The Addams Family product reviews

I have seldom seen a movie that made me laugh so much. It was a pity that my partner and I watched it on our own as I would love to have seen it with the children to see their reactions. There is something in this movie for everyone - and I say that as a person who is not especially into animated films or comedies. But this film is so good that it threw out all my reservations around these two genres.

The first thing that grabbed my attention was the variation on the MGM lion at the very start. I was watching the sequence thinking about how long that particular introduction had been around when the lion suddenly morphed into a playful animated version of itself and proceeded to chase a ball offscreen. And the irreverence did not stop there. The original New Yorker cartoon series (which is the inspiration for the movie) was first published just prior to the outbreak of World War 2, a key date given the impact on society of major challenges like social unrest, unemployment, international supply shortages, and ultimately war itself. At a time like that satirical humour provided one way of coping. This movie offers the same respite from the current worldwide pandemic and pending recession; by ridiculing death and celebrating the grosser things in life, the viewers' attention is shifted from one of fear and pending doom to one of escapism and laughter.

It could be said that some of the darker moments in the film push the boundaries of what is acceptable. However, this is an animated movie. The dead can jump back into life like Lurch or the biology lab frogs; all it takes is a few frames from the design department and life is restored! Some of the things that the Addams family eat are quite frankly disgusting (mouldy sandwich anyone?) but again, each to his own. Everyone has a number of foods they find abhorrent but which others enjoy. Some people don't like meat. Some don't like brussels sprouts. (Personally, I like both; my pet aversion is a glass of milk! Give me a mouldy sandwich any day.) And as for inanimate objects that suddenly come to life, there is the house itself which is permanently grumpy with everyone, ordering them constantly to get out. Morticia, who is a caffeine addict, calms the house down by pouring a good helping of coffee into the toilet and flushing it.

So, on one level the movie is an escapist path for people who are in need of a little fantasy in their lives - and the more outrageous and impossible the better! But on another level, this is a film about tolerance. The story begins somewhere in an unnamed part of the Old World where the family are hounded for being different. There are all sorts of clues to where this might be; I would home in on Transylvania or thereabouts because there are multiple hints around vampirism, resurrection, witchcraft and other delights that were once the hallmark of the Hammer Horror classics. There is also a strong reference back to the pogroms of Eastern Europe, where Jews were hounded out of their homes and forced to emigrate. This is reinforced by the coming-of-age ceremony (the Sabre Mazurka) that Pugsley has to complete. It has links in common with the Jewish Bar Mitzvah although the term Sabre Mazurka would appear to refer to a particular style of sword dance!

The escape to a new home relocates them to New Jersey, the last place on earth that they would be unsafe. If this is not satire, I don't know what is! And of course they encounter prejudice there exactly as they did in the old country. Everything is stacked against them - their appearance, their habits, and their alternative lifestyle. But the essential goodwill of the Addams clan insofar as they are not prejudiced towards "normal" people and are willing to extend friendship to them prevails in the end. Acceptance of one another is their goal, and the recognition that everyone should be free to live their lives in their own way.

There are references throughout the movie to a long tradition of film, both in the cinema and on television. Older viewers will spot lines and situations which are inspired by earlier scenes - ranging from classic horror movies to modern reality shows to musical comedy. It became a game as the two of us vied to be the first to spot the next quote in its new context, or to identify an item of costume that was first seen in a movie of yesteryear. Something I especially liked about this film was the way the lighting was used for atmosphere but never overdone to the point of masking the action. Some gothic movies go overboard and all but shoot in darkness. This misses the point; there is a world of difference between atmospherically gloomy and almost pitch black.

And our favourite part - the Titanic in the bathtub scene. To elaborate would be to give the plot away. But we fully intend to see the whole movie a second time with the children in attendance, so I will be looking forward to seeing their reactions. A treat yet in store for us!