The Addams Family review with discussion questions by the Ent
Know Before You Watch The Addams Family 2019 Remake
Movie: The Addams Family (2019) Find our review of the 2021 sequel here
Rating: PG
Age Suggestion: 10+ (Please see warnings)
Running Time: 1 hour 40 mins
Release Date: September 27th, 2019
Stars: 3 1/2 out of 5
Themes: Originality, Friendship, Belonging, and Immigration
Warnings: This movie is very macabre and dark. It has some scary imagery and some jump scares. A lot of the jokes will pass over kid’s heads, but the imagery may not. Also, you’re child must be able to know the difference between fantasy and reality.
Quick Summary of the Addams Family (2019 remake):
The Addams Family is back! After being chased out of their hometown after their marriage, Gomez and Morticia Addams move into the most horrid place they can find, New Jersey. After some new people move in down the street, they find themselves having difficulty getting along with their new neighbors.
**Warning: SPOILERS beyond this point**
The Addams Family 2019 Discussion Questions:
- If your kids are having difficulty with the violence of this movie, ask questions about why they were being violent in the movie and better ways they could have handled that situation in reality.
- What happened when you first met your friends at school. Did you get along with them immediately or did the friendship have to grow?
- Which Addams Family member was your favorite? What did you like about the character?
- Describe your perfect dream house? How big is it? What special features does it have?
- The topic of assimilation is very prevalent in this movie. Try discussing this in developmentally appropriate ways for your kids, such as:
- (For younger kids) What was so bad about what Margaux Needler was doing to the neighborhood?
- (For pre-teens) What would have been a better way for Margaux Needler to handle the neighborhood situation?
- (For teens and older) Have you ever experienced a time when a friend or family member had been forced to move away from an area. What could have done about that to make the situation better
The Addams Family 2019 Review:
*SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT*
Characters & Acting:
-For the most part, the characters are very similar to the characters of the original series. A few of the characters have slightly different characteristics, such as Fester. He has similarities to the original character, but is slightly more goofy and animated.
-The voice acting in this movie is pretty spot on. I think my favorite voices actors were Chloe Grace Moretz (Who plays Wednesday) and Conrad Vernon (who plays Lurch)
Script & Story:
-There are two major plot lines throughout this movie.
1) The Addams family is chased out of their city and move to an abandoned asylum in New Jersey. Assimilation starts taking place right next to their house and they are forced to deal with the ramifications
2) The Addams children are dealing with there respective issues. Wednesday wants to rebel by leaving the asylum and seeing the outside world. Pugsley is having to prepare for his Mazurka which is a fighting style he must demonstrate and be judged by his entire extended family.
-The major theme from this movie is the constant prejudice the Addams family has to go through. In several ways, the Addams family is a allegory to the Jewish people throughout history. This is especially obvious during the Mazurka, which is a lightly veiled Bar Mitzvah. I loved the way the movie resolves with the residents of the neighborhood choosing integration rather than assimilation.
-Another plot point is the idea of tradition being better than originality. Almost all of the children of this movie have to deal with this in their own unique ways, which was often played for some good comedy.
Film Quality:
-The animation in this movie was pretty great. I think the caricature-style artwork played really well for the Addams Family. There were nods to the classic music from the original show and it all ties in very well with the overall impact of the movie.
Favorite Moments:
-I absolutely loved all of the culture references within this movie. From the IT reference to Lurch playing Mister Rogers’ “Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” Lurch’s musical abilities and singing voice was an absolute highlight of this film. I am sure there were several references I did not catch, but Wednesday quoting Rorschach from Watchmen (The school cafeteria scene) was a very nice touch.
-When Wednesday is going to school and is presented with a dead frog for biology class, she states that she’s done this several times and proceeds to build a giant mechanical contraption akin to Frankenstein’s device.
-Morticia is having a conversation with her dead parents through a crystal ball. This is shown as having the same capabilities as modern day Skype, as the grandparents get confused how to use it and the connection goes in and out consistently.
Was this movie worth a remake?
-I think this movie was actually one the best remakes we’ve had in quite a few years. I think it will reintroduce a classic show to the next generation.
-The main negative aspects of this movie are the macabre and scary imagery in a children’s movie and the variants this movie has to the original series.
What to check out next:
-If you or your family enjoyed this movie, we would recommend The House with a Clock in it’s Walls
-You might also be interested in our review of Dora, Descendants 3, Toy Story 4, Aladdin or the Missing Link. Also check out our blog about 10 questions to ask the people you live with besides “How was your day?” here.
–The Addams Family 2 discussion questions and review.
What scene made you laugh the most in this movie?
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