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"Weird is relative." "It's not
the same old Thing." "Creepy. Kooky. Spooky. Ooky."
The basic, story involves the sudden reappearance
of Gomez's (Raul Julia) long missing brother, Fester (Christopher
Lloyd). A plot develops to rob the Addams of their fortune. However,
unexpected occurrences and road blocks arise to give the would-be
thieves plenty of trouble and lead to hilarious and unexpected
results. A favorite scene showcases the Addams' unique protection
system for their money in action
The fun screenplay is by Caroline Thompson &
Larry Wilson, based on characters created by Charles Addams. The
Addams Family are portrayed as an extremely odd bunch; not only
having bizarre tastes and values, but are about as politically
incorrect as possible, which adds to the humor to the situations
they wind up in, and the havoc their behavior causes to other
"normal" people. They carry the "spooky, kooky,
ooky" morbid style of living to the max.
Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston are well cast
as Gomez and Morticia Addams. (John Astin and Carolyn Jones played
the characters in the fondly remembered 60s TV series). They work
well together as an unusual couple, and portray Mr. & Mrs.
in more depth than the natural tendency to play such parts, making
them more real and less like a cartoon.
Christopher Lloyd plays "Fester", the
brother of Gomez who disappeared sailing in the Bermuda triangle.
He also does a great job, showing a multidimensional character,
torn between going through with the dastardly plan, and stopping
it, as he begins to realize/ remember that he belongs to this
unique family, as his memory slowly returns to him.
Christina Ricci steals the show as the morbid,
Wednesday. Looking remarkably like the little girl in the original
Charles Addams drawings, Ricci's deadpan delivery adds much comic
spin to her lines.
The movie's theme, "Addams Groove,"
is performed by M.C. Hammer. While it PROBABLY won't hurt you,
it adds little to the proceedings.
Another favorite scene takes place at a party
to celebrate Fester's return. Julia and Lloyd take part in a wild
Russian dance, involving wild choreography and gravity defying
acrobatics.
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