One of the joys of being a Dad is being able to watch the movies I loved as a kid with my own children. One of my favorites was the 1991 film adaption “The Addams Family.” I know we all love the second film, but it was the first that set the scene. Decades later people in my generation still remember this weird little dark comedy – why? Because as I keep saying, Good Writing Matters.
Let’s get some of the basics out of the way. The film had memorable music, faithful sets and stellar performances from Christopher Lloyd (Fester), Raul Julia (Gomez) and Anjelica Huston (Morticia). I think it goes without saying that Christina Ricci’s debut as Wednesday really stole every scene she was in. However, watching it all again almost 30 years later, I was struck how the trio of Fester, Morticia and Gomez are the heart and soul of this story.
The writing in this film is short, simple and to the point. Don’t believe me? Go back and have a look – there’s not a single scene, not a single shot, that doesn’t in some way describe the mad characters of the Addams. Every piece of dialogue from Fester, Morticia and Gomez reveals some of their character back story, their motivations, or their strengths and weaknesses.
As you may remember, Fester has lost his memory in this film and is posing as Fester to steal the Addams fortune. He has to try and pass himself off as a man he doesn’t know in a family that he finds weird yet strangely heart-warming. Every member of the trio has a clearly-defined story goal that sets the plot in motion. The building tension between Gomez and Fester is beautifully paced, with the actions and the character decisions arising from it being the driving forces of the plot. The relationships between these three are the core of the story. Morticia, Fester and Gomez are all different, and all incomplete characters without each other. Gomez, the mad, passionate, extrovert, rises and falls in fortune, but it is actually Morticia that sets the wheels turning at main plot points, quietly devoted to her family and gently guiding the other characters. Fester, meanwhile, is fantastically portrayed by Lloyd, a man wrestling with his place in the family right up to the moment where he must choose between the money and his new-found family. The ending is funny, satisfying, and best off all sets up the story for the second film – which I’m sure we can all agree was a rare example of a sequel outshining the original.
So, if you get a chance, go back and dust off the Addams Family, and maybe even share it with the next generation. I know you can hear already hear the music…!
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