Review of The Addams Family (1991) by Chris M — 28 Oct 2008

Though I think the sequel is a tad funnier, The Addams Family, another sitcom-turned-movie, stays fresher in the mind. In the Addams' film debut, some no-good greedy villains devise a seemingly flawless plan to illegally inherit the treasures within the family's secret vault: plant their own gruesome goon (Christopher Lloyd, hamming up another kid-friendly flick) in the eerie mansion, and pass him off as their long-lost Uncle Fester.

Of course, unfamiliar memories and a snoopy Wednesday (an unknown Christina Ricci) muddy things up for the impostor. Ricci makes quite a debut, but the film belongs to the late, great Raul Julia, playing an eccentric, romantic, and dead-on (sorry for the pun) Gomez, Fester's clueless brother and man of the household.

Julia adds a little Latino spice to Gomez's lusty behavior, which doesn't hurt the character at all. The plot is predictable, the MC Hammer soundtrack overload really dates it, and the humor gets a bit monotonous, but strong performances and style wake the dead moments.

This sitcom transformation gets by.