**Spoilers**
If you have not yet seen this film, please go and do so before proceeding.
Okay. So after the modest success of the first Addams Family film, a sequel was put into motion. A sequel that Barry Seinfeld was confident would keep all the good of the first film while also fixing a lot of the problems (i.e. the lack of plot). Did it succeed?
Kind of. There definitely is more of a plot (one stolen from The Beverly Hillbillies movie, no less) but I'm rather bewildered as to WHY they decided to focus in on Fester again?! In this story it's not a faux mother figure trying to manipulate Uncle Fester. This time it's a wife. Meet Debbie, the Black Widow (no, not that one) serial killer who goes after rich widowers or bachelors and seduces them, gets them to sign their money over to her, and then kills them on their wedding night. She comes to the Addams disguised as a nanny for the new baby and, while she is there, snags hapless Uncle Fester in her web. Debbie is a very fun villain. She reminds me in some ways of a less-fur-obsessed Cruella de Ville and Joan Cusack just has a great time hamming the part up. There's even a scene where she has the obligatory villain's monologue and she has a slide show all prepared to illustrate.
There are some problems, obviously. For instance - I will NEVER understand why the climax of the movie consists of Debbie strapping all of the Addams' into electric chairs and then making as if she is going to kill them when, in the last movie, we saw Pugsley and Wednesday electrocuting each other with a similar chair as a game. Also, um, it doesn't really make sense for Debbie to be trying to kill Uncle Fester (and failing every time) and yet we're still supposed to see her as a legitimate threat? Um, hmmmm.
But really, this movie belongs to Wednesday. Her subplot is by far the best part of the film and is further evidence why Christina Ricci was just made to play this part. Wednesday and Pugsley are shipped off to a summer camp in an effort to distract them from attempting to commit fratricide on their poor, unsuspecting new baby brother, and there they meet an assortment of painful white suburbia social commentary stereotypes, as well as a fellow outcast named Joel. Throughout the summer they wreak havoc at this camp, culminating in the end-of-the-year obligatory play portraying the First Thanksgiving. There is just something very uncomfortable about that play and the satisfaction whenever Wednesday breaks character and starts laying down some cold, hard facts (before torching the set) is definite. The small romance she shares with Joel is oddly sweet and very well done too. 
Morticia and Gomez are wonderful as always in this film. I feel like Morticia rather liked Debbie, even after she 'betrayed' them. (See what I mean about villains and the Addams' not meshing very well?) It is interesting, though, about these two films; each of the villains only really work whenever they are trying to do one thing. And that one thing is break the Addams family apart.
All in all, this film is a fun and kooky little horror comedy. In some ways, it is almost better than the first movie. Certainly the villain is stronger and a lot more fun. Sometimes the social commentary can be a bit heavy-handed, but in the end that doesn't really detract from anything. There is an odd subplot about Pubert (the baby) suddenly going golden-curled and normal-ish whenever Uncle Fester is gone? Uh, yeah. That didn't make a whole lot of sense. But for the most part it's just a great, funny movie to watch. Addams Family Values is a 4/5.
What did you think? Do you agree with my rating? If not - what would you say differently?
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