Happy Birthday Christina Ricci

Tags

Birthday, Black Snake Moan, Casper, Christina Ricci, Mermaids, Monster, Sleepy Hollow, The Addams Family, The Opposite of Sex

Today is the 35th birthday of Christina Ricci, who ranks as one of my favourite actresses and one who I always think is very underrated, considering her many outstanding performances throughout the years. With her large eyes, petite frame, dark hair and expressive face, Christina Ricci possesses a charm, kookiness and maturity that she imbues in her work, that helped her transition from child actress to adult star with relative ease. I love how her work in movies is so fearless and her willingness to play dark and unconventional characters. She never seems to go for the safe option in movies, no role seems too out there or to edgy for her and I respect her for that. Listing her amazing credits is a hard task but here are some of the best moments from her career that come to my mind when I think of her:

 

Debuting in Mermaids and acting alongside Cher and Winona Ryder, as a wannabe Olympic Swimmer in a kooky and dysfunctional family, Ricci made an impression.

 

 

As the morbidly fascinated Wednesday Addams in the big screen adaptation of The Addams Family, Ricci found her niche for playing dark and unusual characters.

 

 

As the lonely young girl who befriends a benevolent ghost after moving into an old and creepy old house in Casper.

 

 

 

 

 

 

As the sleazy, vindictive and alluring runaway bitch who wreaks havoc on many lives, Ricci’s performance in The Opposite of Sex helped her make the transition to adult roles.

 

 

 

As the romantic yet enigmatic witch in the fantasy horror Sleepy Hollow, Ricci’s Gothic beauty and kookiness came in handy.

 

 

 

As the outcast lesbian lover of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in the emotionally devastating Monster, Ricci turned in an effective performance opposite Charlize Theron.

 

 

 

Exuding raw pain, unrestrained anger and deep vulnerability, Ricci contributed a no holds barred performance as a nymphomaniac in Black Snake Moan.

 

 

All I have left to say is, Happy Birthday Christina Ricci.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Addams Family

Tags

1990's, Anjelica Huston, Barry Sonnenfeld, Christina Ricci, Christopher Lloyd, Comedy, Dan Hedaya, Elizabeth Wilson, Horror, Jimmy Workman, Judith Malina, Raúl Juliá, The Addams Family

Film Title

The Addams Family

Director

Barry Sonnenfeld

Starring

• Anjelica Huston as Morticia Addams
• Raúl Juliá as Gomez Addams
• Christopher Lloyd as Uncle Fester/Gordon Craven
• Dan Hedaya as Tully Alford
• Elizabeth Wilson as Abigail Craven
• Christina Ricci as Wednesday Addams
• Jimmy Workman as Pugsley Addams
• Judith Malina as Grandmama

Ideally cast and brimming with dark humour throughout, The Addams Family retains the dark edge of the original cartoons and incorporates some of the madcap moments from the original series. Focusing on a plot to extort the macabre clan out of money by an imposter posing as Uncle Fester, it is a devilish delight for all who watch.

The eponymous clan is a macabre extended family interested in all things dark and mysterious. They consist of the debonair Gomez and his morbidly elegant wife Morticia; their two mischievous children, Wednesday and Pugsley, old Grandmama; zombie like servant Lurch and disembodied hand Thing. For 25 years, Uncle Fester has been missing and Gomez is starting to suspect that his brother may truly be lost. Into the family’s delightfully ghoulish mansion comes Tully Alford, the lawyer who owes a debt to loan sharks. He wants Gomez to invest money as he knows he is worth a fortune, but the head of the family won’t budge. Whilst reporting back to the loan sharks, Abigail Craven and her brutish son Gordon, he notices that Gordon bears a striking resemblance to the long-lost Fester. Seeing the opportunity in this, they disguise him as Uncle Fester so he can infiltrate the Addams gold vault. Although he is welcomed back into the family, Wednesday is the one who begins to suspect that he is not really her Uncle. Gordon himself even comes to question whether he really is Fester as he feels a kinship towards the clan. Cue for ghoulish laughs, Gothic surroundings and the original kooky family.

The first thing to praise in the film is the overall visual look, capturing the gloomy atmosphere that the eponymous family enjoy so much. The mansion in which they live is cleverly constructed, consisting of long corridors, cobweb laden basements and spooky methods of transport. The lively music score perfectly compliments the macabre yet playful activities the family enjoys on a daily basis. One of the biggest assets of the picture is the script, that is laced with a dark humour and sinister joy. Morbidly humorous exchanges provide the most laughs such as when Morticia helps Fester unpack and finds cyanide. Her response “Fester, as if we’d run out”. It’s moments like this that keep the devilish film rolling on along with the many eccentric characters that abound.

The cast assembled for The Addams Family all fill their roles with comic glee and individuality. Raúl Juliá is suitably debonair and romantic as Gomez, he also has dark and lustful chemistry with Anjelica Huston. Huston embodies the role of Morticia, showing a loving mother and a cadaverous yet glamorous vamp, who can flirt like mad when needed and is a dab hand at sinister one liners.  Christopher Lloyd seems born to play the role of Fester, and is particularly convincing as his character begins to wonder whether he is Fester after all. A young Christina Ricci perfectly plays Wednesday with a morbid and severe personality, whilst showing a twisted side to her as she experiments on her brother in startling ways. Jimmy Workman excellently plays of Ricci as Pugsley, who although many times is the one used in experiments, he also manages to repay the favour in his own ghoulish way. In the supporting cast, Dan Hedaya and Elizabeth Wilson stand out as scheming con artists with only money on the mind. Judith Malina also makes an impression as the ragamuffin Grandma, who brings a whole new meaning to the word home cooking.

Even if the plot about the imposter doesn’t interest you, it shouldn’t detract from the humorous exploits of the creepy family and the glee that arises from them. Laced with dark humour and brought to life by Barry Sonnenfeld, The Addams Family is creepy yet fun to watch.