love/Hate...
Hate/Love... Like your mama, no?"
Gomez Addams: "But I didn't hate my
mother! It was an accident!"
Fester Addams: "Look, children!
Scabs!"
Wednesday and Pugsley: "Ooooooo..."
Gomez: "Unhappy, darling?"
Morticia: "Oh, yes! Yes, completely!"
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