The Addams Family Quicktake: An Earnest, Kooky, & Defanged Reboot
In 2021, I can’t imagine who is clamouring for a new Addams Family movie — I say this as the film’s target audience.
I enjoy wearing skull pendants and horror movie t-shirts. I drink my morning coffee out of a black skull mug. And I grew up watching the original, black and white Addams Family TV show and crushed hard on Christina Ricci’s Wednesday Addams in the ‘90s movies. So the new Addams Family franchise seems custom-made for people like me. And yet, it took me two years to get around to watching co-directors Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon’s Addams Family movie.
Tiernan and Vernon’s animated reboot never proves why it needs to exist. But it’s not a total waste of time either. Instead, it’s one of those movies that you enjoy in the moment, but as soon as the credits hit, it leaves your memory like a wisp of smoke.
The Addams Family begins with a flashback to Gomez (Oscar Isaac) and Morticia’s (Charlize Theron) wedding. An angry mob of villagers ruins the big day by crashing the party and running them out of town. Concerned for their safety in a world that fears them, Morticia and Gomez flee to a fiendish hellscape where no one will ever bother them: New Jersey.
Flash forward to the present, and Gomez and Morticia have a family. There’s gloomy daughter Wednesday (Chloë Grace Moretz), reckless son Pugsley (Finn Wolfhard), their pet Thing, a disembodied hand, and the family’s stoic manservant Lurch (Conrad Vernon).
The Addams’ secret mansion gets discovered by ruthless reality TV star Margaux Needler (Allison Janney). Margaux’s getting rich off gentrifying the town, but the Addams’ decrepit mansion presents a major eyesore. Making matters worse, the Addams are holding a coming-of-age party for Pugsley, and the entire Addams clan are set to descend on the town. Tensions flare as Margaux’s fearmongering riles up the locals to run the Addams out of New Jersey.
“An all-star cast of actors…”
The film features an all-star cast of actors who all deliver solid performances. The problem is, when you have Oscar Isaac and Charlize Theron headlining a movie, the audience expects something better than solid. This issue sums up the film as a whole. Nothing is technically wrong with the movie, but nothing shines, either. It’s all perfectly fine. Considering the film also stars charismatic talents like Nick Kroll, Snoop Dogg, Bette Midler, and Allison Janney, fine is disappointing.
The Addams Family may not be a standout film, but it’s still a decent watch that goes down easy. It captures the kooky spirit of the classic movies and TV shows and includes lots of fun gags, like the Addams’ wine cellar housing casks of “whine.” The moment someone cracks open a barrel, you hear lost souls wailing into the void. Watching a dead-eyed Lurch play sweet, gentle music on the piano never gets old. And I laughed out loud as Snoop Dogg’s Cousin It rolled up in a car blasting Snoop’s hit track, Drop it Like it’s Hot. The kicker, though? The license play said, “CUZ.” Priceless. I only wish the rest of the film was as clever and cheeky.
The Addams Family was originally a comic strip that ran in the pages of The New Yorker in the ’30s. The film’s animators nail the series’ classic vibe while only tweaking the look for a new generation of viewers. It speaks to the talent of creator series Charles Addams that these 80-year-old characters don’t look out of place today.
I like what this movie has to say, despite its heavy-handed execution. The theme at the heart of the movie is, “You do you.” Who can argue with that? The problem here is that the movie is so by-the-numbers, its earnest themes feel forced.
“The Addams Family captures the kooky spirit of the classic movies and TV shows.”
When you’re swept up in a movie you react to it on a visceral level. You don’t have time to pick apart its story mechanics. As The Addams Family’s plot plods along, viewers have time to let their minds wander. You see the predictable ending coming from a mile away. And you pick up on the story manipulating you in real-time the way Neo sees lines of code inside the Matrix. All movies manipulate our feelings. Great films are better at hiding it.
The Addams Family celebrates anyone who ever let their freak flag fly. It’s a tale about staying true to yourself and always chasing your bliss. The film also reminds us how the path to self-actualization will face resistance because living your best life fuels the haters.
Being comfortable in your own skin makes unfulfilled people aware of their own inadequacies. In their mind, your success spotlights their failure. Stirring up these negative emotions causes them to unleash their venom on whoever makes them uncomfortable.
You can read further into what this movie thinks about humanity’s tribal nature. The villainous Margaux Needler is a crooked reality TV star and a real estate mogul. Sound familiar? She also has the same hairstyle as a certain orange-hued former president. Margaux weaponizes fake news and stokes the townsfolk’s fears of outsiders ruining their way of life. These real-life parallels may be too on-the-nose for the adults in the room, but it may be the first time younger viewers are challenged with these concepts. And at the end of the day, this movie is family-friendly fare, not The Social Network.
“Celebrates anyone who ever let their freak flag fly.”
The Addams Family is a fun, charming reboot that stays true to the series while also lacking “that special something.” Tiernan and Vernon capture the spirit of their ghoulish characters even though their movie lacks spirit. The film comes across like an Addams Family cover band, hitting all the correct notes but never finding its own groove.
Let me know your thoughts about The Addams Family on Twitter and in the comments below.
If you enjoyed this review please help out the site by sharing it on social media. And keep coming back to VSR for new reviews, interviews, and videos.
