Barry Sonnenfeld’s feature directorial debut turns Charles Addams’ comic strip into a $30 million production that Orion Pictures sold to Paramount before it ever reached theaters. The Addams Family made back almost seven times its production costs. That is the commercial story. The creative one is messier.
Trailer, via Paramount Movies.
Raúl Juliá and the Irreverent Gomez
Raúl Juliá took the role of Gomez Addams because of the character’s irreverent streak. “Even his depressions are wonderful,” he said. That line explains the whole performance. Juliá plays a man grieving a brother gone 25 years and still finds joy in the mourning. Anjelica Huston built Morticia’s warmth on her friend Jerry Hall, and said she expected the part to go to Cher. Huston earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical. Both leads are better than the material around them.
A Con Man Named Gordon
The plot is a swindle. Lawyer Tully Alford owes money to loan shark Abigail Craven. He notices her adopted son Gordon looks like Fester, and pitches a scheme: pose as the long-lost brother, find the family vault, take the riches. Abigail poses as German psychiatrist Dr. Greta Pinder-Schloss and claims she found Fester in tuna nets after 25 years in the Bermuda Triangle. Gomez buys it. Morticia begins to suspect.
Christopher Lloyd’s Impostor
Christopher Lloyd plays Gordon playing Fester, and the film’s best tension sits in that double role. Gomez grows suspicious when “Fester” cannot recall their past. Gordon sneaks back to the vault and fails to beat a booby trap. Morticia reminds him what the Addams family does to those who cross them. Abigail tells Gomez his doubts are displacement. Gordon then bonds with Wednesday and Pugsley, helping them stage a swordplay sequence for a school play. Abigail had insisted he not attend, but he felt deeply saddened by that.
The Cast Ranks This Way
- Raúl Juliá as Gomez — the film’s engine, irreverent to the last.
- Anjelica Huston as Morticia — warmth under the black, Globe-nominated.
- Christopher Lloyd as Fester — a con man learning to be a brother.
- Christina Ricci as Wednesday — the deadpan.
- Carel Struycken as Lurch — the house’s tallest, quietest fact.
The Budget Was the Real Horror
The Addams Family went $5 million over its $25 million budget. Constant rewrites during shooting, health problems among the people involved, and a stressful production for Sonnenfeld caused multiple delays. Orion, already struggling and afraid of another big-budget flop, sold the film to Paramount, which finished it and handled domestic distribution. Orion Pictures International handled international release through Columbia Tri-Star Films.
What the Turmoil Cost the Screen
The rewrites were constant, and that is the fact the film carries. Sonnenfeld came from cinematography, and this was his first time directing. A film this strange should feel more dangerous than it does.
A Good Cast, a Rushed Production
The Addams Family is a good cast in a rushed production. Juliá and Huston carry it. Lloyd is doing harder work than the script supports. Ricci is the discovery. The sequel, Addams Family Values, arrived in 1993. This one is worth watching for the performances and worth forgiving for everything else.
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