Possibly even better than the first film...
Addams Family Values (1993)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:34
Fresh:25
Rotten:9
Average Rating:6.3/10
Consensus: New, well-developed characters add dimension to this batty satire, creating a comedy much more substantial than the original.
Runtime: 1 hr 34 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: In ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES, Barry Sonnenfeld has performed the remarkable feat of making a sequel even more entertaining than its predecessor. The charmingly creepy Addams family (based on characters... In ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES, Barry Sonnenfeld has performed the remarkable feat of making a sequel even more entertaining than its predecessor. The charmingly creepy Addams family (based on characters originally created by the morbid Charles Addams) have two new additions, mustachioed baby Pubert and sunny nanny Debbie Jellinsky. While Debbie (wonderfully played by Joan Cusack) charms the adults of the family, particularly Uncle Fester, the children discover that she is actually a serial killer called the Black Widow. The children are soon shipped off to summer camp as part of nanny dearest's diabolical plot. It's at Camp Chippewa that some of the funniest scenes occur, particularly one in which Wednesday tells genuinely terrifying ghost stories to the other campers and another that features both Addams children being sent the Harmony Hut as punishment for trying to escape. Sonnenfeld and production designer Ken Adams (no relation) make sure that each minute is a pleasure to look at by creating a feast of dark visions and macabre sight gags. ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES will be most enjoyed by those with a taste for flip gallows humor. [More]
Starring: Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, Christopher Lloyd, Joan Cusack
Starring: Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, Christopher Lloyd, Joan Cusack, Carol Kane, Christina Ricci, Jimmy Workman, Carel Struycken, Chris Ellis
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
Reviews for Addams Family Values
Overall this is a far tighter film, from the simpler but ever delightful set design to the sharp script and economical running time.
Like the first of the Addams chronicles, this is an essentially lazy movie, too often settling for easy gags and special effects that don't come to any really funny point.
It remains perilously slim in the story department, but glides over the thin ice with technical razzle-dazzle and an exceptionally winning cast.
The good news is that the one-liners are much funnier than the first time, mainly thanks to the increased input of screenwriter Paul Rudnick.
The comedy has moved into high gear and become one of the funniest, most mean-spirited satirical assaults on sunny American values since the salad days of W.C. Fields.
The second Addams flick is actually funny, too. And obviously that goes a long way.
I like it when Hollywood apologizes. And I liked this movie. Apology accepted.
As sequels go, this is passable: no more coherent than the episodic first instalment, but with enough sick humour to satisfy the mildly depraved.
Brilliant sequel! The Addams's meet the real world. Summer camp bits are a highlight. Joan Cusack is great.
Mr. Sonnenfeld repeats some of the first film's favorite visual stunts without wearing out their welcome, and he sustains much more exuberance than a sequel might be expected to have.
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