Los locos Addams II

Wednesday and Pugsley go to summer camp whilst Uncle Fester falls in love with the babysitter.

This is a movie carried by the performances of the actors who do an exceptionally good job of delivering all the macabre one-liners and embody their characters perfectly.

The plot is pretty uninspired with Fester yet again under the influence of another female villain looking to rob him blind of his share of the Addams fortune. It gets us from start to finish but is largely forgettable, particularly towards the end. That being said, there is a strong level of satire in the writing, particularly towards the values middle-class, white America, which was quite a prominent topic at the time it was made.

All actors are fabulous. Raul Julia oozes charisma and comic timing. He and Angelica Huston have great chemistry as Gomez and Morticia. Christopher Lloyd can do Fester is his sleep and puts all of his usual mad energy into the role. Carole Kane is obviously having fun as Grandmamma Addams. Joan Cusack is almost scenery chewing as Debbie but does superbly well with the material she has to work with.

For me the real stars are the children. Jimmy Workman is wonderfully deadpan as Pugsley. Mercedes McNab is perfect as snobby Amanda Buckman. David Krumholtz does a Woody Allen turn as the hypochondriac kid in love with Wednesday Addams.

Saving the very best performance till last. Christina Ricci is absolutely brilliant as Wednesday and walks away with the movie. Her quick, dry delivery and mannerisms make the character a classic of modern comedies. If you only watch her scenes alone there is enough entertainment to justify the price of a month's subscription to Netflix. There is a brilliant moment when she lights a match and the Addams theme music plays; I never get tired of watching that.

I watched it with my four year old daughter who enjoyed it but had difficulty with the dark humour. Not as much difficulty as I had explaining it though.

One of my favorite films. Paul Rudnick clearly had a field day writing this screenplay.

As odd as it may seem, this sequel is in many ways superior to its predecessor. The first had to spend much of its time introducing the Family--and, just as importantly, paying (totally justified) homage to Charles Addams' brilliant cartoons and to the old television series. As a result, the plot felt forced, as if it had been the best way the writers could think of to showcase all the source material. In the end, one left the theater feeling that the movie had been 'about' the old sight gags. And then there was the totally shameless product placement...but I digress.

Addams Family Values, on the other hand, gets to be more playful. Because we all know who we're dealing with by now, we don't have to spend nearly so much time introducing the family and their skewed universe. Instead, the characters get more of a chance to develop as they glide blithely through a fuller, more cohesive story.

Paul Rudnick's screenplay is masterful--you'll be quoting from it for weeks. Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston are particularly marvelous as one of the most genuinely loving, passionate couples you've seen in ages. In a weird sort of way.

That dance number! Morticia's ever-present shaft of light! Christina Ricci as the sublime Wednesday! Joan Cusack, unhinged! A split-second cameo by Charles Busch! Oh, rapture. I could go on and on, but I'm running out of superlatives. Suffice it to say that this movie is well worth your time.

Almost everybody who was in the original "The Addams Family" returns to reprise their roles in this sequel which is actually better than the first film. The laughs come at a faster and better pace and Joan Cusack makes a delightfully sinister villain who masquerades as a nanny, marries Uncle Fester (Christopher Lloyd), and wants to get her hands on the Addams Family riches. It's up too all of the Addams along with new arrival Baby Pubert to stop her. Thing and Cousin Itt are also along for the ride once again.

This is a film with several excellent performances, but that of Christina "Wednesday" Ricci is near perfect. The reluctant smile outside the "harmony hut" is Oscar material. And Christina as Pocahantas is the very definition of "cute".

Of the others, Joan Cusack also stands out. I doubt anyone else could play the part of "the black widow" quite as well, with just the right mix of sleaze and slapstick. Her deranged laughter alone is worth half the rental fee.

It may not be a classic but it is solid entertainment, with few if any weak passages. Go and see it!

This film is one of those rare gems, a sequel that is as good as, or even better than the original.

Christina Ricci fulfills all the promise that she showed in the first film, as she really steals the film from her more established co-stars.

The scenes at camp produce some of the best one-liners, and it is great to see an American film that is self-mocking about its image concious rich societies. Lines from Ricci like " Is that your overbite?" and "When they woke up all their old noses had grown back!" are superb and will be much loved in the UK, as it is how much of the States is perceived over here.

Also, Amanda in this movie, is also played by the same girl who played the Girl Scout in the first movie.

Add a little bit of romance between Wednesday and another kid at the camp and you have something for everyone in this wonderfully funny and worryingly endearing movie.