Friday Movie Review - Addams Family Values

This choice may surprise you . . . but even if the Addams Family seems more Halloweeny than Thanksgivingy, they are after all a very close family. And there is a wonderful Thanksgiving play scene in the film.

Addams Family Values (1993)
Directed By:Barry Sonnenfeld
Written By: Paul Rudnick

In the opening scene of "Addams Family Values," we find out that Morticia Addams is expecting a baby . . . now. The new arrival is a little boy, Pubert Addams. Having a new sibling is disturbing to Wednesday and Pugsley, and their dangerous antics with their new brother is driving their parents up the wall. Morticia and Gomez decide to hire a nanny for the children in order to give Morticia more time to pursue her own interests. The nanny they hire is Debbie, a cheerful blonde who wears pastels and seems to have an eye for Fester - or at least for the Addams fortune. Soon Debbie manages to convince Gomez and Morticia that Wednesday and Pugsley want to go to summer camp, all the while managing to win Fester's odd and lonely heart.

Summer camp is a horrific experience for Wednesday and Pugsley, who are often relegated to the Harmony Hut to suffer hour upon torturous hour of Family Musicals and Disney films. Even worse for the children is knowing that their Uncle Fester is about to marry the cleverly fiendish Debbie. How Wednesday and Pugsley manage to escape from camp, and how little Pubert is the one to ultimately save the day, makes for a wonderfully fun and quirky film.

The highlight of the entire movie, however, is the "Thanksgiving" play the campers put on for their parents, starring Pugsley as the Turkey, and Wednesday as Pocahontas.





I give "Addams Family Values" two paws up and a chirp for being well-acted, quirky, full of dark humor, and great quotable lines!