Addams Family Values
As it is Halloween, I thought it would be fitting to follow up last week’s post of The Addams Family with its sequel Addams Family Values. In many ways I like the sequel more than the original. The camp scenes are hilarious. But I am getting ahead of myself. Let me start at the beginning.
The Addams family is back and they have a new member in the family, baby brother Pubert. Wednesday and Pugsley do not take to the new baby at all causing Gomez and Morticia to hire a nanny. The interviews do not go well, which I am sure is not a surprise as this is the Addams family, until one day Debbie (Joan Cusack) shows up at the door. She is hired on the spot, without ever meeting the children. That may have been a mistake on Debbie’s part. She is not really there to be a nanny. Capturing Uncle Fester is her true reason for entering the Addams’ household. Wednesday and Pugsley, however, are upsetting her plans and she has to figure out how to get rid of them. In order to do so, Debbie convinces Gomez and Morticia to send the children to summer camp. This is where the fun really starts.
The camp Wednesday and Pugsley go to is one of those cheery all the time, superficial places. Full of sunshine and smiles, this is not the place for these two. Wednesday, however, does discover the place is not all bad. She finds her first love interest, Joel (David Krumholtz), in another camp outcast.
At home, Debbie manages to trap Fester and they end up getting married. Her plan is to kill Fester so she can inherit his money, but things do not go as planned. She then has him cut off all ties with his family, and tries to kill him again. Furious that this second attempt does not work, Debbie takes the Addams family hostage. Every member is held except for Pubert. That is a mistake.
The Addams family is back and they have a new member in the family, baby brother Pubert. Wednesday and Pugsley do not take to the new baby at all causing Gomez and Morticia to hire a nanny. The interviews do not go well, which I am sure is not a surprise as this is the Addams family, until one day Debbie (Joan Cusack) shows up at the door. She is hired on the spot, without ever meeting the children. That may have been a mistake on Debbie’s part. She is not really there to be a nanny. Capturing Uncle Fester is her true reason for entering the Addams’ household. Wednesday and Pugsley, however, are upsetting her plans and she has to figure out how to get rid of them. In order to do so, Debbie convinces Gomez and Morticia to send the children to summer camp. This is where the fun really starts.
The camp Wednesday and Pugsley go to is one of those cheery all the time, superficial places. Full of sunshine and smiles, this is not the place for these two. Wednesday, however, does discover the place is not all bad. She finds her first love interest, Joel (David Krumholtz), in another camp outcast.
At home, Debbie manages to trap Fester and they end up getting married. Her plan is to kill Fester so she can inherit his money, but things do not go as planned. She then has him cut off all ties with his family, and tries to kill him again. Furious that this second attempt does not work, Debbie takes the Addams family hostage. Every member is held except for Pubert. That is a mistake.
The new additions to the cast do really well with the original members. I get such a kick out of David Krumholtz as Joel. I absolutely adore this actor when he plays Charlie on Numb3rs, so to see him when he is so young and just starting out makes me smile. Peter MacNicol, who is one part of the couple in charge of the camp, is also on Numb3rs. I always wonder what it was like working together again after all those years, especially since one was a child the first time around. The first day on the set together could have been very interesting, remembering such long ago times. Christine Baranski is the other half of the camp couple. I love when both she and Mr. MacNicol have to fight their dislike for the Addams’ and remain chipper. This does not always work and their cutting comments through gritted teeth are really funny. Then there is Joan Cusack as Debbie. She plays the conniving, murderous woman so well. I love the scene about the Barbie Doll. It does not come until the end of the movie, but it is well worth the wait.
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