The Addams Family (1991) ***1/2

Given the choice between the Addams Family and the Munsters I always chose the Addams Family. I guess it was because the Addams' were darker than Herman and the crew down the road. Now I'm not old enough for the direct competition of the 1960's but I do remember these two shows being back to back on TBS in the '80's.

In the early '90's the first burst of TV shows adapted to film began with stuff like Coneheads and the Beverly Hillbillies. The Addams Family came out of that batch and is probably the best of the bunch, though it sticks more toward the Charles Addams comic strip than the TV show.

The film stars Raul Julia as Gomez and Angelica Huston as Morticia, living with their macabre brood that is much off kilter to present day society. The film follows and unscrupulous plot by Gomez's lawyer (Dan Hedya) and a woman he owes money to (Elizabeth Wilson) in which her son Gordon (Christopher Lloyd) poses as Gomez's long lost brother Fester to gain access to the Addams Family vault.

A pretty straight forward story that is given great detail in the dark, dank cinematography throughout the film. You can't really underact in a film like this because all of the characters are larger than life, including the morose Wednesday Addams (Christina Ricci in a role she was born to play). It's a fun little romp that you can't take too seriously but doesn't dumb itself down like other family oriented comedies out there.