The Addams Family

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Inspired more by the 1960s TV series than by the original Charles Addams New Yorker cartoons, The Addams Family proved to be one of the more successful of the TV shows-turned-movies of the 1990s. The film opens on a recreation of the magazine cartoon wherein the ghoulish Addamses prepare to pour hot oil upon a group of merry Christmas carolers. After a series of vignettes which establish the characters of Gomez (Raul Julia), Morticia (Anjelica Huston), Wednesday (Christina Ricci), Pugsley (Jimmy Workman) and family servants Lurch (Carel Struycken) and Thing (Christopher Hart), the plot proper gets under way. A stranger, played by Christopher Lloyd, shows up on the Addams doorstep, claiming to be long-lost Uncle Fester. It appears, however, that Lloyd is a ringer, in cahoots with attorney Tully Alford (Dan Hedaya) to strip the Addamses of their fortune. In their usual against-the-grain fashion, the Addams Family seems to delight in the possibility that they're being hoodwinked-indeed, not even kidnapping or death threats dampen the Addams clan's joy of living (or should we say dying?). The Addams Family served as the directorial debut of cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Audio: 5.1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 (Theatre Wide Screen)
• Features:
  • Widescreen version enhanced for 16x9
  • Dolby Digital: English 5.1 Surround; English Dolby Surround
  • English subtitles
  • Interactive menus
  • Scene selection
  • 2 theatrical trailers

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Nominated Best Costume Design - 1991 (Ruth Myers)

• Hollywood Foreign Press Association

•     Nominated Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Com - 1991 (Anjelica Huston)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Anjelica Huston - Morticia Addams
       Raul Julia - Gomez Addams
       Christopher Lloyd - Gordon Craven
       Dan Hedaya - Tully Alford
       Elizabeth Wilson - Abigail Craven
       Christina Ricci - Wednesday Addams
       Carel Struycken - Lurch
       Judith Malina - Granny
       Dana Ivey - Margaret Alford
       Paul Benedict - Judge Womack
       Jimmy Workman - Pugsley Addams
       Lela Ivey - Susan Firkins
       Kate McGregor - Stewart - Employment Agent
       Victoria Hall - Swedish Blonde
       Richard Korthaze - Slosh Addams
       Daniel Pikus - Teenage Gomez
       Marc Shaiman - Conductor
       Michael Hittesdorf - Teenage Fester
       Jimmy Ross - Pre-Teen Gomez
       Ryan Anderson - Pre-Teen Fester
       Steven M. Martin - Donald Addams
       Douglas Brian Martin - Dexter Addams
       Steve Welles - Fingers Addams
       John Franklin - Cousin It
       Allegra Kent - Cousin Ophelia Addams
       The Passing Zone - Jugglers
       Christopher Hart - Thing
       Whitby Hertford - Little Tully
       Maureen Sue Levin - Flora Amor
       Patty Maloney - Lois Addams
       Valerie Walker - Teenage Fauna
       Mercedes McNab - Girl Scout
       Joe Zimmerman - Long Arm Addams
       Darlene Levin - Fauna Amor
       Sally Jessy Raphael - Herself
       Ryan Holihan - Lumpy Addams
       Richard Tanner - Snake Charmer
       Tony Azito - Digit Addams
       Eugene M. Jackson - One Armed Bass Player

• Director:

  Barry Sonnenfeld

• Producer:

  Scott Rudin

• Screenwriter:

  Caroline Thompson, Larry Wilson, Paul Rudnick

• Cinematographer:

  Owen Roizman

• Composer (Music Score):

  Marc Shaiman

• Editor:

  Dede Allen, Jim Miller, James M. Miller

• Production Designer:

  Richard Macdonald

• Art Director:

  Marjorie Stone McShirley

• Co-producer:

  Jack Cummins

• Associate Producer:

  Bonnie Arnold, Paul Rosenberg

• Executive Producer:

  Graham Place

• Set Designer:

  Cheryal Kearney

• Costume Designer:

  Ruth Myers

• First Assistant Director:

  Joe Camp III

• Stunts:

  Keith Campbell, Randy Kovitz, Mary Peters, David Welch, Danny Rogers, David R. Ellis

• Choreography:

  Peter Anastos

• Casting:

  David Rubin

REVIEW:

• Uncannily cast and visually opulent, The Addams Family is a case of pure contagious delight. TV shows made into movies have failed more often than not, but Barry Sonnenfeld breathes life into a creatively stunted genre with his gleeful take on Gomez, Morticia, et al. Sonnenfeld's status as a former cinematographer is a real boon to the production, as the Addams home spirals away into a gothic maze that rivals anything in the films of Tim Burton. As lively as the sets and costumes are, it's the devilish good time displayed by the actors that makes The Addams Family such a grin. Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston are relaxed and clearly suited to their roles. The film's three credited scribes produce plenty of fodder for their pun-heavy, campy portrayals. Equally dead on is Christopher Lloyd claiming to be Uncle Fester, as bald-headed and bug-eyed as anyone could want. Eleven-year-old Christina Ricci, whose dour yet mischievous Wednesday Addams earned endless superlatives about her future in acting, has gone on to realize that potential. Tone is this film's most important attribute. Beyond the actors and snazzy art direction, there's an additional flawless special effect that nearly steals the show -- namely, Thing, the disembodied hand, which scurries about the house, interacts humorously with the characters, and displays the identifiable quirks that make it an equivalent member of this offbeat clan. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi