Certainly there are going to be those who take this comic variation on "Tales From the Darkside" as something that was influenced by the devil with its irreverent take on family structure and focus on characters who obviously seem to take great pleasure in following some seemingly morbid characteristics. Yes, they are indeed absolutely ookie, with gorgeous mom Morticia (that's Anjelica Huston, not Cher...), extremely sexy dad Gomez (a very dreamy Raul Julia), the witch-like Grandma (Judith Malina), portly Pugsly (Jimmy Workman) and the very dour Wednesday (a delightful Christina Ricci) not the Brady Bunch, not the Cunninghams, not the Cleavers, and very far even from the Munsters. Gomez has been mourning the disappearance of his brother Fester (which means "to rot") for years, and every year like clockwork on the anniversary of his disappearance, they do a séance to try and find out where he is. Thanks to some con-artist clients of the family attorney (Dan Heydara), "Fester" does show up during the séance, actually the son of a hard-hearted con-artist (a very funny Elizabeth Wilson). She pretends to be his psychiatrist, having "discovered" him in the midst of the Bermuda triangle. Cynical Wednesday is suspicious, and this eventually leads to the Addams being removed from their own home so "Fester" and mommie dearest can find out where the family fortune is being hidden.
Lavishly filmed with fun special effects and gorgeously morbid art direction, the film version of the famous comic strip and 1960's T.V. series is perfectly cast. It seems that nobody could replaced Carolyn Jones as the luscious Morticia, but Ms. Huston does a phenomenal job and is obviously having a ton of fun, especially after being haggard as an evil witch just a few years earlier. Raul Julia is not as tongue-in-cheek as John Astin was, but his Gomez is certainly unforgettable with an undeniable sex appeal. Anjelica and Raul have amazing chemistry, making it clear that this morbidly old married couple are very much in love. Those who saw Raul in the original Broadway cast of "Nine" will agree that after playing that role, nobody else could have done this role justice.
Some people are going to confuse Dana Ivey, the talented stage actress who plays Heydara's neglected wife Margaret Alford, with the legendary Maggie Smith as they do have similar facial features. Lots of old friends truly thought Ivey's character in "The Color Purple" was Maggie Smith until I pointed out her name in the credits. What happens to her character here is truly bizarre, but in a magnificently funny way. Carel Struycken is an amusing Lurch, but unfortunately never gets to say Ted Cassidy's famous line, "You Rang?", only being silent with the exception of a few grunts when things don't seem right to him. Take the satanic references with a grain of salt or you might find yourself as crazy and ookie as the bizarre characters (both dead and alive) here. The film also features a magnificent party sequence which utilizes a classic movie tradition of switching from two characters dancing alone to the switch to the party in full swing. When Julia and Lloyd break into "The Mamushka", the film becomes absolutely delightful. There's really nothing offensive in the things the Addams family does. It's just all silly fun, and if you watch it with that in mind, you won't need to "cleanse" yourself afterwords with a hot shower.
Lavishly filmed with fun special effects and gorgeously morbid art direction, the film version of the famous comic strip and 1960's T.V. series is perfectly cast. It seems that nobody could replaced Carolyn Jones as the luscious Morticia, but Ms. Huston does a phenomenal job and is obviously having a ton of fun, especially after being haggard as an evil witch just a few years earlier. Raul Julia is not as tongue-in-cheek as John Astin was, but his Gomez is certainly unforgettable with an undeniable sex appeal. Anjelica and Raul have amazing chemistry, making it clear that this morbidly old married couple are very much in love. Those who saw Raul in the original Broadway cast of "Nine" will agree that after playing that role, nobody else could have done this role justice.
Some people are going to confuse Dana Ivey, the talented stage actress who plays Heydara's neglected wife Margaret Alford, with the legendary Maggie Smith as they do have similar facial features. Lots of old friends truly thought Ivey's character in "The Color Purple" was Maggie Smith until I pointed out her name in the credits. What happens to her character here is truly bizarre, but in a magnificently funny way. Carel Struycken is an amusing Lurch, but unfortunately never gets to say Ted Cassidy's famous line, "You Rang?", only being silent with the exception of a few grunts when things don't seem right to him. Take the satanic references with a grain of salt or you might find yourself as crazy and ookie as the bizarre characters (both dead and alive) here. The film also features a magnificent party sequence which utilizes a classic movie tradition of switching from two characters dancing alone to the switch to the party in full swing. When Julia and Lloyd break into "The Mamushka", the film becomes absolutely delightful. There's really nothing offensive in the things the Addams family does. It's just all silly fun, and if you watch it with that in mind, you won't need to "cleanse" yourself afterwords with a hot shower.