The Addams Family [Blu-ray]

Director: Barry Sonnenfeld

Overview

Inspired more by the 1960s TV series than by the original Charles Addams New Yorker cartoons, The Addams Family proved to be one of the more successful of the TV shows-turned-movies of the 1990s. The film opens on a recreation of the magazine cartoon wherein the ghoulish Addamses prepare to pour hot oil upon a group of merry Christmas carolers. After a series of vignettes which establish the characters of Gomez (Raul Julia), Morticia (Anjelica Huston), Wednesday (Christina Ricci), Pugsley (Jimmy Workman) and family servants Lurch (Carel Struycken) and Thing (Christopher Hart), the plot proper gets under way. A stranger, played by Christopher Lloyd, shows up on the Addams doorstep, claiming to be long-lost Uncle Fester. It appears, however, that Lloyd is a ringer, in cahoots with attorney Tully Alford (Dan Hedaya) to strip the Addamses of their fortune. In their usual against-the-grain fashion, the Addams Family seems to delight in the possibility that they're being hoodwinked-indeed, not even kidnapping or death threats dampen the Addams clan's joy of living (or should we say dying?). The Addams Family served as the directorial debut of cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld.

Product Details

Release Date:	09/09/2014
UPC:	0883929409716
Original Release:	1991
Rating:	PG-13
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	1:39:00
Sales rank:	82,659

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Anjelica Huston	Morticia Addams
Raul Julia	Gomez Addams
Christopher Lloyd	F?tide Addams
Dan Hedaya	Tully Alford
Christina Ricci	Wednesday Addams
Jimmy Workman	Pugsley Addams
Judith Malina	Grand-M?re
Elizabeth Wilson	Abigail Craven
Carel Struycken	Lurch
Dana Ivey	Margaret Alford,Susan Firkins
Paul Benedict	Judge Woamack
Christopher Hart	Thing
John Franklin	Cousin It
Tony Azito	Digit Addams
Douglas Brian Martin	Dexter Addams,Donald Addams
Allegra Kent	Cousin Ophelia Addams
Richard Korthaze	Slosh Addams
Ryan Holihan	Lumpy Addams
Maureen Sue Levin	Flora Amor,Fauna Amor
Kate McGregor-Stewart	Employment Agent
Whitby Hertford	Little Tully,Little Tully
Patty Maloney	Lois Addams
Victoria Hall	Swedish Blonde
Jimmy Ross	Pre-Teen Gomez
Ryan Anderson	Pre-Teen Fester
Daniel Pikus	Teenage Gomez
Michael Hittesdorf	Teenage Fester
Lauren Walker	Teenage Flora,Teenage Fauna
Mercedes McNab	Girl Scout
Joe Zimmerman	Long Arm Addams
Steve Welles	Fingers Addams
Eugene Jackson	One-Armed Bass Player
Richard Tanner	Snake Charmer
Marc Shaiman	Conductor,Composer
Sally Jessy Raphael	Herself
Jonathan Wee	Juggler
Joan Cusack	Actor
Carol Kane	Actor
Kaitlyn Hooper	Actor
David Krumholtz	Actor
Peter MacNicol	Actor
Christine Baranski	Actor
Eugene M. Jackson	One Armed Bass Player

Technical Credits

Larry Wilson

Caroline Thompson

Charles Addams

Paul Rudnick

Larry Wilson	Screenwriter
Caroline Thompson	Screenwriter
Chuck Comiskey	Special Effects
David Ellis	Stunts
Chuck Gaspar	Special Effects
Alan Munro	Special Effects
Graham Place	Executive Producer,Producer
Scott Rudin	Producer
Charles Addams	Screenwriter
Jack Cummins	Producer
Jim Aupperle	Special Effects
James Ashwill	Sound Effects
Bob Baron	Sound Effects
Kevin Bartnof	Sound Effects
John Benson	Sound Effects
Pamela Bentkowski	Sound Effects
Owen Walstrom	Stunts
Bonnie Arnold	Producer
Paul Rosenberg	Producer
Keith Campbell	Stunts
Mary Peters	Stunts
Randy Kovitz	Stunts
Paul Rudnick	Screenwriter
David Rubin	Casting
David Welch	Stunts
Danny Rogers	Stunts

Editorial Reviews

Uncannily cast and visually opulent, The Addams Family is a case of pure contagious delight. TV shows made into movies have failed more often than not, but Barry Sonnenfeld breathes life into a creatively stunted genre with his gleeful take on Gomez, Morticia, et al. Sonnenfeld's status as a former cinematographer is a real boon to the production, as the Addams home spirals away into a gothic maze that rivals anything in the films of Tim Burton. As lively as the sets and costumes are, it's the devilish good time displayed by the actors that makes The Addams Family such a grin. Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston are relaxed and clearly suited to their roles. The film's three credited scribes produce plenty of fodder for their pun-heavy, campy portrayals. Equally dead on is Christopher Lloyd claiming to be Uncle Fester, as bald-headed and bug-eyed as anyone could want. Eleven-year-old Christina Ricci, whose dour yet mischievous Wednesday Addams earned endless superlatives about her future in acting, has gone on to realize that potential. Tone is this film's most important attribute. Beyond the actors and snazzy art direction, there's an additional flawless special effect that nearly steals the show -- namely, Thing, the disembodied hand, which scurries about the house, interacts humorously with the characters, and displays the identifiable quirks that make it an equivalent member of this offbeat clan.