I'm the first to admit that I don't really "get" the humor of The Addams Family. There are times when I can see where the joke lies and laugh right along with the movie, but most of the time it doesn't strike me as funny. It's like the main running joke of the film is just an elaborate round of the opposite game. Gross is delightful, torture is pleasure, and even eating your own children is seen as a good idea when they are ripe enough. Yet there is no consistency to it. Morticia and Gomez are still sweet and loving to one another. They are kind to their friends and family as well, which just makes me question why in these moments positive qualities are treated as a good thing. That mere element of saying that bad is good doesn't make me even crack a smile, and so much of the comedy in the film is built on that formula. There are brief moments when the situational comedy plays much better for me, and I can at least enjoy the humorous juxtaposition. Watching as Wednesday wants to "play" with Pugsley by putting him in an electric chair at least made me chuckle briefly, but then questions started to bother me, like how he will survive, which I think isn't the point of the joke.
Even though I don't have a strong connection to the characters, there's no denying that the casting of them was spot on. Every actor nails their role perfectly, including the young ones and that is a rare thing. They were so iconic in the roles that most people actually think of these actors first when talking about the characters even if they had some familiarity with the TV show. The general plot of The Addams Family is not one that I love. It almost feels like they should have gone the other way with Uncle Fester and had this "imposter" be someone who is a scaredy-cat, so he is constantly put into situations where he is terrified. Instead they make him instantly comfortable with most things, which makes all the weirdness of the Addams home feel less interesting. Don't get me wrong, I love a well-choreographed Mamushka, and wouldn't want to see Fester awkwardly stumble his way through that, but at least some drama beyond their money being stolen would be nice. Plus, just mentioning that once again makes me mentally struggle with the contradiction in this opposite game. Shouldn't the mere fact that they are stripped of their wealth and forced to scrounge around to survive be delightful to these people? I just don't get it.
Even though I don't have a strong connection to the characters, there's no denying that the casting of them was spot on. Every actor nails their role perfectly, including the young ones and that is a rare thing. They were so iconic in the roles that most people actually think of these actors first when talking about the characters even if they had some familiarity with the TV show. The general plot of The Addams Family is not one that I love. It almost feels like they should have gone the other way with Uncle Fester and had this "imposter" be someone who is a scaredy-cat, so he is constantly put into situations where he is terrified. Instead they make him instantly comfortable with most things, which makes all the weirdness of the Addams home feel less interesting. Don't get me wrong, I love a well-choreographed Mamushka, and wouldn't want to see Fester awkwardly stumble his way through that, but at least some drama beyond their money being stolen would be nice. Plus, just mentioning that once again makes me mentally struggle with the contradiction in this opposite game. Shouldn't the mere fact that they are stripped of their wealth and forced to scrounge around to survive be delightful to these people? I just don't get it.