*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*
Based on the 1964 TV series of the same name, The Addams Family was a successful feature film adaptation when it was released in 1991. It thoroughly captured the tone of the original series and was very entertaining throughout so it's not surprising that a sequel was soon released two years later. However, a lot of sequels tend to be money-grabs that involve lazy filmmaking. Can the same be said for Addams Family Values?
It's love at first sight when Gomez (Raul Julia) and Morticia (Anjelica Huston) welcome a new addition to the Addams household - Pubert, their soft, cuddly, moustachioed baby boy. As Fester (Christopher Lloyd) falls hard for voluptuous nanny Debbie Jilinsky (Joan Cusack), the two older children, Wednesday (Christina Ricci) and Pugsley (Jimmy Workman) discover she's a black-widow murderess who plans to add Fester to her collection of dead husbands. The family's future grows even bleaker when the no-good nanny marries Fester and has the kids sent to summer camp. However, Wednesday has a thing or two up her sleeve.
Those who enjoyed the first Addams Family film will love this sequel. In many ways, it improves on its predecessor including the acting and the comedy. There's not a bad performance to be found in this sequel. As the loved-up couple, both Julia and Huston manage to recapture the chemistry they shared previously. The late Julia was perfect as the charismatic and eccentric Gomez and I think it's the role he'll be remembered for. Also returning are Ricci and Workman as the siblings, Wednesday and Pugsley. The two have a great brotherly-sisterly relationship and Ricci's comedic timing is perfect and she has plenty of one liners. I think that her role as Wednesday is why she's still a successful actress working today. Many people may associate Lloyd with his role as Doc Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy and as the villain in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? however, I think that his performance as Fester is one of his best. He is almost unrecognisable underneath all the make-up and costume. Cusack has given great supporting roles in films such as School Of Rock and many may know her from voicing Jessie in the Toy Story films, however, she gives a memorable performance as the evil Debbie who, at first, seems sweet but we soon learn that she has a darker background. Throughout the film, she tries to come up ways to kill Fester which all hilariously fail with Fester remaining unharmed. Each actor gives a performance that contributes the overall entertainment of Addams Family Values.
For the majority of the film, each member of the Addams family is split up into three different narratives: Gomez and Wednesday trying to convince Fester to come home after his marriage to Debbie, Debbie's attempts to kill Fester and Wednesday and Pugsley's stay at summer camp. Out of the three, I'd say the latter is the most entertaining as it's funny to see Wednesday and Pugsley out of their comfort zone. Here, we see Wednesday fall in love for the first time with a boy, Joel Glicker (David Krumholtz), who was also forced to attend summer camp. However, Wednesday, Pugsley and Joel soon come up with a plan that involves setting fire to the camp's Thanksgiving based musical. This is one of the best sequences in the whole film.
The plot, written by Paul Rudnick, is consistently entertaining and features a twist involving baby Pubert who, after Fester, Wednesday and Pugsley all leave, soon becomes a rosy-cheeked baby, much to Gomez and Morticia's dismay. Granny Addams (Carol Kane) soon reveals that the only way to reverse this curse is to reunite all members of the Addams family. If they fail to do so, the curse could be permanent and Pubert could grow to become a lawyer, an orthodontist or, even worse, the President. Seeing Gomez and Morticia react to this is very funny as they truly believe this is the worst thing that could happen.
After her latest failed attempt to kill Fester, Debbie breaks into the Addams household and plans on killing them all by strapping them to an electric chair. In this scene, by using a slideshow, Debbie explains how she became the psychopath she is now. As a child, her parents got her the wrong Barbie for her birthday so she returned the favour by setting their house alight. She then had several husbands who, when they couldn't commit to Debbie, were murdered. Most films don't bother giving their villain a backstory so it's good that Rudnick gave an understandable explanation to Debbie's murderous nature.
Overall, Addams Family Values is one of those rare sequels that is an improvement on its predecessor. It's also a great film to watch during Halloween due to its dark tone.
7/10
It's love at first sight when Gomez (Raul Julia) and Morticia (Anjelica Huston) welcome a new addition to the Addams household - Pubert, their soft, cuddly, moustachioed baby boy. As Fester (Christopher Lloyd) falls hard for voluptuous nanny Debbie Jilinsky (Joan Cusack), the two older children, Wednesday (Christina Ricci) and Pugsley (Jimmy Workman) discover she's a black-widow murderess who plans to add Fester to her collection of dead husbands. The family's future grows even bleaker when the no-good nanny marries Fester and has the kids sent to summer camp. However, Wednesday has a thing or two up her sleeve.
Those who enjoyed the first Addams Family film will love this sequel. In many ways, it improves on its predecessor including the acting and the comedy. There's not a bad performance to be found in this sequel. As the loved-up couple, both Julia and Huston manage to recapture the chemistry they shared previously. The late Julia was perfect as the charismatic and eccentric Gomez and I think it's the role he'll be remembered for. Also returning are Ricci and Workman as the siblings, Wednesday and Pugsley. The two have a great brotherly-sisterly relationship and Ricci's comedic timing is perfect and she has plenty of one liners. I think that her role as Wednesday is why she's still a successful actress working today. Many people may associate Lloyd with his role as Doc Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy and as the villain in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? however, I think that his performance as Fester is one of his best. He is almost unrecognisable underneath all the make-up and costume. Cusack has given great supporting roles in films such as School Of Rock and many may know her from voicing Jessie in the Toy Story films, however, she gives a memorable performance as the evil Debbie who, at first, seems sweet but we soon learn that she has a darker background. Throughout the film, she tries to come up ways to kill Fester which all hilariously fail with Fester remaining unharmed. Each actor gives a performance that contributes the overall entertainment of Addams Family Values.
For the majority of the film, each member of the Addams family is split up into three different narratives: Gomez and Wednesday trying to convince Fester to come home after his marriage to Debbie, Debbie's attempts to kill Fester and Wednesday and Pugsley's stay at summer camp. Out of the three, I'd say the latter is the most entertaining as it's funny to see Wednesday and Pugsley out of their comfort zone. Here, we see Wednesday fall in love for the first time with a boy, Joel Glicker (David Krumholtz), who was also forced to attend summer camp. However, Wednesday, Pugsley and Joel soon come up with a plan that involves setting fire to the camp's Thanksgiving based musical. This is one of the best sequences in the whole film.
The plot, written by Paul Rudnick, is consistently entertaining and features a twist involving baby Pubert who, after Fester, Wednesday and Pugsley all leave, soon becomes a rosy-cheeked baby, much to Gomez and Morticia's dismay. Granny Addams (Carol Kane) soon reveals that the only way to reverse this curse is to reunite all members of the Addams family. If they fail to do so, the curse could be permanent and Pubert could grow to become a lawyer, an orthodontist or, even worse, the President. Seeing Gomez and Morticia react to this is very funny as they truly believe this is the worst thing that could happen.
After her latest failed attempt to kill Fester, Debbie breaks into the Addams household and plans on killing them all by strapping them to an electric chair. In this scene, by using a slideshow, Debbie explains how she became the psychopath she is now. As a child, her parents got her the wrong Barbie for her birthday so she returned the favour by setting their house alight. She then had several husbands who, when they couldn't commit to Debbie, were murdered. Most films don't bother giving their villain a backstory so it's good that Rudnick gave an understandable explanation to Debbie's murderous nature.
Overall, Addams Family Values is one of those rare sequels that is an improvement on its predecessor. It's also a great film to watch during Halloween due to its dark tone.
7/10
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