With the approaching release of Tim Burton’s Wednesday on Netflix, it seemed the perfect time to dive back into the films that have become cherished classics for almost the last three decades. Both Barry Sonnenfeld‘s The Addams Family and Addams Family Values are 90s staples and well-received additions to the Addams franchise. And where The Addams Family delivered its world-building, Addams Family Values delivers not only a new member to the family but also brings the Addamses into a broader world beyond the confines of their mansion.

For Addams Family Values, there is less internal world-building, effectively working off the setting and design crafted by the first film. And while the plot of Addams Family Values is also very elementary, it is highly enjoyable to take the seemingly impossible one step further. It is as relatable as it is entertaining, and definitely a prime example that not all sequels are dead on arrival.

Continued World Building for a New Bundle

While Addams Family Values does not focus as heavily on its internal world-building as the first film, it utilizes it brilliantly in the film’s beginning, both reemerging us within the world of the Addams family, as well as reintroducing us to each of its beloved characters. Where the first film introduced them together, here Addams Family Values sections them off, speaking to the division the family will experience throughout the film. First, we are reunited with Fester (Christopher Lloyd) howling at the moon, his shadowed form in the moonlight creating a reminiscent silhouette of Nosferatu. As the camera moves towards the cemetery, Wednesday (Christina Ricci), Pugsley (Jimmy Workman) and Granny (Judith Malina) are seen giving burial rites – Wednesday shaking the box to show her audience the cat is still alive inside.

As calming as the opening is, it picks up its pace as audiences are reunited with Gomez (Raul Julia) and Morticia (Angelica Huston). As Morticia announces she is in labor, the film takes on a faster editing style than the first film, leaning heavily into the chaos of childbirth. Further breaking away from the editing of the original, Addams Family Values also leans more heavily into its editing and filming choices of quickly zooming into close-ups of our characters before they deliver specific lines. It’s in these moments the film is at its cheesiest, but also its more welcoming. It is as if each of these characters in these moments is speaking to us, welcoming us further into the narrative and the world they encompass.

As a new Addams joins the ranks, each member of the family reacts differently to Pubert (Kaitlyn and Kristen Hooper) – the most humorous being Wednesday and Pugsley’s attempts to eliminate the youth given his. As the family interacts with the baby, and we see their continued customs, the world-building here expands. But not just with the arrival of little Pubert, but for the world outside the Addams mansion.

Branching Out

Following the manipulation of Dr. Pinder-Schloss (Elizabeth Wilson), Tully (Dan Hedaya), and Gordon (aka Fester) in the first film, The Addams Family briefly saw the Addams gang leave the mansion and venture into the world. As they traveled with their expulsion by Fester, they inhabited a small motel in the area. While their interactions with the outside world are limited, The Addams Family does give further world-building and breadth to the franchise in these moments it allows itself to expand. With Addams Family Values, it finds its strength in broadening its exposure further. Had the film stayed strictly within the confines of the Addams property, Addams Family Values would have become stifled and stunted.

Addams Family Values starts its expansion with Morticia’s childbirth in the hospital. As Pubert is brought into the world, so too are the Addamses. Where Pubert is the catalyst, the driving force of their expansion into the world is brought on by the arrival of Debbie (Joan Cusack), the latest in a string of nannies for the Addams children. Unbeknownst to them, she is the Black Widow, preying on rich men to trap them with marriage before killing them to take every last cent. Her latest sights are set on Fester. Though, not without its challenges.

The first to be thrust into the broader world is Pugsley and the always-suspicious Wednesday. Forced to attend summer camp, Wednesday, Pugsley and fellow camper Joel (David Krumholtz) provide the film with some of its funnier moments. With this change of setting, Addams Family Values also allows Wednesday a larger stage to shine and grow as a character. In the first film, she is the suspicious child, unsure of Fester’s true origin, and utilized many times as a means to drive the world-building of the Addams Family. Here, Wednesday may still be suspicious, but she has truly found her voice. And yes, our favorite Amanda Buckman (Mercedes McNab), girl scout entrepreneur, makes a return here, giving not only Wednesday a platform to use her voice, but to allow the film to seemingly showcase the generational acceptance the family as a whole encompasses.

With the children out of the way, Debbie is able to seduce Fester into marrying her and to never see his family again. While The Addams Family speaks to Fester’s already established worldly exposure, Debbie provides world-broadening to Fester in the avenues of love and partnership. While her intentions are devious and untrue, the feelings Fester has are not. And while she betrays him, and the entire family, Fester is given a new look on life and the prospect of love he never thought possible for himself.

Conclusion

While Christina Ricci‘s Wednesday navigating the summer camp is a stand-out, it is Joan Cusack that makes this film the success that it is. Her monologue and PowerPoint presentation validating the behavior of Debbie is as memorable as it is qu0teable. And while she steals every scene she is in, it is the climax of the film that she truly owns. While the film can lean into corny at times, following predictable tropes and expectations, Cusack‘s performance as Debbie truly elevates Addams Family Values into a sequel that can stand strong with its predecessor, as well as on its own.

Have you seen Addams Family Values? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below!

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