Les Valeurs de la famille Addams

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.

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.

ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES is a rare gem of a sequel that surpasses its original in every way possible. The original ADDAMS FAMILY movie had a horribly thin plot and stupid one-liners...but who cared...it had stunning cinematography and and set design! Well, the sequel is less showy with its art direction and focuses more on making us laugh. The screenplay was written by Paul Rudnick, who is the Messiah of One-liners. His script has a wickedly dark sense of humor thats just irresistible. Angelica Huston and Raul Julia are more sensual than ever. Christina Ricci is superb as Wednesday; she brings the perfect sense of melancholy and dryness to her character. My favorite performace though was Joan Cusack, as the diabolical nanny Debbie. She is just a blast to watch as a gold-digging psycho killer who wants Uncle Fester's money. I loved how this movie satirizes the white upper class, which is a perfect contrast to the Addamses themselves. This is one hilarious movie.

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.

Barry Sonnenfeld (Get Shorty) takes a zany script written by Paul Rudnick (Jeffrey, In and Out) and directs with an exhilarating rhythm to tell the tale of Uncle Fester's marriage to a suspicious young nanny (Joan Cusack) and its effect on the Addams family.

All the actors are absolutely wonderful but Cusack steals the movie with a gleefully nasty turn as the murderous Debbie. Her without-peer comedic talent is more strongly showcased here -watch the scene when Debbie sits in a car waiting for a house to explode- than in her award winning role as Kevin Kline's jilted bride in In and Out. Angelica Huston and Raoul Julia are magnetic in dramatic roles but they also have sensational comic timing and their Morticia and Gomez make a memorable dark-humored pair, most notably in the scenes where the sexual innuendo takes a front-row seat. Peter MacNichol (Ally McBeal) and Christine Baranski (The Ref) have a ball as the irritating summer camp counslers and Christina Ricci will probably never top her performance as Wednesday.

It's a guilty pleasure and a fun ride, zipping by in an hour and a half and also features a hilarious cameo by Peter Graves (Airplane). Check it out!