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"THE ADDAMS FAMILY" (1991) (Raul Julia, Anjelica Huston) (PG-13) QUICK TAKE : Comedy: The gothic family originally created by Charles Addams for the pages of The New Yorker contends with their scheming lawyer who wants to bilk them out of their riches in order to pay off equally scheming mother-and-daughter loan sharks. PLOT: A gated, foreboding mansion is the happy home of the Addams family: Matriarch Morticia (ANJELICA HUSTON), her lusty, passionate husband Gomez (RAUL JULIA), their children Wednesday (CHRISTINA RICCI) and Pugsley (JIMMY WORKMAN), and a relative in Morticia's mother (JUDY MALINA). There's also their butler, the Frankenstein monster-like Lurch (CAREL STRUYCKEN). They pay no mind to their lifestyle or how it's perceived by those who encounter them. Their love for the horrific, the crazy, and the maligned is just as normal to them, as a knitting hobby would be to an enthusiast. However, Gomez is tortured with guilt by how he and his brother Fester parted on bad terms, motivated by jealousy. The Addams' lawyer, Tully (DAN HEDAYA), knows this and sees it as an opportunity to remove the Addams' fortune from their mansion in order to pay off his financier/loan shark, Abigail Craven (ELIZABETH WILSON), who has come to collect and is not pleased that he's unable to deliver. With her is her son Gordon (CHRISTOPHER LLOYD), who, according to Tully, looks just like Gomez's long-lost brother and could be the key to getting that desired fortune. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? Older kids interested in macabre humor will want to see it, as will fans of anyone in the cast or the old TV show. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 No official reason is given, but it's most likely for macabre humor, violence and sexually related material. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: RAUL JULIA plays Gomez Addams, who loves his family enormously and his wife Morticia even more. Both are passionate about each other, and Gomez shows it as often as possible. He loves a spirited swordfight, as evidenced by those he mounts against Tully (first in playfulness and later for another reason), and hitting golf balls off a balcony of the mansion. But what occupies him much more is his guilt over how he and his brother Fester parted after a particularly unpleasant fight. When "Fester" comes home, Gomez is overjoyed to see him and even happier that he forgives him for the bad blood that used to be heavy between them. He smokes a cigar once. ANJELICA HUSTON plays Morticia Addams, the matriarch of the family, keeping watch on her children as well as her husband, making sure, effortlessly it seems, that all goes well in their lives. She's concerned about the return of Fester, knows how much it means to Gomez, and has a talk with Fester about it. She's as much in love with Gomez as he is with her. CHRISTOPHER LLOYD plays Gordon Craven, son to the odious Abigail Craven. He's the main element in the plan suggested by Tully, the Addams' lawyer, that Gordon pose as the missing Uncle Fester, returning to the family so that the vault containing the Addams' fortunes can be found and pilfered. However, his feelings about having all that money begin to change as he gets to know the family. ELIZABETH WILSON plays Abigail Craven, who has provided a considerable sum of money to Tully, the Addams' lawyer, for his business, and comes to collect what he owes. Finding that he doesn't have her money, she orders her son Gordon to rough him up, but looking at Gordon, Tully comes up with the plan to have Gordon pose as Uncle Fester and Abigail approves. She's constantly on top of Tully and Gordon about this plan, badgering Gordon especially about the kind of job he's doing. CHRISTINA RICCI plays Wednesday Addams, the young Addams daughter who enjoys beheaded dolls, electrocution, and torturing her brother Pugsley. She becomes suspicious of Uncle Fester suddenly returning, particularly because his observations of the Bermuda Triangle are wrong and she knows, because the Bermuda Triangle is her passion. She remains suspicious throughout. JUDITH MALINA plays Morticia's mother, grandmother to Wednesday and Pugsley. She helps out around the mansion and also cooks. DAN HEDAYA plays Tully Alford, lawyer for the Addams family, who suggests a scheme to Abigail involving Gordon posing as Uncle Fester in order to steal the family fortune so he can pay off Abigail. He's married, though doesn't care much about his wife, and doesn't like to get fully involved in Abigail's plan, especially later on when Morticia tries to set things straight. CAREL STRUYCKEN plays Lurch, the Addams' butler. PAUL BENEDICT plays Judge Womack, the Addams' next-door neighbor who is constantly the victim of golf balls flying through the windows of his house and would love to be rid of the Addamses for good. CHRISTOPHER HART plays Thing, five fingers and always able to help when needed. DANA IVEY plays Margaret Alford, Tully's wife who doesn't like that he doesn't care much about her and even though she's uncomfortable with the Addams family, she makes a change in her life that involves one of the family members. JIMMY WORKMAN plays Pugsley Addams, son to Gomez and Morticia and brother to Wednesday. He raises a meat cleaver to Wednesday, intending to do his worst, and also performs Shakespeare and bloody swordplay with her at their school talent show. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this PG-13 rated comedy. Profanity consists of a few expletives and colorful phrases. Some sexually related dialogue and material are present. Violence consists of swordplay---a scene of which leads to bloody results---and various broken windows, electrocution, and torture devices. Some moments may be unsettling or suspenseful only to younger viewers, and it's all played lightly and/or for comedy. The stunts may be tempting for some kids to imitate, and should be considered dangerous. Various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes, one smokes a cigar and there's some drinking. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those prone to visually-induced motion sickness, there's footage on a slide that leads to below the mansion. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Gomez says to Gordon in the vault, "First a brandy. Do the honors." Gordon uncorks a bottle and it reveals the vault of the fortunes of the Addams family. Gomez and Gordon hold big glasses of brandy. Morticia holds a green drink that smokes. BLOOD/GROSS STUFF Lurch and Morticia's mother pull things out of a closet, and then pull out the wrapped-up body of "Uncle Niknak." Morticia asks Margaret and Tully, "Entrails?" and Morticia's mother offers them from a tray. Gordon leads Wednesday and Pugsley through the pages of a book called "Wounds, Scars and Gouges." None of the pages are seen. Wednesday and Pugsley perform Shakespeare and swordplay at their school talent show. Pugsley strikes Wednesday on the wrist and blood (most likely fake) sprays from the wound. Wednesday retaliates with her sword across Pugsley's arm, which falls off and more blood sprays. Then Pugsley slashes Wednesday across the neck, blood starts spraying, and Wednesday turns to the audience, soaking them. In the search for Wednesday, Gomez tells Pugsley to "head for the dung heap." Gomez and Tully spar with swords. Tully slashes Gomez across his hand, drawing blood. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Most of the following is played for comedy: Tully, lawyer for the Addams family, is beholden to Abigail Craven, who has loaned him money for his business, but he's not been able to pay her back. He comes up with a plan to pay her off by stealing from the Addams' fortune, which is located in a vault underneath the mansion. The way to do this is to turn Craven's son Gordon into Gomez Addams' long-lost brother Fester, have him ingratiate himself into the family, enough to learn how to get to the vault and get the fortune. Abigail keeps on Tully about this and then on Gordon, reminding him that even though he gradually begins to like the Addamses, he has a job to do. Out of the three, Abigail is the most unpleasant, revealing what criminal acts she and Gordon have done over the years in order to make money, and continually berates him. Though Tully is the one who would likely benefit most if the money is successfully extracted, he's merely the sidekick here, a victim of sorts, forced to do Abigail's bidding, as evidenced when there's something late in the film that he doesn't want to do. On the roof of the Addams mansion, Lurch and Morticia's mother tip a boiling cauldron at Christmas carolers below, before the opening credits appear. Wednesday fires an arrow from a crossbow at an apple in Pugsley's mouth as he's tied up. Tully says to Abigail, "I've been the Addams' lawyer for years. They're morons." Abigail replies, "Obviously," about them retaining Tully as their lawyer. Gordon says to Abigail, "This is it, mother. The one we've been waiting for." Abigail replies, "No more loan sharking, no more storefront scams." Gordon continues, "I get the gold, and we're gone," and Abigail says, "And Tully takes the rap." Pugsley holds up a meat cleaver at Wednesday and she says, "Stop it." Gomez says, "Pugsley," holds out his hand, and Pugsley hands it over. Wednesday asks Fester, "May I have the salt?" and he picks it up. Morticia asks Wednesday, "What do we say?" and Wednesday answers, "Now." Pugsley brings a stop sign down to the dining room and Gomez motions for quiet. We hear a car horn and a truck horn honk, then a crash. Gomez exclaims, "Bravo, Pugsley!" Wednesday has Pugsley sit in an electric chair to play a game called "Is There a God?" Morticia comes up and asks Wednesday what she's doing and she replies, "I'm going to electrocute him." Morticia says that they're late for the charity auction and refuses to let Wednesday proceed, but relents when Pugsley asks, "Please?" Wednesday pulls down the switch and we see light reflecting off of Morticia and Wednesday's faces, Wednesday's eyes widening with satisfaction. We see a young Gomez and Fester dressed with shark fins, looking out and swimmers in a lake, and carrying dynamite and a detonator into the lake. About the girls Flora and Fauna, Gomez asks Gordon, "Can you ever forgive me?" Gordon asks, "What?" and Gomez continues, "I didn't love them, yet I wooed them both out of foolish pride. You were so dashing, you could have any woman you wanted, dead or alive. I was jealous. Insanely jealous. I admit that now. But I did not mean to drive you off. Not to the Bermuda Triangle." Gordon replies, "Water under the bridge. Forgiven. Forgotten." Wednesday is seen tied up in a chair while Pugsley holds a bottle of arsenic. Gordon tells Abigail that the family knows he's a fraud and Abigail replies, "Who knows? Gomez, that overheated moron?" Abigail slaps Gordon and then quickly apologizes. Morticia's mother screams at something put in her pot and we see Gordon and Pugsley snicker. Morticia's mother states, "That's for company," referencing what she pulled out of the pot. Abigail says to Gordon about the Addamses, "They're evil, and corrupt, and degraded. I can give you that." Outside the motel room window, Morticia's mother chases after a cat with a baseball bat. Not long after, Morticia's mother opens the motel room door, holding a bar, says, "Dinner's going to be late," and we hear her calling after a dog. Gordon tries to object to his mother demanding that Gomez take Tully to the vault of riches, but his mother fires back, "Can it, Gordon. Stop dragging your feet. You disgust me! You're nothing but a useless sniveling baby, a stone around my neck. What was I thinking? I should have left you where I found you." Gordon opens the Hurricane Irene book and the wind and rain blows back Tully and Gordon's mother, and causing objects to fall over and papers to fly around in the room. Lightning flashes from the book and Gordon goes flying too. Tully and Gordon's mother fly out through a window. Gordon catches the book, it strikes him with lightning and he falls to the floor. Gordon's mother and Tully land in two coffins that close and lower to the ground. Pugsley asks Wednesday, "Is she dead?" and Wednesday replies, "Does it matter?" FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed here may be unsettling, suspenseful or scary only to younger viewers, and it's all played lightly and/or for comedy. Lightning flashes, part of a window shatters, and candlelight goes out as Gordon reaches for his knife in bed. Thing grabs Fester's knee, and he shrieks in fright. Gomez and Gordon go down a twisting slide that's reflected in the camerawork. Wednesday has Pugsley sit in an electric chair to play a game called "Is There a God?" Morticia comes up and asks Wednesday what she's doing and she replies, "I'm going to electrocute him." Morticia says that they're late for the charity auction and refuses to let Wednesday proceed, but relents when Pugsley asks, "Please?" Wednesday pulls down the switch and we see light reflecting off of Morticia and Wednesday's faces, Wednesday's eyes widening with satisfaction. Wednesday and Pugsley perform Shakespeare and swordplay at their school talent show. Pugsley strikes Wednesday on the wrist and blood (most likely fake) sprays from the wound. Wednesday retaliates with her sword across Pugsley's arm, which falls off and more blood sprays. Then Pugsley slashes Wednesday across the neck, blood starts spraying, and Wednesday turns to the audience, soaking them. Gordon opens the Hurricane Irene book and the wind and rain blows back Tully and Gordon's mother, and causing objects to fall over and papers to fly around in the room. Lightning flashes from the book and Gordon goes flying too. Tully and Gordon's mother fly out through a window. Gordon catches the book, it strikes him with lightning and he falls to the floor. Gordon's mother and Tully land in two coffins that close and lower into the ground. GUNS/WEAPONS Handgun/Swords/Knives/Meat cleaver: Used to threaten or wound. See "Violence" for details. Pugsley holds up a meat cleaver at Wednesday and she says, "Stop it." Gomez says, "Pugsley," holds out his hand, and Pugsley hands it over. Morticia sees Wednesday carrying a carving knife and asks, "Is that for your brother?" Wednesday nods and Morticia replies, "I don't think so," taking it from her and handing her a large meat cleaver. Abigail holds a gun at Gomez. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "You moron!" "She's a pip," "Ship ahoy," "Damn it," "What the hell's going on over there?" "Cara mia!" "Mon cher!" and "Stop whining you little good-for-nothing." Gomez hits golf balls off a balcony of the Addams mansion. On the roof of the Addams mansion, Lurch and Morticia's mother tip a boiling cauldron at Christmas carolers below, before the opening credits appear. Wednesday fires an arrow from a crossbow at an apple in Pugsley's mouth as he's tied up. Gomez and Tully clash swords a few times throughout. Pugsley and Wednesday hold an antenna in a rainstorm with lightning flashing. Abigail disguises herself and her voice as a German doctor, Pinder-Schloss, and her accent may be tempting to imitate. Wednesday and Pugsley perform Shakespeare and swordplay at their school talent show. Pugsley strikes Wednesday on the wrist and blood (most likely fake) sprays from the wound. Wednesday retaliates with her sword across Pugsley's arm, which falls off and more blood sprays. Then Pugsley slashes Wednesday across the neck, blood starts spraying, and Wednesday turns to the audience, soaking them. A musician plays a cobra snake. The mamushka dance that Gomez and Gordon perform may be tempting to imitate, especially the knife action, in which they clash knives and also throw them to each other back and forth. Gomez also throws one knife up in the air that Gordon catches between his teeth. Gomez then takes that knife out of Gordon's mouth and throws it down. Lurch lifts a car by the front and looks for Wednesday under it. Gordon spins his bowl of chicken noodle soup with his spoon and some of it splashes on the table. Fester puts the end of a light bulb in his mouth and it lights up. The following also occurs earlier in the film: Pugsley brings a stop sign down to the dining room and Gomez motions for quiet. We hear a car horn and a truck horn honk, then a crash. Gomez exclaims, "Bravo, Pugsley!" Outside the motel room window, Morticia's mother chases after a cat with a baseball bat. Not long after, Morticia's mother opens the motel room door, holding a bar, says, "Dinner's going to be late," and we hear her calling after a dog. Pugsley plays with a miniature guillotine, slicing what looks like the neck of a doll. JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A heavy amount of suspenseful music occurs in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 6 damns, 1 hell, 3 uses of "Thank God," 2 of "Oh my God," and 1 of "My God." SEX/NUDITY A custom-made clock shows doll versions of Morticia and Gomez gliding to each other and with each chime, Gomez bows into Morticia's cleavage. Morticia says to Gomez, "Last night you were unhinged. You were like some desperate howling demon. You frightened me. Do it again." Morticia shows a bit of cleavage as she clips roses. Gomez and Morticia get turned on by bidding on a finger trap that used to belong to them and speaking Italian and French to each other. Morticia moans loudly with pleasure as Gomez kisses her. We see cleavage on the Mother Addams statue, with Father Addams. Morticia tells Wednesday's teacher about Great-Aunt Calpurnia. "She was burned as a witch in 1706. They say she danced naked in the town square and enslaved a minister. But don't worry. We've told Wednesday college first." Morticia and Gomez kiss passionately and Gomez gradually gets on top of her. A muscular statue is seen bare-chested with its genitals clearly indicated, but not in a detailed manner; just a ball part in that area. Abigail says to Gordon, "Please, return to your depraved orgy." A woman is seen bending over to pick up a paper in a short skirt when Thing runs right through with a load of FedEx packages. As Gomez unties Morticia from the board, he says, "Leather straps. Red-hot pokers." Morticia replies, "Later, my dearest." Margaret shows a bit of cleavage in her Halloween costume. SMOKING Gomez smokes a cigar once, and is also seen with a cigar in his mouth occasionally. TENSE FAMILY SCENES We hear that Uncle Fester left under stormy circumstances when he and Gomez had a fight that has left Gomez feeling deeply guilty all these years, regretful of what he said to his brother. Gordon's mother slaps him and then quickly apologizes. Gordon tries to object to his mother demanding that Gomez take Tully to the vault of riches, but his mother fires back, "Can it, Gordon. Stop dragging your feet. You disgust me! You're nothing but a useless sniveling baby, a stone around my neck. What was I thinking? I should have left you where I found you." Tully's wife, Margaret, doesn't like that he doesn't care much about her. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT The origins of the Addams family, from Charles Addams' cartoons found in The New Yorker in the 1930s, to the 1960s television series. Comparing various facets of one's own family to the Addamses. How the Addamses don't see that their lifestyle is bizarre and perhaps even unsettling to others. VIOLENCE Wednesday fires an arrow from a crossbow at an apple in Pugsley's mouth as he's tied up. Gomez hits a golf ball off a balcony and we hear something squawk off-camera. He then hits another golf ball which breaks through the window of a house across the way, landing in a bowl of cereal, splashing milk all over Judge Womack. The front gate to the Addams family mansion closes on Tully's arm. Inside the mansion, the head of the polar bear rug bites at Tully's heel. Tully closes the doors to the weapons room and a sword lands in the door near his head. Gomez exclaims, "Ah, missed!" Tully says, "What's that?" and flings his briefcase at Gomez as he's turned around. Gomez sticks up his sword and the handle slides on it. He flings the briefcase and it lands on a table and springs open. Gomez says to Tully, "Dirty pool, old man. I like it." Gomez and Tully spar and during the match-up, Gomez swipes his sword at Tully's suit, tearing part of it. Gomez asks "Where's my pen?" and swipes the sword out of Tully's hand with his. Gomez says, "Never mind, I'll take yours," and flips the pen out of Tully's breast pocket. He then somersaults backwards into his chair. Tully throws his coat off-screen and we hear it crash against something. Gordon grabs Tully by the shirt and shoves him against the wall with his hand on his neck. He turns Tully upside down against the wall, with one hand. Gordon then throws Tully down at his mother's insistence, and then clears off a table and throws Tully down on it. Lightning flashes, part of a window shatters, and candlelight goes out as Gordon reaches for his knife in bed. Gomez reaches for Thing, and Fester wakes up, grabbing Gomez's wrist, pushing him to the floor, and holding a knife to his throat. Gomez asks, "Breakfast?" then throws Gordon over him and says, "Damn, it's good to have you back." At the door to Fester's room, Gomez asks him, "Two out of three?" Then he throws the knife near his head and it lands in the floor. Pugsley springs a stop sign down to the dining room and Gomez motions for quiet. We hear a car horn and a truck horn honk, then a crash. Gomez exclaims, "Bravo, Pugsley!" Pugsley plays with a miniature guillotine, slicing what looks like the neck of a doll. Wednesday has Pugsley sit in an electric chair to play a game called "Is There a God?" Morticia comes up and asks Wednesday what she's doing and she replies, "I'm going to electrocute him." Morticia says that they're late for the charity auction and refuses to let Wednesday proceed, but relents when Pugsley asks, "Please?" Wednesday pulls down the switch and we see light reflecting off of Morticia and Wednesday's faces, Wednesday's eyes widening with satisfaction. Gomez roots through a chest of old films, strikes something down with a bat, and we hear the creature's reaction. Gomez wraps his arm tightly around Gordon's neck and implores him to say their secret password, letting go of him in surprise when he doesn't remember, and Gordon falls to the floor. A trap closes around Gordon's hand after he pulls a chain and it lifts him up as he screams. There's an explosion seen briefly as Gomez's two toy trains crash into each other. Wednesday and Pugsley clash swords. Pugsley appears to run Wednesday through with his sword and she acts as if she's nearly dead. Gordon sees this and teaches Pugsley how to actually kill someone with a sword, but by only telling him. An explosion kicks up dirt in front of the Addams mansion, and Wednesday, Pugsley and Gordon pop up. Gordon tells the kids, "Three parts dynamite, with a nitroglycerin cap. It's perfect for small holes, carports, and tool sheds." Gordon and Gomez hit two golf balls off a balcony at night and we hear two windows break at the judge's house. Gordon works on something that sparks and makes small explosions. Wednesday and Pugsley perform Shakespeare and swordplay at their school talent show. Pugsley strikes Wednesday on the wrist and blood (most likely fake) sprays from the wound. Wednesday retaliates with her sword across Pugsley's arm, which falls off and more blood sprays. Then Pugsley slashes Wednesday across the neck, blood starts spraying, and Wednesday turns to the audience, soaking them. During the mamushka dance that Gomez and Gordon perform, they clash knives and also throw them to each other back and forth. Gomez also throws one knife up in the air that Gordon catches between his teeth. Gomez then takes that knife out of Gordon's mouth and throws it down. Tully, Gordon and Gordon's mother each grab onto a chain, pull, and their hands are covered by a claw, and then they are ejected from the house. Lurch drinks Wednesday and Pugsley's concoction, and belches fire which chars an Indian statue. Tully turns a crank that stretches Morticia, tied to a board. Morticia reacts with pleasure, saying to Tully, "You've done this before." Gomez somersaults through a window into the room of the mansion where Morticia is being held. Gomez and Tully spar with swords again. Tully slashes Gomez across his hand, drawing blood. Gomez then grabs Tully's sword and holds both at him. Gordon opens the Hurricane Irene book and the wind and rain blows back Tully and Gordon's mother, and causing objects to fall over and papers to fly around in the room. Lightning flashes from the book and Gordon goes flying too. Tully and Gordon's mother fly out through a window. Gordon catches the book, it strikes him with lightning and he falls to the floor. Gordon's mother and Tully land in two coffins that close and lower to the ground. Fester shakes Gomez's hand, then flips him to the floor. The following also occurs earlier in the film: Abigail slaps Gordon and then quickly apologizes. Reviewed off DVD / Posted August 6, 2010