The Addams Family (1991)

Con artists plan to fleece the eccentric family using an accomplice who claims to be their long lost Uncle Fester.

Director:

Barry Sonnenfeld

Writers:

Charles Addams (characters), Caroline Thompson,

Stars:

Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, Christopher Lloyd

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anjelica Huston	...	Morticia Addams
Raul Julia	...	Gomez Addams
Christopher Lloyd	...	Uncle Fester Addams / Gordon Craven
Dan Hedaya	...	Tully Alford
Elizabeth Wilson	...	Abigail Craven / Dr. Greta Pinder-Schloss
Judith Malina	...	Granny
Carel Struycken	...	Lurch
Dana Ivey	...	Margaret Alford
Paul Benedict	...	Judge Womack
Christina Ricci	...	Wednesday Addams
Jimmy Workman	...	Pugsley Addams
Christopher Hart	...	Thing
John Franklin	...	Cousin It
Tony Azito	...	Digit Addams
Douglas Brian Martin	...	Dexter Addams

Storyline

The Addams step out of Charles Addams' cartoons. They live with all of the trappings of the macabre (including a detached hand for a servant) and are quite wealthy. Added to this mix is a crooked accountant and his loan shark and a plot to slip in the shark's son into the family as their long lost Uncle Fester. Can the false Fester find his way into the vault before he is discovered?

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Plot Keywords:

uncle | uncle fester | macabre | loan shark | eccentric | 

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Taglines:

Weird is relative.

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 November 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Los locos Addams

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$38,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$113,502,246 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Orion Pictures Corporation, Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mercedes McNab, who plays the Girl Scout selling her cookies, went on to play Amanda Buckman in Addams Family Values.

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Goofs

When Wednesday is finished preparing the electric chair, she calls to Pugsley, who is sitting on the floor playing with a toy guillotine. When he stands, there is heavy dust on the seat of his pants from the floor. In the next shot, we see him walking to the electric chair, and the seat of his pants is clean and dust free.

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Quotes

Girl Scout: Is this made from real lemons?
Wednesday: Yes.
Girl Scout: I only like all-natural foods and beverages, organically grown, with no preservatives. Are you sure they're real lemons?
Pugsley: Yes.
Girl Scout: Well, I'll tell you what. I'll buy a cup if you buy a box of my delicious Girl Scout cookies. Do we have a deal?
Wednesday: Are they made from real Girl Scouts?

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Connections

Referenced in Special When Lit (2009)

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Soundtracks

"La Folia"
Arranged and Performed by Carole Koenig

User Reviews

A morbid joy

Extremely enjoyable update to the old t.v. show retains the eccentric spookiness and oddball humor of old, then proceeds to update the warped family familiarity with a rousing sense of decadent glee. The unexpectedly classy affair benefits greatly from the amazing casting that went into choosing all the Addams clan. What is nothing short of ensemble perfection, a sense of fun had by all on set during production remains undeniably infectious throughout, lending the amusing proceedings a distinct level of class.

Directed by easily digestible Barry Sonnenfeld, The Addams Family may be a bit intense for young kids but should stay a delight to all others. A wonderful, gentle perversity that hangs over the entire family might have pushed things a little too far to justify this family film to the younger set, but will stay surprisingly balanced with an outpouring of heart and morality,simply flipped inside out here, for comedic intent.

Wonderful set and prop design mixed with it's politely warped sense of humor would have been enough to make Addams Family the success it became, although it was the brilliant casting which continues to uphold a credibility for this film. Led by the outstanding (and sadly missed) Raul Julia, nearly every single family member wears their role with an unreal amount of dignity, making the fairly standard plot completely memorable.