The Addams Family Movie Review

The Addams Family (2019)

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Written by: Matt Lieberman (screenplay by),  Charles Addams (based on characters created by),  Conrad Vernon (story by), Pamela Pettler (screenplay), Matt Lieberman (story), Erica Rivinoja (story by)
Directed by: Greg Tiernan, Conrad Vernon
Starring: Oscar Isaac, Charlize Theron, Chloë Grace Moretz, Finn Wolfhard, Nick Kroll, Snoop Dogg, Better Midler, Allison Janney, Martin Short, Catherine O'Hara, Tituss Burgess
Rated: PG
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Plot
An animated version of Charles Addams' series of cartoons about a peculiar, ghoulish family.

Verdict
It's not bad, but I wish it was funnier, or the animation was more interesting, or it had something to say. It seems to exist as nothing more than the first entry of a rebooted franchise. There is nothing about it that is clever. At various points it seemed like the movie might make a point, but it never does.
Skip it.

Review
The Addams family originally debuted as a comic in 1938 by cartoonist Charles Addams. I had only heard of the television series that debuted in 1977. I've seen the '90s movies, though I don't recall much of them at this point.

After the October opening weekend, a sequel was announced as scheduled to be released on October 22, 2021.

The movie is sufficient, but it doesn't do anything to stand out. The animation is quite simple. It's clear it's 3d animation, which isn't a problem, but there aren't any scenes that look flat out great. The character designs leave something to be desired.

With plenty of visual gags with how strange and macabre the family is, the jokes are simple.

I thought this might branch into a few meaningful story lines, but it just glances by them. This touches on acceptance with Wednesday wanting to attend the local school. Wednesday doesn't fit in, but the movie spends no time on that other than a quick scene with an ineffective bully.

Wednesday begins dressing like a normal teen while a new friend dresses like Wednesday. That annoys both parents. Like a normal teen, both want to rebel against their parents. I wondered if the movie would make a distinction that people share basically the same feelings, but that goes nowhere.

The Addams live next to a town called Assimilation, where as you imagine, everyone fits a status quo.  The Addams don't fit in, but as powerful a word as "assimilation" is, the movie doesn't explore what that means in this world or the downfalls of assimilating and not assimilating. There are dangers and benefits to assimilating and distancing yourself.

Social media is used and manipulated to turn the town of Assimilation against the family, but the  dangers of social media aren't developed.

The town realizes the family isn't that bad, but the movie stops short of making that meaningful.

Pixar has spoiled my expectations of animated movies, but I don't need a deep movie that works on dual levels. A fun adventure or a funny movie suffices. The Addams Family doesn't try to stand out in any way. With the announcement of a sequel so soon, it seems the only point of this movie was the hope it would earn enough money to make a sequel viable.