THE ADDAMS FAMILY: Not Kooky Enough

The Addams family is one of the most rich, fun families cinema has seen. Rich in the sense that they are a bottomless pit of entertainment and ghoulish fun. They’re spooky and kooky, different yet the same as us, the model family for all of us who feel a little different. Anjelica Huston’s Morticia Addams and Christina Ricci’s Wednesday Addams remain some of the most relatable icons of cinema.

We have a new adaptation of The Addams’ on our hands, one specifically designed and aimed at children. The family have been brought to life in animated form, but the film doesn’t quite stick the landing. Despite valiant efforts, director Greg Tiernan and Vernon Conrad can’t breathe new, exciting life into these characters.

They’re Creepy And They’re Kooky

Morticia and Gomez Addams are about to be married when all the villagers storm their wedding with torches and pitchforks. The unhappy couple, desperate for a place they can call home, move to New Jersey to live away from people. Fast forward 13 years and the couple, with their two children, a hand and a Lurch, live a relatively peaceful life in an abandoned asylum. Trouble brews as Wednesday begins to question their lifestyle, Pugsley tries to pass the traditional Mazurka and the nearby town finds out about their existence. Throw in the whole extended Addams clan and a crazy home designer and you’ve got quite a disaster in your hands.

The most confusing thing about The Addams Family is that it never quite manages to establish whose story this is. The message at the heart of the film is a very basic one; respect people who are different, we’re all the same really. The film tries to juggle too many different plot points, all of which come across as half-hearted and underdeveloped.

Wednesday’s exploration of the town and high school, as well as her friendship with a girl named Parker feels familiar, but also makes for the most engaging storyline. It’s ripe for comedy and certainly relatable, but unfortunately never really goes anywhere. Pugsley’s struggles to complete and master the Mazurka somehow feels brief and a little pointless, even if there are some good notes here on the pressure our parents put on us and how hard it is to meet the family expectations.

Mysterious And Spooky

The voice cast is well assembled, but none of them really stand out. Charlize Theron and Chloë Grace Moretz seem to have some fun with their characters, both their voices are smooth and honey-like, but with just drop of menace. Oscar Isaac doesn’t seem to put in any effort at all, opting to go through his lines on autopilot. It’s a shame no one is particularly memorable here, because it’s an impressive cast list that never truly comes alive.

Elsie Fisher voices Wednesday’s new friend Parker, who is obsessed with social media. Sound familiar? It’s a fun little nod to Fisher’s star turn in Bo Burnham’s Eight Grade and it’s a shame it isn’t utilised more. Both Wednesday and Parker go through makeovers of sort, but the tendency of experiment and find your own true self as an adolescent isn’t explored here enough. Wednesday has always been the heart of the family, the one we can identify with and see the world through her eyes, but she isn’t granted much to do here.

The film’s animation strives for the odd, but something accessible. Morticia’s design is particularly successful and the very first scene in the film which shows her get ready for her wedding to Gomez is one of the better scenes in the film, promising much more than the film eventually delivers. It’s a film that is constantly on the verge of diving into the deep end and becoming a better film, but never takes the plunge.

They’re All Together Ooky

This could all still be forgivable, if The Addams Family had a more distinctive identity. It’s not weird or scary enough, it never takes any risks. Directors Tiernan and Conrad, as well as Matt Lieberman’s script seem afraid to really attempt to scare their young audience. By no means should a children’s film be traumatising, but scares can also be fun and entertaining and full of wonder. The Addams Family is rooted in horror, the macabre but this is a very sanitised version.

Tiernan and Conrad are best known for directing the raunchy Sausage Party, so it’s strange there is no evidence of that same style and approach here. Sausage Party, for better or for worse was at least insightful, funny and dared to go where no animation has gone before. It’s hard to believe the people, who directed an extended sex orgy between food items have turned in a squeaky-clean version of The Addams Family.

The film tried to emulate Tim Burton’s style, but it never pulls it off. Burton has the courage to truly push the boundaries and add some deliciously scary or at least ghastly imagery into his animated films. The smooth animation of The Addams Family is too clean and wholesome to make an impression. It may be suitable for the younger children, but it doesn’t serve the story or the characters. Adding some dark circles on your character’s eyes doesn’t make your film visually spooky or dark, it just makes your characters look permanently sleep-deprived.

The Addams Family is almost constantly amusing, but never hilarious. The jokes feel dated and lazy, they never manage to conjure anything more than a little chuckle. It’s an unfocused film in every way, one that never seems to get a grip of its own story and the mood it wants to set.

The Addams Family: Spooky Or Not?

The Addams Family is perfectly passable as a children’s film, but not a genre classic. Forgettable and quite boring, the film never manages to do anything with its fun premise, but instead settles for a generic tale of acceptance by the way of horror. While it may not be either scary or particularly funny, The Addams Family is worth a watch for its voice cast, but disappointment is imminent.

With some fun references to other horror films (look out for that red balloon), The Addams Family is a good attempt to bring the kooky family back onto our screen but perhaps this material simply isn’t for children if you can’t utilise its full potential.

What did you think of The Addams Family? Is it a worthy installment? Let us know in the comments!

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