The Addams Family (1991)
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60% of critics liked it
(40 reviews) -
65% of users liked it
(289,645 ratings)
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… More 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. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Barry Sonnenfeld
- Written By
- Caroline Thompson
- Genres
- Horror, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Comedy
- In Theaters
- Nov 22, 1991 Wide
- Studio
- Paramount Pictures
Critic Reviews
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Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
They're creepy and they're predictable? Mysterious and rather tame?
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, Time Out
Ooky the Addamses may be, subversive they ain't; it plays like a paean to the nuclear family.
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Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
An extended collection of one-liners and not much more.
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, Variety
Despite inspired casting and nifty visual trappings, the eagerly awaited Addams Family figures as a major disappointment.
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, Time Out New York
Ooky the Addamses may be, subversive they ain't; it plays like a paean to the nuclear family.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Anjelica Huston
as Morticia Addams
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Raul Julia
as Gomez Addams
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Christopher Lloyd
as Gordon Craven
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Dan Hedaya
as Tully Alford
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Elizabeth Wilson
as Abigail Craven
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Judith Malina
as Granny
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Christina Ricci
as Wednesday Addams
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Carel Struycken
as Lurch
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Dana Ivey
as Margaret Alford
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Paul Benedict
as Judge Womack
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Jimmy Workman
as Pugsley Addams
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Ryan Anderson
as Pre-Teen Fester
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Tony Azito
as Digit Addams
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John Franklin
as Cousin It
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Victoria Hall
as Swedish Blonde
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Whitby Hertford
as Little Tully
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Michael Hittesdorf
as Teenage Fester
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Ryan Holihan
as Lumpy Addams
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Lela Ivey
as Susan Firkins
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Allegra Kent
as Cousin Ophelia Addams
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Richard Korthaze
as Slosh Addams
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Darlene Levin
as Fauna Amor
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Maureen Sue Levin
as Flora Amor
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Patty Maloney
as Lois Addams
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Douglas Brian Martin
as Dexter Addams
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Kate McGregor-Stewart
as Employment Agent
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Mercedes McNab
as Girl Scout
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The Passing Zone
as Jugglers
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Daniel Pikus
as Teenage Gomez
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Sally Jessy Raphael
as Herself
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Jimmy Ross
as Pre-Teen Gomez
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Richard Tanner
as Snake Charmer
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Valerie Walker
as Teenage Fauna
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Steve Welles
as Fingers Addams
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Joe Zimmerman
as Long Arm Addams
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Christopher Hart
as Thing
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Marc Shaiman
as Conductor
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Steven M. Martin
as Donald Addams
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Eugene M. Jackson
as One Armed Bass Player



