What Happened To THE ADDAMS FAMILY? (A Full Series Retrospective)

[@maelnikrose5214]

Barry Sonnenfeld represents the typical case of society focusing on the bad rather than the good. Such great movies created by Barry yet one misstep is enough to make him lose his career, it’s really unfortunate. Once again, fantastic video! Cracked up with the wolverine flirting XD

[@4shame]

Thank you! Honestly that was the idea behind the whole “What Happened To?” series from the start. Namely making it a series where I talk about how something good turned into something bad to keep the whole channel from just becoming a hive of negativity. Barry’s one of my personal favs and I really hope he gets to have at least one more great film. And of course, thank you for watching!

[@maelnikrose5214]

@@4shame Yeah! And I really like that about the channel. You’re being critical both objectively and subjectively, not negative by nature. (At least that’s my interpretation of it). It’s not your fault that modern entertainment prefers to aim for general audience (in other words, money) instead of maintaining actual pride and integrity of vision…. Cuz dang those movies were bad. I miss Raúl Juliá (Puertorrican pride right here) and Anjelica Huston’s synergy as Gomez and Morticia. Good old days.

[@4shame]

@@maelnikrose5214 It's really tragic Raúl died so young. I really wish we could have got the third film in the series that was planned with him

[@maelnikrose5214]

@@4shame indeed, it would’ve been great. RIP Raúl.

[@livanbard]

Society didn't ended his career, the execs did.

[@Dookieman1975]

Apparently in the original ending for the Addams family movie, the imposter would gradually come to love the family and they would just take him in and the real Fester would never be found. But the cast thought it was so fcked up that they wanted it changed

[@AsAventurasdeGui]

Thank goodness they changed…

[@thundahsenshi150]

I thought the burmuda triangle thing made sense. There were all sorts of mentions of it

[@AllyOJustice]

I have mixed feelings about that. One the one hand it's good to have a "proper" Fester to complete the roster but the execution was pretty cheap and deus ex machina-ey, but I kinda like the idea of the Aadams opening their home for a lost soul that would reciprocate their love.

[@nicholasmorgan7609]

That would have been interesting. I mean, there are other people enough like the Addams to marry into the family, as we see from the extended family and as is obvious from how they are a family to begin with, so it wouldn't have been illogical either. If there are people willing to marry into the madness and take part in it, there have got to be kindred spirits they may just take in.

[@indeepjable]

solution have two festers

[@howzany6832]

I grew up watching Addams Family reruns for the 60's black and white version and I loved it because my family was really abusive and "not normal" and the show made me feel understood, like "hey my family is so fucking deranged that we actually have a different vocabulary for everything than everyone else out in the real world," and Addams Family captured that for me... then 91 version also made me feel this sort of feeling of "the world may laugh at us, but we laugh at the world"... Then all the rest of the Addams Family shows and movies just kept me feeling like the creators didn't quite "get it". They don't understand what made Addams Family charming, kooky, deranged/edgy, and yet so endearing to its fans... it's about not fitting in, sure, but it's also about having such a dysfunctional family that fitting in with society is impossible. It's not just "being yourself"... it's literally feeling like the world can never understand you so when other people laugh at you, you make THEM the thing that's funny to you and you make your own twisted humor... and EVERY good Addams family is a double sided joke, a joke that is about the real world laughing at the weird family... and then the weird people also laughing back at the world. THAT is the main sit-com original charm... Addams Family needs to go back to it's roots with using Double Sided Humor. That's what it lost.

[@thundahsenshi150]

The 90’s cartoon was actually pretty good. It gave everyone some good characters and was my third favorite iteration of the series (with the first and second being the 2 90’s movies with Raul Julia)

[@ekinalagoz2292]

You have no idea how happy this comment makes me… For me, Addams Family always felt like a safe space, the 60’s version always hit the right spots when I needed a sense of “functional family”. The family relationships were felt more genuine and caring than most of what I have seen in my daily life and it helped me accept my differences in all ways. It felt like I was a part of the Addams Family.

[@morganbeare1764]

I love the fact that Charles Addams created The Addams Family as a satire on American Middle-Class Values & Platitudes & I find it very telling that this skewering included a man that is authentically & deeply in love with his wife & a woman that doesn't completely resent her husband.😎

[@redribbon2]

Random Fun Fact: The Addams family was made to be the opposite of a normal family. So it makes the fact that Morticia and Gomez have such a good relationship really sad.

[@firelordeliteast6750]

I thought they were supposed to the opposite of a sitcom family? You know, lazy dad, overworking and strict mom, asshole son and giddy daughter who hate each other's guts, uncomfortably dated grandmother, and incompetent uncle.

[@redribbon2]

@@firelordeliteast6750 idk but from what I heard, it's the opposite of a normal relationship

[@kittykittybangbang9367]

​@@redribbon2 It was also supposed to be the counterculture of 60s American ideologies of family life; so that's why their marriage was actually happy.

[@alexmajumder6955]

*sadly sips cup of despresso*

[@eatatjoe]

I think the worst thing about the 2019 Addams Family is that it could have been a commentary on "hipster goths" but no...they did the bare minimum and went home.

[@comicbookreviewer4856]

the main problem i had with the 2019 addams family film is that they poorly redeemed Margaux Needler despite the fact she beyond cross the line and got off easy as the point of redeeming a villain is having theme see how much harm their actions have done and see to their shock how they hurt their friends and those who care about theme but if you give it to someone who already to far gone than it gives people the wrong idea that forgiveness is easy

[@Diamantenvogel]

@@comicbookreviewer4856 What is even worse is that throughout this movie the Addams family felt kinda Jewish coded to me, which makes the redemption of this character kind of... ew. It's just not well thought through at all, tbh.

[@comicbookreviewer4856]

@@Diamantenvogel Agreed i feel these days everything needs a enforced redemption even know you need to do it carefully and show the villain or their henchmen having second thoughts and see what their actions have done something Samurai jack got right with ashi and sonic 2 got right with Knuckles

[@LikaLaruku]

For me it was that it was too baby/PTA mom friendly. The 90s cartoon always went for full cartoon violence.

[@elderbat3333]

@@Diamantenvogel Jewish coded?

[@shizuwolf]

I kinda like the idea of Wednesday starting out as an innocent child then becoming more edgy as she gets older. I feel like that’s how most kids are, and the Addams don’t see an issue with it, whereas most other families would

[@redribbon2]

Yeah because the Addams family was literally made to be the opposite of a normal one.

[@TactlessC]

I...don't know where the concept of "the Addams family are evil sociopathic serial killers and that's funny" came from when anyone who has actually been harmed while interacting with them has been through either hubris or bad luck. I'm not gonna pretend the movies are good but the Addams to me have always just been "Those weird spooky neighbors down the street" cranked to the extreme and given essentially immortality. Then again my introduction to them was the 90s cartoon where anybody who came across them were RIGHTFULLY ousted or humiliated with little hint they were actually dangerous outside of their home.

[@EphemeralTao]

That's the effect of the adaptations. In the original Charles Addams comics, they were quite a bit darker.

[@lL338]

Later media dulled them.

[@red_velvetcake1759]

Wednesday fits the sociopathic killer, (just look at the experiments she does on her brother) but her parents are more relaxed and more of a sadomasochistic romance between the two of them.

[@seliamila1005]

They did kill people and they don't care xD I mean the two bad guys were buried alive and Gomez didn't care much about the baked girl

[@TactlessC]

@@seliamila1005 There's a difference between committing murder actively and being ambivalent to people's plights via assumption since they themselves are practically immortal.

[@YouHaveUno]

There’s also an Addams Family musical, which is genuinely fantastic. It’s full of the dark adult humor that makes the franchise so great. You should definitely check it out.

[@jessickalush3305]

I think you're thinking of the Munsters. Saw it. It was so, so.

[@kaid2025]

@@jessickalush3305 No. There's an actual Addams Family musical. It was on Broadway in 2010.

[@honorframe5711]

My school did the play and it was so fun working on it

[@dawnreacts7931]

LOVE the musical

[@silyknow]

I knew I would love it as soon as I saw the names Bebe Neuwirth and Nathan Lane

[@acerumble]

As a pinball aficionado, I can confirm that the Addams Family Pinball table is one of the best that I have ever experienced. Seamless combination of great theme with great gameplay

[@adamlane6453]

It's a prized machine for sure.

[@Giaphaige]

I got to play one in Toronto a couple months ago and really loved it!

[@zigfaust]

I always play them if I spot them. Went into the biggest arcade on the east coast and spent the first 30 mins at the pinball zone getting the high score.

[@thegayghost872]

Shout out to Addams Family 1991 for being the only adaptation to give Pugsley a personality

[@wambutu7679]

I would be interested in your take on the fan made "Adult Wednesday Addams". They are a series of five minute shorts available on KZbin.

[@ariannasilva4462]

Im sad that series ended it was so good!

[@salima1777]

The network should have picked it up instead of sending cease and desist, so sad.

[@djr-crowe]

What on earth are you on about, 'Be yourself is a terrible message for the Addams Family'. This has been a core theme of the Addams Family since as long as I can remember. It's what drew me to the property in the first place, that no matter how messed up you are, there's a place for you somewhere. I don't understand how you can watch *everything* and still get that wrong.

[@therealCrazyJake]

THANK YOU! I swear this guy completely missed the point. I don’t doubt that he’s an Addams fan, but calling them evil misses every bit of context and nuance. Even in the ‘90s films, the closest adaptations we got to the original source material showcases them as a loving family who can still coexist with other people. They find death and peril thrilling and openly share that with the world, oblivious to how others couldn’t find those things thrilling; and the only people they would murder with malicious intent is those who would bring harm to their family! Yeah, some of their hobbies are DARK AS HELL, but they are NOT evil!

[@TheDancerMacabre]

16:10 It's not "out of nowhere" When Gordon/Fester goes out to try and break into the safe, he ends up in the Graveyard. Morticia sees him and walks him through the family plot, going over the history of the Addams's and their credo. This is where Morticia signals "I know you're not Fester, but I'm going to let Gomez believe. But if you hurt him or harm us, I will kill you." All by asking if he understands the credo "Sic Gorgiamus Allos Subjectatos Nunc" or "We Gladly Feast on Those Who Would Subdue Us." Fester acknowledges this threat: "As an Addams, I understand" I think this was that tipping point. He knew he was on thin ice and to be convincing, he needed to play a larger role in the family. He calls his "mother" to help and we see little glimpses. He tells Puglsy what poison to use without blinking an eye. Gomez even admits that Fester was untrustworthy before his disappearance. After this we see Fester/Gordon talk with Abigail. I don't remember the exact lines, but it was "If you love me, you'll break into the vault, Gordon." And right after, Gomez is smiles and hitting golf balls. He invites Fester, but he refuses. Gomez tells Gordon that he belongs here. That leads to the play, the Mamushka, and Gordon/Fester's betrayal because of his mother. If you want to break it down further, it's about toxic vs healthy familiar relationships. Actual forgiveness and acceptance over manipulation.

[@bladec7007]

Thank you!!! I was literally thinking the same thing

[@questworldiangreenknight7455]

Well said!!!

[@melenatorr]

Nary a word about Carolyn Jones' Morticia and how she tunes her languid sensuality to Astin's magnificent exuberance? Or how their relationship was so different from most tv parents of the 1960s? For shame, forsooth. It's been a while since I've watched the 1991 movies, but as I recall, there are hints to us all the way through that this is the real Fester: the Mamushka, for example; and, in fact the actions he takes to demonstrate his affection for the children, such as the way his help in "Hamlet" turns out. He is shocked back into correct memory by the book, and by that time, I, at least, am perfectly primed to understand that this is the full return of Fester.

[@stacynonyabizz4241]

agreed, its obvious that " fake fester"is slowly coming to carefor the children and family, not out of the blue or sudden at all. and yes to the lightening bolt in the fight scene shock being the cause for festers memory return being clear as day

[@warcats-cat]

They say it in the middle of the film, when the fake psychiatrist is having a fight with Fester because he's starting to care for the film. She literally says "I should have left you where I found you" and I think in the beginning when they're bullying Tully she says something about adopting him

[@marissawilson4644]

Exactly! Plus rumor has it that John had a crush on Carolyn in real life.

[@Comet_Coyote]

Addams family has to be one the weirdest franchises in history lmao

[@AverageEggmonEnthusiast]

Addams Family Values is my families thanksgiving film and we justify it with that play scene.

[@EphemeralTao]

One of my favorite descriptions of the 1964 TV show Gomez and Morticia is that they're the only couple you could believe actually had kids. All other sitcom couples of the time were so sexless and sanitized they didn't even seem human, while the Addamses clearly passionate about each other. In their best adaptations -- the 1964 TV show and the 1991-1993 films -- Gomez and Morticia were the perfect couple, and the perfect parents. Even after all that time, their passions for each other were still fiery, they were clearly equal partners in the relationship, they were truly invested in the lives of their children without being overbearing or controlling in any way, had a great extended family dynamic, and really were superb role models as parents. (I mean, I loved the Munsters too, but Herman was clearly an idiot who would have been lost without Lily). I haven't seen any of the latest animated films, thanks to quite a few other reviews, and that dismal trailer completely put me off of the upcoming Wednesday series on Netflix.

[@gryphonvert]

Once I became an adult and understood that dynamic from the 60s series better (I watched the reruns as a little kid in the early 70s, so they're the property I have the most nostalgia for), I always thought it was a great decision on the part of the show's creators to lean into this idea that the passion (sexual energy) the lead couple has for each other, which is conveyed to the best of their ability for 60s TV, is another way this "weird" family is out of step with what was considered "normal" at the time. But can anyone really watch the show, or most of the other adaptations, and doubt that this strange, macabre family is one of the healthiest families you've ever seen? It's a nice subversion of expectations, and I felt like, a bit of a commentary (in the 60s) on what is "good".

[@blo0dy_valent1ne]

Honestly I think that the A Series Of Unfortunate Events TV show directed by Barry sonnenfeld counts as a redemption from wild wild west

[@g.b569]

Agreed

[@jibekmechler139]

I never made the connection that the Adam’s family guy made that. It makes so much sense

[@madestmadhatter]

Wednesday and Fester were great in the show! He doesn't impersonate her son, she says flat out she found him, she leverages this against him when he says he doesn't want to kick the Addams out.

[@featherguardian6023]

I'm someone that only watch the 90s Live Action Addams Family movies and I love it,the other adaptations don't bring nostalgia to me and I haven't watch last 2 version because I knew at the beginning that it was going to be insulting to the Fanbase and I was right to douch those bullets,I believe that the problem with the franchise is that it was afraid of being dark,cruel,and not captured what the sores material really is,like all adaptations nowadays they remove what is good and added alot of bad rendition,all in all there might be a chance that the Addams Family would return in some way,shape,and form if we hope and pray,but in reality the chances are extremely slim,I will stick with the 90s version since in my opinion they are the definitive version.

[@4shame]

Same for me. The 1990s movies will always be my favorite and I doubt we'll ever get another version of the franchise that understands the tone as well ever again

[@featherguardian6023]

@@4shame Yeah same here,I doubt than the Tone would ever return as well.

[@LikaLaruku]

Dodge, not douch.

[@HORRIOR1]

Never thought I would say this in an Addams family review, but I LOVE Wild Wild West. The movie is a riot from start to finish and it is one of the rare instances that I actually like the steam punk aesthetic. Also I just love how much character the actors put into their performances.

[@djr-crowe]

Agreed, I never understood why people crap on that movie so much. It's pretty great.

[@sawanna508]

I liked it too. I'm quite surpriced it was recieved so badly.

[@BurnRoddy]

The 1960s Adams were terriffic for their time. The 90s brought a sort of irreverence into media that made them finally look dated, specially for kids who reached adulthood in the 2010s. But the idea of an out of place family rather than said family living in a haunted mansion was still fresh in the early to mid 90s.

[@laurenrogers]

Barry Sonnenfeld seems to have had something of a comeback recently with the Netflix adaptation of Series of Unfortunate Events, which I adore for many of the same reasons I love the 90s Addams family films! I honestly don’t think they could have picked a more perfect person to helm the project.

[@g.b569]

Yes I love the Netflix adaptation of the A Series of Unfortunate Events, it was made for him. He was originally going to direct the Jim Carrey version, but left due to creative differences. I’m glad he got a second shot

[@matthewstarkie4254]

Didn't realise that was him, explains why I was so drawn to it.

[@DH-fu7bx]

Oh shit that's why I felt the tone was so similar. I was literally wondering why the new Wednesday show isn't more like A series of unfortunate events.

[@DiabloSandwich59]

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the stage musical. 31:39 I'm surprised you didn't mention that that's Carel Struycken returning from the Sonnenfeld films.

[@krymsonuchiha14]

As a writer, I love these videos. Especially the videos you have about villains (which is my favorite character type to write for). It really helps me when I'm trying to figure out what the audience wants in characters and stories.

[@BlueMiaou]

Same - i tend to get really inspired by commentary videos for my own projects.

[@jackalenterprisesofohio]

I want a time travel movie, where the cast keeps getting bigger instead of smaller. Like the cast always dies one at a time until theres like 3 people left, one decides to stay(or two if its a romance) then the last person returns to present time and writes a book or something.... I would like a time travel movie where they "help" rescue the other people _LOST IN TIME_

[@BlueMiaou]

@@jackalenterprisesofohio the adam project

[@majorhoolahan]

I had no idea the 1998 Reunion movie even existed until now, but it looks like that was for the better. It was fun seeing all the franchise's main installments laid out and reviewed, good work.

[@ebmosier1]

It's funny you say you hold the Nineties ones as your definitive Addams Family, because I hold the Sixties show the same way. Part of Wednesday's charm in that show for me was that she acted like any other "normal" six-year-old, she just happened to like holding funerals for her headless dolls. Plus, with Sixties censorship, it's amazing that Gomez and Morticia's relationship still comes off so passionate - doing more with less. (No shade on the Sonnenfeld movies, I love them, too)

[@shannonsullivan8102]

I think one of my favorite Addams Family properties (besides the early 90s films) is the short series Adult Wednesday Addams here on youtube. It's not an "official" addams family product but it is so good and I feel like the woman who makes them really understands what the Addams' are about

[@HosCreates]

They should have let the lady do the Adult Wednesday and keep the interest in how the kids grew up

[@justinbremer2281]

I've accepted that I may be an outlier, as the 60's cast is always my first thought, but the Julia/Huston/Ricci/et al films truly are masterpieces of the time -- no doubt

[@gryphonvert]

No, I'm the same. I watched the 60s show when I was little, in the 70s, before I was even really aware of the New Yorker cartoons. That show has the most nostalgia for me. I can see some of the points made here (that Wednesday is too young and has no edge, that Fester's voice is annoying, etc.). Carolyn Jones as Morticia is pretty amazing, too, although she's a very particular portrayal of Morticia. I would say, "that seemed further removed from the cartoon version", but then, Astin's Gomez is somewhat removed from the cartoon version too. Anyway, I do want to also give a shout-out to the 60s show's Lurch. (Here is where I confess that I haven't seen the Julia/Huston/Ricci 90s films. Not for any particular reason! I didn't avoid them when they came out. I just didn't get around to it. They've been on my must-watch list forever. This video is making me think I should watch them this week.)

[@undyne1]

I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THERE WAS A 2021 FILM LMAOO I'm sadden that The Addams Family isn't being given the proper treatment in recent years.

[@boomerix]

Same, I was quite surprised to see they made another one. I am holding out hope that Tim Burton actually got his shit together with this Netflix series. Tho the plot seems.....well the magical school trope has already been done to death and I hope Netflix + Hollywood don't try forcefully shoehorn contemporary politics into it. Well I hope for the best while expecting the worst.

[@liviwaslost]

Yeah, there should of been a claymation movie by now.

[@jonathand.phoenix]

I know because I remember seeing commercials for it watching Nickelodeon before school or something I didn’t know about the sequel tho

[@undyne1]

@@jonathand.phoenix Same, I knew about the first one due to ads but I had no idea there was a second movie. No one even asked for it.

[@zebracorne]

A lot of the movies/series you comment, I understood the plot very differently from you. (Maybe it's a question of translation tho). As an example, with the impostor Fester, it was very clear for me throughout the movie that the "mother" had fished the REAL Fester out of the water and manipulated him into believing he was his son and not Fester, so she could use him to get to the Addams money while insuring his total loyalty to her. Anyway, I think you completely missed the point of the Addams. They are not supposed to be dark humor sociopaths. They are supposed to embody what society fears or what makes society uncomfortable. Therefore they can either go towards the "worse than society is" point, or towards the "better than society is" point. The 1964 series as an example, embodies the healthy family dynamics (husband supporting his wife, parents supporting their children, no worries about the outside world because we keep strong together, destroying adversity with kindness and acceptance...) that makes the conservative right-wing bigots shiver in their boots. The 1960s American society was all about grooming / abusing the family into submitting to the head of the house husband - and the Addams of this time turned this model right on its head. In other movies, when the society started to feel that the "kinky, passionate couple still in love after marriage and two kids" was a threat to the traditional "couple hating each-other's guts and hating being married and hating the kids but hey that's what you're supposed to be" - the Addams became a passionate, kids-loving, kinky couple. And so on and so forth. They are meant to embody what we fear - and most importantly, what we fear AND DESIRE AT THE SAME TIME because we know that's what is healthy as a family dynamics, but we just cannot reach this point because the society tells us we must not be this way and that this way is dangerous. The Addams are subversive and you cannot expect them to be the same across time because what is subversive depends on the societal norms of the time.

[@g.b569]

I like Barry Sonnenfeld. He did well with the Netflix Lemony Snicket’s A series of unfortunate events, my favourite book series of all time. He was originally going to direct the Jim Carrey version in 2004, but left due to creative differences. I like the show, I feel as if it was made for him to adapt

[@vxicepickxv]

John Astin was the best of the original show, but I think the early 90s was the best era we're probably ever going to get. Raul Julia was really good at trying to recapture the best of Astin while also being Raul Julia, an actor who somehow makes the best movie ham.

[@RedRidinghoodK5]

The biggest disappointment for me with the newer animated films is that they literally had Oscar Isaac voicing Gomez, and they still couldn't pull it together.

[@TheInevitableHulk]

22:15 I mean she had a contract with Disney prior to plus and when plus became a thing she had been getting brushed off by Disney for a reevaluation all the way until the release of the movie even though the conditions had changed. I don't think her career is dead because they're trying to pay her less because plus sales aren't theatre sales, a concept that didn't exist when the contract was initially made.

[@___David__]

While I agree with most of the assessments here, there's ONE fatal flaw in your argument that I can not agree with. And that's the nature of The Addams Family itself. At its core, The Addams Family is NOT evil. At all. The core principle behind Charles Addams' cartoons was that weird is subjective. The family was used always in juxtaposition to the society around it. When everyone thinks that the proper thing was to have a nice house with well groomed lawns, the Addams lived in a decrepit house with dead gardens. When girls would play with sanitised nice dolls, Wednesday would chop of their heads and play with spiders. The problem with adapting The Addams Family today is that society itself went completely bizarre. So when you put the Addams' in it, it no longer works because the contrast went away. For the Family to work in modern day, you'd have to have them do things that go against the grain. For example, when everyone is pathetically playing along with the "preferred pronouns" stuff, you'd need them to oppose it. When everyone thinks the place of women is in the workforce and being "independent and needing no man", you'd need them to do the opposite. Etc etc. Otherwise it doesn't work.

[@CrazyKungfuGirl]

I would argue that the Addams family does have a message, at least in the 90s movies about pressure to assimilate into white middle class society and the assumption that "normal" looking people are never the dangerous ones but you do have to really pay attention to notice it...

[@robirvine6970]

Nonsence. That's not mentioned hinted at or addressed at all.

[@Steven9567]

and whats wrong with that wyites made the best counties

[@xavierhaddon6058]

@@robirvine6970 Did you miss the entire summer camp plot where the counselors bullied the minority kids and cast them as caricatures of Native Americans in their racist play, leading to the most well-known scene in the entire franchise? The writer of the movie specifically said he wrote it to satirize conservative white American family values, hence the title of the film.

[@4shame]

I added timestamps so you can watch specific parts if you want to. Happy Halloween everybody!

[@jd_kreeper]

Ah yes, I love the newest version of the Adams Family from the year 11964

[@keithcastillo5434]

The new Wednesday series is great. I had to rewatch it.

[@boomstickcritique902]

The original 60s show I think was awesome for what it was a Family show version held back by the rating board. To me, the 60s show is like the 60s version of Batman fun in its family-friendly campy way. The 90s movies are the best representation of the source material The New Addams Family was OK to alright for the child audience it was aimed at nearly all the episodes are remakes of the 60s series I don't hate that show It just wasn't made for me. The 2 new animated films I haven't seen in long enough time to remember how I felt I remember thinking 2019 one was fine for the family audience. I never had a problem with the character designs that never really bothered me.

[@4shame]

Honestly I enjoyed all of these films and shows in their own way. For the most part I was entertained the whole time by each one

[@boomstickcritique902]

@@4shame I will agree to an extent except for Reunion that one is so bad I can't even stand it lol. That one and the first cartoon from the 7os are the only 2 I cant stand on any level.

[@ferociousgumby]

32:43 Am I seeing things? For a split-second after Gomez's dramatic "flip", we see RAUL JULIA standing there - obviously STOLEN from the original Addams Family movie! I swear it is him!

[@Prizzlesticks]

In the '91 film, I got the impression it wasn't him impersonating her son, it was a woman who saw a simpleton she could take advantage of by playing his mom and getting him to do her dirt work, while also abusing him into submission anytime he stood up for himself. A little more like Overboard than Anastasia. But I haven't seen it in awhile, so maybe I'm mistaken.

[@thelemmster]

That was a pleasurable experience

[@4shame]

Thank you! I'm glad you liked it!

[@kilmcm45]

I actually like that new Wednesday series. I've only seen 2 episodes but, they were great. You can tell Ortega....as Wednesday....saw Christina Ricci's performance as her starting point and Ricci even pops up later. I'll watch the rest of these at some point.

[@maxhepburn4143]

I think its interesting how much the original tv show snuck in. Theres lots of bondage gear in The Playroom. The hers/his bed of nails. Which the 90s movie hint at when Tish is all tied up and Gomez tells her how its driving him crazy to see her like this and she says, later my love. Or when Tulley pulled the ropes tighter on the rack and Tish replies...you've done this before with a smile.

[@tarantula4197]

i searched for over 2 Years before finding a VHS Tape with the 1998s Addams, and i cried afterwards. Its unbelieveable, and now i try to laugh my Pain away with you.

[@WatcherPrime]

For arugment though, the 98 Addams Family series did a lot of the darker humor as deadpan to make it sound it was normal to them. I always got a chuckle out of how Gomez and Morticia planned the Romeo and Juilet style suicide.

[@hallamshire]

I am trying to get myself to be satisfied with accepting and rewatching the stories I love. The Addams family is a key example. For a while, I craved that there would be more - more movies, more time to dwell in their dark but loving family, more time where I could dissociate from this world. But I got my wish and it was terrible. So I'm trying to be content. Trying.

[@dwjoseph59]

Addams family values is my favorite one too. I'll never forget the scene where the camp counselors put wednesday, pugsley & their friend in the cabin & made them watch all of the disney movies & they cane out acting nice. Wednesday's face difficuly contorting into a long smile, her blnking, the other kids leaning back in shock & that little girl beth saying "she's scaring me" is absolutely one of the most hilarious scenes EVER 🤣😂!! That, along with wednesday & her native american co-horts attacking & taking over the play & the camp made her the best wednesday of all & made us all fall in love with her in that role. Jenna ortega is good, but christina ricci is still my overall favorite wednesday!!

[@barefootsierralarson]

The New Addams Family was my childhood introduction to the Addams Family. It might be terrible but I have nostalgic love for it.

[@Cthulhu4President]

"When Charles Addams set out to invert the 'ideal' family, he managed to highlight and satirize everything that’s wrong with it - reminding us that perfect is all about perception." "The writer of Addams Family Values says it's a satire of Bush-era conservatism"

[@FablesTold]

And the sad thing is, there's still an even worse version of the Addams Family than the worst version showcased here. The Addams Family Musical- which on paper with Nathan Lane playing Gomez should have been in my Top Five favorite Addams rendition- completely missed the point of the family, had Wednesday trying to break away from the family to be more normal, Morticia jealous of her daughter's youth and beauty, and a plotline about Gomez and Morticia being worried that they were cheating on each other- which I have seen well done versions of, in the 60's show with Gomez being jealous, and allow me to assure you it was not remotely handled anywhere close to that. Just all around awful.

[@helloworld5649]

One year later, the show Wednesday is ✨✨

[@tygerinthenight3255]

How is the 91 movie your favorite, but you somehow misunderstood the plot so much. The bermuda triangle story was the cover made up by the "doctor" lady to explain why Fester just came back from the dead and Fester gets shocked by lightning from the storm book and remembers that he actually did get lost at sea and his "mother" really did find him only instead of helping him she just used and emotionally manipulated him as a servant and enforcer. She just used partial truths in their cover story. The bermuda story doesn't come out of nowhere and it is revealed that he is Fester, or at least not really the doctor lady's son, before that seven months later thing, because she gets fed up with him and yells at him something to the effect of "I wish I never found you on that beach and bothered to pretend you were my son". As for coming to care for the Addams, the movie contrasts the manipulative relationship between Fester and his "mom" and the unusual but loving and healthier relationship between him and the Addams family. Fester sees the contrast and begins to care about the Addams to the point where he feels guilty for betraying them and wants to stop, but he can't because he believes it is a relationship built on lies. He begins to resent his "mother" and get caught up in the lie that he really is a part of a loving family. His "mother" doubles down on the manipulation and directly threatens to withhold her "love" if he doesn't continue the plan.

[@Nicamon]

I am currently hopeful for the Netflix's"Wednesday".Let's see what happens with that...🖤🤞(I don't think she'll be able to replace Christina Ricci in my heart,but...I see potential.)

[@asherward1589]

Wait wait, people see the point of the family as evil but funny people? I always saw them as literally the perfect family, they're just.... cooky. I thought that (while going over the top too much, like Gomez eating coffee grounds) the animated movies captured that pretty well (of course I was really drunk when I watched it so)

[@Cheezbuckets]

I have only looked at the time stamps and I felt a wave of relief to see Addams Family Reunion there because I watched that movie once many years ago and wondered for a while if I had imagined it because no one I ever mentioned it to had ever heard of it, but now I have confirmation: it exists, and some people are, in fact, aware of it existing. XD

[@Stargazer_Ley]

I have it on VHS. But thankfully it's not the only Addams Family property I own. I've got the 60's series on DVD as well as the 2 good live action films.

[@DameTara]

I remember Tim curry being Gomez but don't remember anything else about the movie

[@Cheezbuckets]

@@DameTara That’s exactly how much I remembered before watching this video lol

[@Yeeticus31]

“Would you *die* for me~?” “YUESHHH”

[@nocciolina6862]

“This wouldn’t be a episode if everything didn’t end in the worst way possible” Wednesday: I gotchu homie

[@CCaster2000]

1.) What I like about Addams Family '92 other than the show itself is how Wednesday is portrayed as she's looks like a perfect mix between her 1960s tv show and 1991 movie counterparts. She's a mischievous kid but not one to be messed with. 2.) Sometimes I usually get the meaning behind the Addams Family confused because of all the different iterations. Are the really evil? Are they just a creepy & kookie family who are just living life their own way?

[@therealCrazyJake]

They’re not evil, they are a Gothic family who celebrate the macabre and have a fascination with death and all things deadly. Near death experiences and perilous situations is a thrill ride for them, and they just simply don’t understand how “normal people” couldn’t feel the same thrill. No doubt that this guy is an Addams fan, but calling them evil and murderous clearly misses the point. They are neither evil nor malicious in their actions or behaviour, but simply are a loving family who unabashedly wear their eccentricities on their sleeves and openly wish to share their unique interests with a world that simply fails to understand them. They are an inverse of the “traditional nuclear family,” not a satanic gang of cannibalistic murderers.

[@gryphonvert]

@@therealCrazyJake I see where you're coming from, and I found this review's emphasis on "evil and murderous / serial killers" a little overdone. But, the original comics do hint a lot more murderousness. (As I mentioned in another comic: the famous Christmas comic where the family is up on the turret, preparing to pour boiling lead or something like that down on a group of carolers below.) Of course, with the 60s show being the first mainstream adaptation, there was no way a sitcom on TV in the 60s was going to lean into that portrayal. So that resulted in a take on them that is more what you're saying: they're the inverse of the traditional nuclear family (like in Leave It To Beaver), who have strange and macabre interests and who, crucially, see themselves as "normal". The world outside fails to understand them, and they don't understand the world or WHY it fails to understand them. And, not for nothing, Gomez and Morticia are probably the healthiest and most overtly loving and sexual (implied) portrayal of a married couple on TV at the time. (Another subtle way, I guess, that the family is "out of step" with the world around them.) The 60s show's portrayal over-wrote the impression from the comics, to some extent, in both popular understanding, and in what subsequent creators would try to do with the characters and premise.

[@fattyjaybird7505]

My favorite feature of the 90s movies.... The little strip of bright light across Morticia's face... Absolutely never seen anything like it and it's hilarious!!

[@myphone4590]

Adult Wednesday Adams was quite good. Pity she got a cease and desist after season 2.

[@wriggleby]

I grew up with a boxset of the 60s show and fell in love with the movies (especially the sequal) as a teenager too. I was even lucky enough to get the chance to perform in a production of the musical a few years ago. Truly one of the most iconic families of all time, thank you for doing them justice!

[@du6167]

I remember really liking the 90ies animated show when it aired on Cartoon Network. I also remember it going absolutely off the rails at times. Like the neighbor family that was obsessed with underwear for some reason. Or when Thing became a model.

[@therealCrazyJake]

The characters didn’t have names in the comics, and weren’t named until the original sitcom in 1964. Pubert was actually the originally proposed name for Pugsley, but the showrunners thought it sounded too perverse, so they went with the name Pugsley instead.

[@TheNoid0]

Fun fact: Joan Cusack (aka the actor for Debbie in the Addams Family Values) is the same actor who played Jessie in Toy Story 4

[@therongjr]

I can't add to what you said about everything that makes "Addams Family Values" absolutely PERFECT!

[@Azynel]

Fun fact: the Netflix Wednesday show is releasing on a Wednesday. My excitement is immeasurable

[@Azynel]

Hearted a comment on year old video, W KZbinr.

[@markchapman6800]

For all that the 'family gets jobs' subplot of the first Julia-Houston-Ricci one went nowhere, it was worth it for the lemonade scene, i.e. "Girl Scout: Is this made from real lemons? Wednesday: Yes. Girl Scout: I only like all-natural foods and beverages, organically grown, with no preservatives. Are you sure they're real lemons? Pugsley: Yes. Girl Scout: Well, I'll tell you what. I'll buy a cup if you buy a box of my delicious Girl Scout cookies. Do we have a deal? Wednesday: Are they made from real Girl Scouts?"

[@WolfBitesAndSleepyGraves]

My favourite line

[@elderscrollsswimmer4833]

@@WolfBitesAndSleepyGraves Is that the same blonde girl who they met later at the infamous summer camp? She kind of looks the same, not that it means much in that camp but-- she's the one doing most of the interactions with Wednesday.

[@stormRed]

It feels amazing when you use the youtube search feature and find EXACTLY what you were looking for.

[@nickglaza]

This is amazing man

[@psychoh13]

I don't understand why people would not like Wild Wild West's Kenneth Branagh performance, he's the most enjoyable part of the movie!

[@ScreamingAllTheTime]

I feel like every kids cartoon in the late 1960s and early 1970s were about just driving around in a car. They all wanted to be the next Scooby Doo

[@ratlover523]

This might be an unpopular opinion, but to me the 1964 version of the Addams Family will forever be my favorite. I just loved that while they were dark, quirky, bizarre people who definitely didn't fit in with the rest of society, they were so genuinely wholesome and didn't understand how odd they were. I would happily move in with that family. Of course, it's also what I like about the 1991 movie as well. They're creepy and weird to everyone else, but they're internally such a sweet family who all genuinely love each other.

[@michaelkrent5096]

I feel like I remember the 1991 movie hinting at how Gordon felt more himself the entire time he was with the family. Implying he was always the real Fester, just lost his memories. I think the lady who played his “mom” even had a line where she mentions “the day I found you” during a speech where she’s trying to guilt trip him to keep working with her. There was no real Gordon, that’s the name she gave him when she adopted him, not that he impersonated her son. She convinced him he was her son.

[@Yipper64]

39:10 its really the default message. One, that if you ask me, has been given a little too much. Sometimes being "yourself" is obnoxious to the people around you, and your impulses arent always the right thing to do in every moment. So have some freaking self awareness, and maybe make "yourself" someone less obnoxious, and *then* be yourself.

[@Slim-Richard]

I had no idea Wild Wild West was hated. I like it a lot.

[@4shame]

It's honestly a pretty great spy movie

[@xenomorph6599]

When the first live action show was my favorite Addams family 👁👄👁 I love the vibrancy of the live action movies though. I really wish that Tim Burton directed Addams family stop motion had come to fruition The Broadway musical is trash what they do to Wednesday. And they literally had morticia sing a song about how she couldnt wait to die (not out of character) because Gomez was a DISAPPOINTING HUSBAND (VERY OUT OF CHARACTER WTFFFFFFF THEYRE LIKE THE MOST IN LOVE TWO FICTIONAL CHARACTERS EVER??? ?? ?????) Also 39:50 THANK you for saying this, so many people are like "they're actually great people and a great family they're just goth" LIKE NO THEY BURY CATS ALIVE SUMMON DEMONS DROP BABIES OFF OF BUILDINGS AND MURDER PEO P L E

[@thebrutusmars]

I hold massive disdain for the musical because of its writing of these characters.

[@Dregoon_Enderman]

Most of the time I remember the 1993 version, because of the summer camp scene. Really does give the fish out of water vibes, I felt related to it which is probably why I remembered that part specifically and why I felt so uncomfortable like I was out of my own environment.

[@santesia6222]

Are you going to review Wednesday? I really enjoyed the show.

[@calmghosts]

I think the real issue is that these companies just don’t understand goths in general or what made the Addams family good to begin with.

[@Ryuushuu]

Okay, this was so strange to me because i grew up watching the black and white sixties series and i loved everything about it. I don't know much about the source material (the comic stips) but to me, The Addams Family for me was about love, romantic love between Gomez and Morticia, love for children, understandings of unique talents and preferences. It was a perfect satire and contrast to all those classic portrayals of USamerican families in the second half of 20th century. I never felt like they were psychopaths or mass murderers. I never saw them kill or torture anyone (except themselves as a for of family bonding time). To me, they were just different and that was why everyone hated them. Cos they had the courage to be themselves unapologetically and no matter what the other people said, thry knew who they were and did what they like. That is what The Addams Family is about for me and always as and will be.

[@SkyPilot-qx2sb]

I always did like Gomez from the 60s rendition. Aston just has this look permanently etched onto his face like he’s about to do something diabolical I especially love his part in the intro after it shows morticia and her finger snap it just cuts to Gomez smilin takes a deep breath then snaps his fingers all whilst staring right at the camera… freaking psycho and I love it! 😂

[@latagiacopeland-tyronce9436]

One word, subscribed!!! Thanks for the video I was five when the the film came out and its one of my all-time favorites so needless to say I'm a huge fan of the two films. I definitely agree with what you said here I didn't even bother to see the two new films and I'm glad I didn't. Anyway, please keep up the great work!

[@4shame]

Thank you! I’m glad you like my videos!

[@kodyghost]

“Two years after, he released Wild Wild West” 😃!! “A film that was basically universally hated” 🙁..

[@linknl]

Compliments for adding a flashing warning ^^... You just earned yaself a new subscriber ;) (Also cuz its a great vid ofc :) )

[@hollyhammett5624]

Another great video

[@adrianpetyt9167]

In the unconvincinvg epilogue to the 1991 movie, it's stated that the creepy mother (in her fake identity of Dr. Pinderschlosse) actually adopted the amnesiac Fester. This explains why he was with her as her son, but not all the lines where she implies that she is his biological mother.

[@Gltch_Pvnda]

Welp, I’ll be waiting for you to admit that Wednesday has saved the series

[@KittenyKat]

22:52 -- Alternately, a lovely dig at shows like "Married at First Sight" lmao

[@charity9660]

That adult cartoon show with the kids hitting puberty is just too much lmao it’s passed sausage party ending too much. Lol

[@SkylerLinux]

1991 really feels like it was a TV series that got jammed into a movie

[@Jadegreenmidnights]

The 1990s Addams Family introduced me to the 1964 Addams and it’s my absolute favorite out of all of them.

[@chellastation]

I honestly enjoyed the Addams family 1992 and the 1964 show. The family value movie is good too.

[@sacrilegioussasquatch]

Same. These 3 are the best

[@orangeslash1667]

@@sacrilegioussasquatch This was Raul Julia's second to last role before his death, with his last role being the Street Fighter Movie.

[@warcats-cat]

Not to be that person about the 1991 movie but the fake psychiatrist (I don't remember the character's actual name) does literally say to Fester (when he's hesitating saying he likes the family) that she "should have left him where she found him" and mentions taking him on as her own kid. So yeah the ending is a little out of nowhere but it's not completely out of left field. They seed the idea in the middle that he's not actually her kid.

[@Wandervenn]

I mean... I guess the franchise is keeping with Gomez Addam's insane level of luck where it succeeds for no reason, even when it shouldnt.

[@isamayoge8736]

Now I’m interested in a second part after Wednesday was released.

[@TylerMcNamer]

So happy you mentioned the pinball table!

[@buddyzilla4557]

There was a KZbin show called "Adult Wednesday" that was amazing. I believe actress had to abandon that particular premise due to her not having the rights of the property and getting popular for doing something genuinely entertaining with it, but it was pretty darn good. The premise was fairly simple but made for some fresh and funny scenarios. Wednesday is now an adult living in everyday society. I feel super sad because it managed to be really funny from the dialougue and actor talent without any bells and whistles. I only learned about the new Netflix show from watching g this review. I looked it up and yeah..the premise sounds like tha show but done as a Netflix origional rebook of a known property. Wednesday is older but she is in high-school, because of course we need another show about high-school life with a quirky protagonist. She is solving mysteries with her friends and learning to use her psychic powers in a "coming of age" show. This is a show about WEDNESDAY ADAMS right? This kind of thing is done a lot on Netflix and other streaming platforms with shows like hotel transylvania, cloudy with a chance of meatballs, and plenty more. They take characters and locations from an existing franchise and warp it to fit a yarget demographic and popular formula with complete disregard for anything previously established. A lot of times they claim it exists in an alternate reality as an excuse. They tend to pander to what they think will draw a crowd over making good content. This one in particular seems very similar in plot to the new Velma show and I wouldn't be surprised if thar was not partially responsible.. The sad part though is that this doesn't seem to be the Adam's family getting this treatment but rather the "Adult Wendseday" getting it. The creator of that show did a great job and was rewarded by having it shut down by the owners of the preoperty..and now it seems a watered down and commercialized version is what thye are putting out. I can't say if it is bad or good from the premise alone but it certainly discourages me. I really wish you talked about "Adult Wendesday" even a bit because it was the first time (I'm aware of at least) that the concept of a older Wednesday being the lead of a show was done. The fact this Netflix one was mentioned but the KZbin show was not is just sad and am indication on how well the property owners covered it up. It wasn't the most amazing thing ever, but especially for what ot was on the kind of budget it had, it was leagues ahead of the official failures that came recently and deserves some credit for that. It honestly felt a but like an old Monty Python sketch meeting the Adam's family with the episodes being a sketch in mostly one location and being interactions between Wednesday and other characters. The focus was on the mysterious and dark manner in which Wednesday behaved and that goes back to the root of why people loved the Adam's family in the first place. No disengenuine message pushing or gimiks. Just a focus on the characters and subversion of expectations that was their own regular standard. It's too late for you to add it to your review but as a clear fan of this franchise I urge you to look into it if you still can. A little side note..the poster for the new Nextix series with Wednsday mostly in sillhioute depicts her playing a violin with a large carving knife but is clearly ripping off imagry from the "Alice: Madness Returns" series of dark games based off of the Lewis Caroll "Alice" stories. Again..I can't judge a series before it begins but this art feels too close to be a coincidence and I hate when stuff like that is done. It isn't even in a Tim Burton style of artwork which you would expect with his name attached. A great artist knows and popular for his unique style is attached to the project so I see no reason that they had to do this other than to use imagry they know was successful with another dark property. I don't know when playing a violin was a particularly iconic part of Wednesday's character to use in promotional material or what it has to do with the show (the only stretch is she is solving mysteries so it's a twisted Sherlock Holmes refrence?) but the way it is depicted has the violin less immediatly noticeable to the silhouetted, Victorian dressed young woman with outstretched hand loosely holding a carving knife in front of her abdomin. I know I've seen this imagry before as a Todd Mcfarlin "Alice" statuette and in other media associated with the dark remaining video game series. At least THAT dark female profanonist based franchise had the guts to make the knife (and her clothing) splattered in blood. I would say I want to see a movie/series based on "Alice: Madness Returns" but I feel the Time Burton Disney version is close to what we would get (the sequal even seems to have lifted elements from it) and any stream show would probably get the same treatment most do in this case.

[@averagerobloxian9077]

I mean They’re supposed to live in a suburban neighborhood, that’s what makes it funny, you’re just walking down the street of your new neighborhood and then you see a giant Victorian mansion just sitting there I’m pretty sure the giant haunted House on a Hill thing is kind of cliché

[@dcbandit]

I took the Fester thing in the Addams Family movie as Fester being discovered by that woman and she using him by telling him she was his mother, rather than him switching places with her son.