Entertainment
Perfect Comedy On Netflix Laughs In Death’s Face
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
The Addams Family has never been too afraid of death, possibly because they know just how impermanent it really is. After all, this is a franchise that refused to die: after the ‘60s show was canceled after only two seasons, the show lived on through cartoons and TV specials before properly coming back to life with two successful blockbuster movies that defined an entire generation. Now, Wednesday has relaunched the brand yet again, and the success of that show has ensured that an Addams Family cinematic universe is right around the corner.
However, shortly before Wednesday made everyone embrace their inner goth, we got an entirely different franchise production: The Addams Family (2019), a slick, CGI cartoon that lovingly embraced the aesthetics of the original Addams Family comic strips. It’s a movie that honors the franchise in a surprisingly robust way while providing something fun for the entire family to enjoy. If you’re ready for something creepy, spooky, and altogether ooky, it’s time to stream The Addams Family on Netflix!
The Original Goth TV Family Is Back
The premise of The Addams Family is that the titular clan of weirdos has established a new home for themselves in New Jersey, essentially isolating themselves from the outside world. That isolation is brought to a forcible end when a crazy reality TV show host makes it her personal mission in life to destroy the Addams’ mansion and drive the family away, all in the name of creating a perfectly planned community. The film is ultimately a story about fitting in versus standing out, with the Addamses impressing upon their children the need to never let anyone change who they really are.
As with many animated blockbuster movies, The Addams Family has a cast full of big names, starting with Oscar Isaac (best known for Ex Machina) as Gomez Addams. His loving wife, Morticia, is played by Charlize Theron (best known for Mad Max: Fury Road), while Wednesday is played by Chloë Grace Moretz (best known for Kick-Ass). Rounding out the immediate family is Puggsley, played by Stranger Things icon Finn Wolfhard.
Big Names Made This Movie An Explosive Hit
Believe it or not, this is just scratching the surface of big names in this film. The Addams Family also features voice work by Nick Kroll and deceased comedy legends Bette Midler and Catherine O’Hara. Even Snoop Dogg makes a crowd-pleasing cameo that firmly establishes how well the two directors (Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon) understood the assignment.
After The Addams Family hit theaters, its success was anything but ‘altogether ooky.” Against a budget of $24 million, it earned $204.4 million. This was enough success (you could fill Gomez’s vault with all that money!) to earn a sequel, and The Addams Family 2 came out in 2021. More broadly speaking, the success of this first film signified that The Addams Family was still a viable brand, and development on the highly successful Wednesday television show started the same year this earlier movie hit theaters.
The Critics Were Shocked (And Not In A Good Way)
When The Addams Family came out, it quickly revealed a major divide between critics and audiences. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 46 percent rating, with critics complaining that this was too sacharine of a story for the most macabre family in American history. But the movie has a 70 percent audience rating and earned itself a follow-up film, both of which prove how popular this quirky cartoon was for general moviegoers and not snobby critics.
If you’re a diehard fan of the franchise like I am, you’ll likely enjoy The Addams Family for hewing so close to the original source material. The character design faithfully recreates Charles Addams’ original art, and the film does an excellent job of channeling these characters’ familiar dark humor. It’s still family-friendly enough to watch with your kids, but the onscreen hijinks of this glum, sometimes gruesome family are perfect for any parents sick of watching cartoons as shiny as they are mindless.
Additionally, the star-studded cast does an excellent job of bringing The Addams Family to life. Nobody phones in their performances here, and longtime fans will be excited by how Oscar Isaac channels the manic charm of John Astin’s original performance as Gomez. Meanwhile, Chloë Grace Moretz channels the dry wit of Christina Ricci’s Wednesday from the ‘90s, effectively paving the way for Jenna Ortega’s sinfully sardonic performance as the titular star of the Wednesday TV show.
The Family That Streams Together Screams Together
Even if you’re not a huge fan of the franchise, though, it’s easy to love The Addams Family for what it is: a well-produced tale of outsiders discovering that what makes them weird is also what makes them strong. It’s a universal message that will resonate particularly well for anyone who has learned the value of found family or, for that matter, anyone who felt like an unwanted outcast when they were growing up. That makes this the ideal movie for former weirdos to share with their children, effectively breaking the outcast cycle in a way that helps you bond with your children.
Will you agree that The Addams Family is a perfectly creepy, family-friendly comedy, or will you want to shut this thing off and just go watch Jenna Ortega dance instead? The only way to find out is to stream this slice of gothic grandeur for yourself on Netflix. Afterward, you can always stream the sequel on the same streamer, just in case you end up loving this film as much as Puggsley loves bombs!
