The animated reboot of “The Addams Family,” set in the present day, has everyone’s favorite spooky Goth family (or second-favorite if you were more of a “Munsters” person) in conflict with a new neighborhood that has popped up nearby called Assimilation, in which sameness is celebrated over individuality. The subdivision is owned (?) by one Margaux Needler (Allison Janney), perky host of a popular TV home-makeover show called “Design Intervention” (which is a pretty great title), and she’s worried the ghastly Addams mansion that overlooks it will make it hard to sell the houses … which are already occupied. (Maybe it will make more sense to you than it did to me.)
The gang’s all here — Oscar Isaac as Gomez, Charlize Theron as Morticia, Chloe Grace Moretz as Wednesday, Finn Wolfhard as Pugsley, Nick Kroll as Uncle Fester — and there are a few chuckles along the way as the characters behave in the morbid manner to which we are accustomed. (Best laugh for me: Thing, the disembodied hand, getting caught looking at pictures of bare feet on the internet.) As usual, Wednesday is the funniest character, going to public school for the first time and experimenting with normal tween girl behavior, much to Morticia’s chagrin. But the main story is bland, warmed-over “be yourself” pablum you’ve seen a thousand times. Harmless enough, though.
C+ (1 hr., 27 min.; )
