After The Addams Family went on to become a popular movie, it wasn’t surprising when a sequel was made. Addams Family Values was released in 1993 and worked well as a sequel to the first movie.
Gomez and Morticia were pleased when their son Pubert was born. Wednesday and Pugsley were less than thrilled with their baby brother and kept plotting ways to do away with him. Gomez and Morticia decided it would be a good idea to hire a nanny. Debbie, a very happy and perky woman, was hired after several other nannies didn’t work out. Fester, Gomez’s brother, was immediately attracted to Debbie. The family really liked Debbie, though Wednesday and Pugsley had doubts about her. They figured out that she was only interested in Fester for his money. Debbie knew that Wednesday and Pugsley were aware of her plans so she managed to get them sent off to summer camp. After things with Debbie and Fester changed, Pubert went through some changes that were horrifying for his family. While stuck at summer camp, Wednesday continued to plot on how to deal with Debbie.
Addams Family Values started several months after the end of The Addams Family. The plot of the movie really wasn’t connected to the plot of the first movie. One thing was mentioned in that movie that did carry forward to the second movie. There wasn’t any mention of what had happened in the first movie, so people who haven’t seen that movie shouldn’t be confused by what is going on. The characters will be more developed if the movies are seen in order.
Addams Family Values continued with the same slightly strange feel that the first movie had. The Addams Family wasn’t a normal family in any way, so it fit that they had to deal with some strange and bizarre things. The plot was very straight forward and really not complicated. That didn’t make the movie any less entertaining. It did take just a little while for it to become clear exactly what Debbie’s plan was. I wasn’t really surprised by anything that happened. The movie did have a slightly spooky tone in some scenes without making the movie scary. There was a little bit of violence in a few scenes, usually when Wednesday and Pugsley were trying to get rid of Pubert. Those things might upset some viewers. The movie was rated PG-13 even though it really wasn’t violent or scary.
Addams Family Values was a funny movie that made me laugh several times. Much of what made me laugh was at least somewhat strange or odd. That fit will with the movie since the characters were odd. Many of the characters said or did things in a serious way that ended up being funny. The humor won’t work for everyone and this isn’t a movie for everyone. People that liked the first movie should also like this one. This was a sequel that worked well. Both movies were based on The Addams Family television show. I saw and enjoyed some of the episodes though I can’t remember too much about the show now.
Gomez and Morticia weren’t a typical married couple even though it was clear they were devoted to each other. They talked to each other using phrases from a foreign language - French or Italian I think - and different things excited them. That had been established in the first movie. They were affectionate with each other even though there weren’t any sex scenes between them. A major part of Addams Family Values deal with the growing relationship between Debbie and Fester. There weren’t any sex scenes between them either, though there were a few sexual situations. There was also a small part dealing with Wednesday and a boy she met at camp.
Almost all of the characters in Addams Family Values were returning from the first movie. Everyone in the family was a bit different or even odd. Gomez and Morticia were happy in their marriage and still loved each other. They were happy to welcome the baby into the family. They were believable as a married couple. Anjelica Houston and Raul Julia were wonderful in the parts. This was one of the last movies that Julia made before his death in 1994. Christopher Lloyd was almost unrecognizable as Fester. He was perfect for the part. Carol Kane took over the part of Grandma and fit the part well. Lurch, Thing, and even Cousin It all turned up in a few scenes. Dana Ivey returned in one or two scenes as Margaret.
Wednesday seemed to be sad most of the time. She was the one who thought up the things she and Pugsley did. Wednesday was very devious at times. Christina Ricci was wonderful as Wednesday. I really enjoyed Sleepy Hollow, another spooky movie that she was in. Pugsley wasn’t happy about Pubert either and he happily went along with Wednesday’s plans related to the baby. Jimmy Workman was fine in the part. Debbie acted all sweet and nice while hiding her true personality. She was very devious and sneaky. Joan Cusack was great in the part. Christine Baranski played Becky Martin-Granger, one of the always happy and perky owners of the camp that Wednesday and Pugsley were sent to. Nathan Lane, David Hyde Pierce, and Tony Shalhoub had very small parts in the movie.
Main Cast
Christine Baranski - Becky Martin-Granger
Joan Cusack - Debbie
Angelica Houston - Morticia Addams
Dana Ivey - Margaret
Raul Julia - Gomez Addams
Carol Kane - Grandma
Christopher Lloyd - Fester Addams
Christina Ricci - Wednesday Addams
Jimmy Workman - Pugsley Addams
Barry Sonnenfeld - Director
DVD Information
I picked up the movie on DVD a few years ago. My copy only has the widescreen version. I don’t know if there is also a full screen version. There really weren’t any special features on the DVD. There were theatrical trailers for two other movies and that was it for extras.
Addams Family Values was an entertaining movie even though a few things were a little silly. People that enjoyed the first movie may also like this one.
Recommended:
Yes
Viewing Format: DVD Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 9 - 12
In ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES Barry Sonnenfeld has performed the remarkable feat of making a sequel even more entertaining than its predecessor. The charmin...More at Family Video
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