‘The Addams Family’ (2019)
MGM Pictures
Directed by: Greg Tiernan & Conrad Vernon
Written by: Matt Lieberman, Pamela Pettler & Erica Rivinoja
Starring: Oscar Isaac, Charlize Theron, Chloe Grace Moretz, Finn Wolfhard, Nick Kroll, Snoop Dogg & Allison Janney
Halloween is just around the corner. And while most people’s minds turn to horror films, a charming new animated addition to the box office this coming weekend will be a revisiting of one of the creepiest and kookiest families in America – The Addams Family! Originally springing from the mind of cartoonist Charles Addams and first appearing in “The New Yorker”, the characters have been around for nearly a century but this is their very first animated feature-film. Having been driven out of “the old country” on the day of their wedding, Gomez & Morticia decide to begin their life together somewhere new. Upon arriving in New Jersey, they find an old, abandoned & haunted lunatic asylum and find it to be just horrible enough to make it their home. Trouble begins when TV home makeover queen Margaux Needler realizes that the Addams’ hilltop macabre mansion and their bizarre visiting relatives could upset her plans to sell homes in the town of Assimilation and sets out to rally the townspeople against the family.
Directed by Greg Tiernan & Conrad Vernon, this movie boasts some seriously heavy hitters when it comes to voice talent. From Oscar Isaac & Charlize Theron as Gomez & Morticia to Finn Wolfhard & Chloe Grace Moretz as Pugsley & Wednesday, we even get powerhouses Bette Midler & Snoop Dogg as Grandma & Cousin It. The film does a great job of being original while also incorporating several nods and homages to the original TV series as well as to the 1991 film of the same name. It’s well-done on the animation front with a solid story line that gives all of the characters plenty to do and Conrad Vernon deftly handles the incredible voice cast making the most of everyone’s talents. What this means is that we get a fun and clever movie that the adults will enjoy every bit as much as the children. Clocking in at just 1 hour & 27 minutes, this film will be easy to slip into your weekend plans. On a scale of 1 to 10, I’d say that ‘The Addams Family‘ manages to conjure up a solid 8 for me. Don’t be scared to get out and see it at a theater near you for part of your Halloween plans.
