Addams Family Values (1993)

Director:

Barry Sonnenfeld

Writers (WGA):

Charles Addams (characters)
Paul Rudnick (written by)

Release Date:

19 November 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy | Horror | Family

Tagline:

The Family Just Got A Little Stranger.

Plot:

A comical Gothic horror-movie-type family tries to rescue their beloved uncle from his gold-digging new love.

Plot Keywords:

Fat Boy | Indian Costume | Brotherhood | Bald Man | Attempted Murder Of Husband

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Anjelica Huston	...	Morticia Addams
Raul Julia	...	Gomez Addams
Christopher Lloyd	...	Uncle Fester Addams
Joan Cusack	...	Debbie Jellinsky
Christina Ricci	...	Wednesday Addams
Carol Kane	...	Grandma
Jimmy Workman	...	Pugsley Addams
Kaitlyn Hooper	...	Pubert Addams
Kristen Hooper	...	Pubert Addams
Carel Struycken	...	Lurch
David Krumholtz	...	Joel Glicker
Christopher Hart	...	Thing
Dana Ivey	...	Margaret Addams
Peter MacNicol	...	Gary Granger
Christine Baranski	...	Becky Martin-Granger

Also Known As:

A Família Addams 2 (Portugal) [pt]
A Família Addams II (Brazil) [pt]
Addams Family 2 (Greece) [el]
Addams Family 2. (Hungary) [hu]
Addams Family in verrückter Tradition, Die (Germany) [de]
Addamsite suguvõsa 2 (Estonia) [et]
Famiglia Addams 2, La (Italy) [it]
Familia Addams: la tradición continúa, La (Spain) [es]
Heliga familjen Addams, Den (Sweden) [sv]
Locos Addams II, Los (Argentina) [es]
Oikogeneia Addams 2 (Greece) (TV title) [el]
Pri Addamsovih 2 (Slovenia) [sl]
Rodzina Addamsów 2 (Poland) [pl]
The Addams Family 2 (Finland) [fi]
Valeurs de la famille Addams, Les (France) (dubbed version) [fr]

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Chile:14 | Finland:K-10 | Germany:12 | Iceland:LH (video rating) | Iceland:L (original rating) | Ireland:12 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:10 | Peru:14 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Company:

Orion Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Wednesday bitterly quips that "Chippewa" in Camp Chippewa means "orphan". This is pure sarcasm; Chippewa is actually a form of the name Ojibwa (a Native American nation), the original meaning of which is unknown.

Goofs:

Continuity: When baby Pubert is put on the block, his bonnet begins to fall off as Pugsley slides him up. In the next shot, his bonnet is tied firmly on his head.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Wednesday: [giving a funeral to a cat in a shoe-box] Come, sorrow; we welcome thee. Let us join in grief, rejoice in despair, and honor the fortunate dead.
Grandma: Dearly beloved...
[the cat mews and Wednesday hits the box with a spade]

Movie Connections:

References Lassie Come Home (1943)

Soundtrack:

Disgusting Crime Theme

No longer rehashing old material, they're even funnier this time.

One of my favorite films. Paul Rudnick clearly had a field day writing this screenplay.

As odd as it may seem, this sequel is in many ways superior to its predecessor. The first had to spend much of its time introducing the Family--and, just as importantly, paying (totally justified) homage to Charles Addams' brilliant cartoons and to the old television series. As a result, the plot felt forced, as if it had been the best way the writers could think of to showcase all the source material. In the end, one left the theater feeling that the movie had been 'about' the old sight gags. And then there was the totally shameless product placement...but I digress.

Addams Family Values, on the other hand, gets to be more playful. Because we all know who we're dealing with by now, we don't have to spend nearly so much time introducing the family and their skewed universe. Instead, the characters get more of a chance to develop as they glide blithely through a fuller, more cohesive story.

Paul Rudnick's screenplay is masterful--you'll be quoting from it for weeks. Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston are particularly marvelous as one of the most genuinely loving, passionate couples you've seen in ages. In a weird sort of way.

That dance number! Morticia's ever-present shaft of light! Christina Ricci as the sublime Wednesday! Joan Cusack, unhinged! A split-second cameo by Charles Busch! Oh, rapture. I could go on and on, but I'm running out of superlatives. Suffice it to say that this movie is well worth your time.