Disturbing yet charming as always, “The Addams Family” continues to wow audiences with its values.
“The Addams Family”, directed by Conrad Vernon, is a hilarious movie, through and through. The animation style takes some getting used to, but I loved the overall character design. It stays truthful to the original cartoons they started out in, and it adds to the comedy. I loved seeing the wacky extended family and all the gags with them, as well as some of the subtle things, like Wednesday’s hair loops being braided into nooses.
The plot centers around the family as they have found life in an abandoned asylum in New Jersey. They are living their lives as abnormal, when one day the fog around their home goes away to reveal a typical suburban neighborhood being created by Margeux Needler, a reality TV host.
At the same time, their extended family is headed towards Addams Manor for Pugsley’s Mazurka, an important rite-of-passage for every Addams boy to prove that they have become a man, and it’s perfectly in line with what you’d expect from the Addams legacy.
The jokes were very well-timed, even when it didn’t seem like they would be. There were some jokes that felt like they were added at the last second to appeal to older audiences, like the scene where Wednesday is holding a bright red balloon and Morticia has this to say, “Usually there’s a murderous clown attached to the other end of these things.” Other times, there were jokes and moments that were unexpected, but falling in line perfectly with the things you would expect out of it.
The plot was not necessarily believable, but still enjoyable as a family movie. If there was some more backstory on the villain, Margeux, then there could have been some more interesting conflict. On the other hand, the villain being shallow could be considered part of the idea, as Margeux has no identity left anymore and needs to be re-educated on the true meaning of community.
The voice acting was pretty decent. I enjoyed Nick Kroll’s performance as Fester, even if he uses the same voice for one of the characters in “Big Mouth.” Everybody else just sounded generic, but satisfactory. Cousin Itt being played by Snoop Dogg was something I didn’t expect, but it worked.
Would I recommend this to anybody? Sure, as a guilty pleasure. It may not quite be the same level of charming as previous incarnations, but it has its moments. I’d say bring the kids if you want, but the live-action TV show would probably be a better suit for introducing anybody to the characters we know and love. Overall, I’d give it about 3.5 out of 5, being generous with the guilty pleasure rating.
If you want to see it for yourself, I won’t stop you, but just beware of what you’re diving into with it. Because when you’re an Addams, you do as the Addams do or die.
