At The Theater

In 1938 Samuel Charles Addams began drawing and publishing a series of single-panel cartoons for The New Yorker magazine called, “The Addams Family.” Meant to be a satirical inversion of the ideal 20th-century American family, Addams populated the cartoon with the kind of dark, macabre characters he favored in his work. The series continued until Addams’ death in 1988.

Meanwhile, the characters’ gradually increasing popularity spawned a television series in 1964 and two live-action films – “The Addams Family” in 1991 and “Addams Family Values” in 1993 – both of which won numerous awards. More television series were to follow, and now we have a new animated film by the classic title, “The Addams Family.” TV Guide once listed the characters in the top ten of The 60 Greatest TV Families of All Time, providing a model for future cartoon clans, such as the Flintstones and even the Simpsons. To be sure, the Addams Family’s debut in American culture before World War II opened a door to celebrating the delightfully weird and eerie nature of family life.

This is what Addams bequeathed to us: the ability to laugh at ourselves, and not take ourselves too seriously. After all, doesn’t every family have a weird “Uncle Fester”? I myself have known plenty of children who could pass for a Wednesday or a Pugsley, and so have you. Indeed, it is said that the Addams Family was an inspiration for what became known as the Goth culture.

Well, there is no such thing as a “normal” family, and never has been. So, come enjoy a radically punny and ridiculously funny new adventure with America’s classic Clan of Creep, featuring the voice talents of Oscar Isaac, Charlize Theron and Chloe Grace Moretz.

“The Addams Family,” rated PG with a run time of 127 minutes, plays at the Liberty October 25-29 and includes a sensory-friendly screening on Sunday, Oct. 27 at 12:30 p.m. For more information, visit http://www.libertytheater.org.