The 1991 Addams Family movie is “my” Addams Family. I only saw the odd rerun of the original series so I was never hugely into it. However, as I knew of the franchise when I saw the trailer for The Addams Family while watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II, I thought that it looked amazing and I knew I had to go and see it.
How to Download The Addams Family (1991)
The Addams Family was released on November 22, 1991. You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice. Check out also The Addams Family from 2019 and the sequel The Addams Family 2. And don’t forget about Wedensday.
The Movie Review
I loved this as a kid and for a couple of years, The Addams Family had a bit of a rebirth. We had this movie, one of the greatest pinball machines ever made, some great video games (I love this on the SNES), a sequel, and even an animated series. The Addams Family well and truly were back and I enjoyed most of the stuff that was around.
For many years I would have said that The Addams Family is about an 8 out of 10 movie, but having watched this and Addams Family Values back to back recently, this is a movie that is not as great as I remember it being. It is not bad, but now I think that I do prefer Addams Family Values to this.
The Addams Family Style
One thing that The Addams Family has going for it is style. I love the sets and the whole style of this movie and I think they did a great job of bringing The Addams Family into the 90s. It has a real “Tim Burton” look to it which is interesting as Tim Burton was the one that the studio wanted to direct this, but as he was busy with Batman Returns he was not able to do so.
Amazing Casting
The casting here is amazing. Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston as Gomez and Morticia are amazing, they bring these characters to life for a new generation so well. Raul Julia is the version of Gomez that always springs to mind when I think of The Addams Family. We also have Christopher Lloyd as Uncle Fester, and Christina Ricci as Wednesday to name the big stars.
Weak Plot
The cast is great and the movie looks awesome and captures the creepy gothic Addams Family style, but it is the plot where the movie struggles. When we meet Gomez, he is sad that he has not seen his estranged brother, Fester for many years as the pair had a falling out. I do have to say again that Raul Julia is fantastic as Gomez!
This leads a con artist by the name of Abigail Craven who has a son called Gordon who resembles Fester to try and worm their way in and get the family fortune. It is basically a con job style of movie with Gomez so wanting his brother back, that he is willing to believe. Of course, they get conned and then have to try and get their home and fortune back.
Final Thoughts
The plot is not horrible, but it is just kind of there. The interactions with the various members of the family are all very entertaining, but the plot tying it all together is rather weak if I am being brutally honest. I was a bit bummed out when I watched this recently as it was not as good as I remembered it being. However, on the other hand, Addams Family Values was so much better than I remembered it being so that was good.
