Part of the problem of doing Charles Addams's characters nowadays is that we, as a
nation, are a great deal less
provincial than we once were. Once, it was funny/shocking to contemplate a
lawyer having an African "
witch doctor" as a family practitioner, or having him do headstands as part of his daily
calisthenics. Nowadays, it's unremarkable to talk about seeing a "native
healer" for some ailments, or to do Yoga, even "Zen Yoga" under a
Swami. Carolyn Jones's
Marchesa Casati act, with chalky skin, black
wedding gown,
poison ring, and
samisen was similarly funny/shocking in 1964 -- but now, she looks like any goth-leaning
mallrat. I could go on, and on, here:
flower arrangements made of
thorns and
stems? Been there, done that, it's in
Elle Decor this month. A
swamp as a picturesque vista? Call it a
wetlands, and break out the
birding list. Lying on a bed of nails for relaxation? Sure! But not right after dinner, hon.
Ostrich is a bit heavy...
Without the exotic, anyone writing an Addams script is reduced to shark-jumping gestures to pep up a not-too-background of the simply macabre and/or violent. I could see the first movie tripping over its dick when Morticia's stint at the daycare center leaves the children crying....the original series would have had their parents complaining that they'd come home perfectly polite and well-loved, with a knowlege of lockpicking and pet reanimation. I could see the second movie's problem when Wednesday gives an oh-so-politically-correct speech at the camp Thanksgiving pageant..taken out of context, without the straw-man buffoonery of the "Eat Me" sequence, we're left with a speech from a Very Special Thanksgiving Episode of well, any mainstream sitcom. I loved the original cartoons/series, and Raul Julia/Anjelica Huston/Christina Ricci aren't too bad as replacements for the original cast. But you just can't go home again.