The Addams Family
Directed by: Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon
Runtime: 86 minutes
The Addams Family is one of those properties that most people have interacted with in some way. Whether it was the old black and white television series or the films from the 90s, most know them as a weird yet loveable, macabre family. The latest instalment in this eccentric family reimagines these characters in cartoon form. Unfortunately, this did mean that the humour had to be a little more child-friendly than the original, which ruined some of the darker moments of the film. The Addams Family had several jokes that fell short and a plot that seemed to drag, but it was nice to see kids introduced to this wonderfully weird family and the ever-important message of “acceptance”.
The Addams Family follows a very similar plot to the 90s film; with a local plastic reality TV show host moving into their local area to spruce up their lives and promote ‘normality’ and ‘conformity’. Naturally, this does not work for the Addams Family who simply want peace from the ordinariness and to enjoy their quirky little lives. On top of this there are a few subplots, with Wednesday finding a friend, Pugsley training to become a man, and a bizarre social media influencer that all culminate in the overall message of “Don’t be afraid to be different”.
This overall message is always a great one for kids, but in this instance, the film did seem to beat me over the head with it. Not only was the major plot dealing with acceptance but, by the conclusion of the film, all of the subplots were revealed to have the exact same lesson. This made me a little frustrated for the younger audience around me as I’m sure they are far cleverer than the filmmakers are giving them credit for, but they seemed a little afraid to delve into tougher issues.
The voice actors was star-studded but seemed a little wasted. With voices such as; Oscar Isaac, Charlize Theron, Finn Wolfhard and Nick Kroll. The plot didn’t measure up to the talent and Nick Kroll’s Uncle Fester was downright irritating. This was particularly disappointing because I enjoy Nick Kroll’s voice work on Big Mouth. However, his experimentation with his voice became a whining mess that felt like someone trying too hard at an impression. Chloë Grace Moretz as Wednesday was also a little grating as her character became more ‘emo’ than ‘macabre’ at times making her come across spoilt, rather than menacing. That being said, Wednesday was still one of my favourite characters and scenes where she interacts with the school students had some of the best lines.
The pacing of The Addams Family seemed to drag in the middle, as the message of the film became overstated and obvious. While the family is always the most engaging when they are interacting with other townspeople, there was far too much time spent on them interacting with each other. slowing down the humour and leaving you waiting for those scenes to end so you could return to the more interesting interactions with others. The Addams Family has some wonderful messages for children about acceptance and embracing your own quirks. However, the voice acting was a little distracting and the plot could have done more to creatively revealed some of the deeper moments between characters.
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