Addams Family/Addams Family Values

DVD FEATURES:

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Nominated Best Art Direction - 1993 (Ken Adam)
•     Nominated Best Costume Design - 1991 (Ruth Myers)

• Hollywood Foreign Press Association

•     Nominated Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Com - 1993 (Anjelica Huston)
•     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
       Christopher Lloyd - Uncle Fester Addams
       Joan Cusack - Debbie Jelinsky
       Dan Hedaya - Tully Alford
       Christina Ricci - Wednesday Addams
       Elizabeth Wilson - Abigail Craven

• Director:

  Barry Sonnenfeld

• Producer:

  M.A. Page, Scott Rudin

• Screenwriter:

  Paul Rudnick, Caroline Thompson, Larry Wilson

• Cinematographer:

  Donald Peterman, Owen Roizman

• Composer (Music Score):

  Marc Shaiman

• Editor:

  Dede Allen, James M. Miller, Jim Miller, Arthur Schmidt

• Production Designer:

  Ken Adam, D. Scott Easton, Richard Macdonald

• Art Director:

  William Joseph Durrell, Jr., Marjorie Stone McShirley

• Co-producer:

  Jack Cummins

• Associate Producer:

  Bonnie Arnold, Susan Ringo, Paul Rosenberg

REVIEWS:

• 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, All Movie Guide
• Although it didn't enjoy the unbridled success of its predecessor, this comic sequel is tons of squeamish fun, finally capturing the ghoulishly funny, dark edge of the cartoons upon which the '60s television series and first film were based. Screenwriter Paul Rudnick has been permitted a freer hand, his trademark wit and biting social satire presenting themselves in the form of a scheming gold digger played with gusto by Joan Cusack and a wholesome summer camp that is systematically destroyed and traumatized by the Machiavellian plotting of Wednesday Addams. The latter is a breakout role for actress Christina Ricci, making a major impression with her gloomy demeanor and blessed with perfect gothic looks. Cinematographer-turned-director Barry Sonnenfeld provides his usual crisp, flawlessly composed images, but the film definitely lacks the sitcom bathos of the first film, to the delight of some and dismay of others. It comes down to a battle between those who prefer the demonically humorous art of Charles Addams and those who prefer the watered-down TV show and sitcom gag-writer vibe of the first film. It seems the tastes of the latter group won, as Addams Family Values grossed only a fraction of the first film, its failure consigning further sequels to the direct-to-video bin. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
• 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, All Movie Guide

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