Release date: October 11, 2019
Directed by Conrad Vernon & Greg Tiernan
Starring: Oscar Issac, Charlize Theron, Chloë Grace Moretz, Finn Wolfhard, Nick Kroll, Bette Midler, Allison Janney,
Runtime: 87 minutes
Rating: PG ( for macabre and suggestive humor, and some action)
Reviewed by: Andrew McManus
I can remember watching the The Addams Family films as a kid growing up and thought Gomez Addams (then played by the late-great Raul Julia) was the coolest, albeit, incredibly odd.
I was too young to remember the TV series from the 60's but. it always fascinated me to see both Gomez and his wife Morticia (so different yet, the same In many ways) and madly in love.
I will admit, I hadn’t planned on seeing this film. Part of me wanted to see Jexi and then I wanted to see Gemini Man at the last minute. Before heading into the theater, I decided on this film.
It was computer animated and I truly enjoyed my last animated film Abominable. How would this film compare?
Onto the film.
We open with a younger Gomez (Issac) and Morticia (Theron) preparing for their wedding. Immediately the “adult” humor is there as Morticia is using ashes for her eye shadow. We see their wedding ceremony is a tad different from ours. They must “put the lime and the coconut and drinking it all up.” All is not a happy day for the newly married couple. The town they are currently in has a Mob after them. We see the couple and Thing as they are chased from their wedding and out of the city. They must find some place “hideous and horrible.” They head to New Jersey (Sorry Sean!) In route to find a new home, the run over someone in the street. It’s an escaped mental patient. It’s LURCH! There soon to be butler and companion. They see in the distance the old mental hospital that’s been abandoned. It’s creepy. It’s kooky. It’s now their home. Lurch (Vernon) gets on the piano and plays the classic Addams family tune. Our film is now beginning.
We see that life happened for the Addams. Through family photos we see they have a daughter named Wednesday (Moretz) and later a son named Pugsley (Wolfhard) We cut to years later. Wednesday is around 12 or 13 (JR HIGH age) although she’s “cage schooled” Wednesday is curious about going to a public school and Pugsley is planning for his “becoming a man” ceremony. The Mazurka - a family rite of passage. These events pale in comparison to the “big bad” of this film. In the city of Assimilation below them lives a woman named Margaux Needler (Janney) She runs a show on Design Interventions and has fifty homes to sale. The eyesore for her is the Addams Family Estate. This movie constantly brings up the ideas of being yourself and finding yourself worthy. Obviously, the Addams family is an unusual bunch and throughout the film they work to find their place and purpose and to find acceptance.
Overall, the film is hit or miss. The cast was A+ I mean Bette Midler is Grandmama. Cousin IT is played by Snoop Dog. The cast and dialogue all shine. I found myself smiling several times at tongue-in-cheek jokes. I also enjoyed the animation. Where Abominable looked more like a cartoon this looked more “real” it reminded me of the animation from the Despicable Me series.
The issues stemmed from the pacing. At times I felt the story dragged even though the film was short. There was plot, but it was thin. The film feels like its setting up for sequels and that’s not necessarily a bad thing I just wish more focus would have been put into the film currently on screen. The nailed the casting, and the message is overall good. The timing of the release is perfect with Halloween around the corner.
Take the kids to this one, or catch it late sometime for some “spooky” “kooky” fun.
Next week we will continue with the “horror” genre and a touch of comedy in Zombieland 2: Double Tap. 3 stars out of 5 #SHOPLOCAL
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