They’re spooky, and they’re kooky. They’re causing such a controversy: they’re the Addams family.
The 2019 animated movie The Addams Family has been under heat as of late. Many of the critical reviews center around how it didn’t live up to its name. The entire movie was about being different and not living up to your family’s name, so it seems a bit ironic.
In the movie, we first meet Morticia and Gomez Addams on their honeymoon to the most despicable and horrendous place… New Jersey. They both hope for a place where they can be themselves. They find a place to spend the night in a cozy asylum, which they later make a home.
Flash forward 13 years, the audience meets Pugsley and Wednesday Addams. In two weeks, Pugsley will be having his Mazurka, an Addams family tradition for boys going into manhood. Gomez tries to teach him the traditional way to do the Mazurka sword fight, but Pugsley expresses his desire to use his weapon of choice, explosions. I find it ridiculous that Gomez had not tried to teach or put more effort into helping Pugsley before the looming date of the Mazurka.
On the same day, down in the little village under the asylu—I mean, home, another celebration is occurring. Margaux Needler is premiering her TV finale for her home remodeling show. Not agreeing with the Addams’ ways, she turns the town against them by spreading rumors and lies. To me, Margaux was an overused character that seemed boring in retrospect.
While Pugsley is trying to transition into being an adult, Wednesday is going through her own teenage self-exploration. She is rebelling against her mother throughout the movie, going as far as to go to public school. Morticia wants her to be like the rest of the family, showing no sympathy for Wednesday’s need to express herself the way she wants to.
Even though Morticia and Gomez want their new home to be different, they also pressure their children to be like them. It’s an aggravating and complex thought to think that the kookiest and most different people don’t appreciate diversity.
The movie highlights the tone of being different and not doing things the traditional way. This makes critics’ thoughts of the movie almost invalid. They don’t notice the movie itself is a contradicting masterpiece. Morticia wants Wednesday to be just like the rest of the family, and she doesn’t approve of Wednesday’s different style, very much like Margaux. Along with Morticia, Gomez is unable to comprehend why his son is struggling with his Mazurka sword fighting. Wanting to stay true to tradition, Gomez doesn’t listen to Pugsley when he asks if he could use explosives.
Overall, the movie was very enjoyable through and through. I found myself laughing at many parts of the movie. It did have its fair share of adult humor, but it goes over the little kids’ heads. It’s perfect for children to watch, and even better for adults and teens that just want to watch a cute little movie and laugh.
Even with all of the faults shown in the movie, The Addams Family conveyed all of its messages flawlessly. The directors were able to show the very different sides of intolerance, and that even the weirdest and most different people can fear change and not understand it.
Angela
Nov 5, 2019 at 6:07 am
Great review !