30 Years Later, ‘Addams Family Values’ Is Still the Best Addams Family Adaptation
Christina Ricci walked so Jenna Ortega could run.
November 17, 2023 marks the 30th anniversary of The Addams Family Values. This sequel to the 1991 Addams Family movie has it all: romantic tangos, attempted mariticide, and standing up against whitewashing history.
Addams Family Values is the best Addams Family adaptation and is a major reason behind the modern Addams Family movies and shows we have. Here are all the reasons why.
An amazing cast
Obviously, being a sequel, this film already had a stellar cast. However, I would argue that it makes better use of the cast than its predecessor. The child actors are especially given more to do, with Pugsley and Wednesday’s summer camp subplot. Grandma is given a bit more attention when she tries to help cure her grandchild of his normalcy. Morticia and Gomez bring their A-game.
Wednesday Addams
Wednesday, played flawlessly by Christina Ricci, asserts herself as the eldest child of the family (a notable change from the original show and comic where Pugsley (Jimmy Workman) was meant to be older), convincing her brother that they need to return their family to being a two-child household.
When their attempts at fratricide fail, the kids are sent to summer camp and must deal with peppy upper-class children and the ridiculous counselors. Instead of breaking under their indoctrination, Wednesday pretends to follow their lead, only to use the final stage play as a chance to call out the racism of the camp and lead the underprivileged camp kids in a rebellion.
Though this was technically a subplot, this film was arguably the first to make Wednesday the main character of the Addams Family franchise. Every adaptation from the musical to the animated movies to the Netflix show since then has solidified her as the main character of the family. Looking back on this film, it’s clear that Christina Ricci walked so Jenna Ortega could run.
Morticia and Gomez: marriage goals
Morticia (Anjelica Huston) and Gomez (Raul Julia) rise even higher in terms of couple goals in this film. After giving birth to their third child, Morticia fears that she no longer has enough time to “seek out the dark forces and join their hellish crusade.” Gomez listens to her and immediately sets out to find a nanny who can handle their children, showing he supports his wife and banishing the myth that loving parents don’t use nannies. Add in the iconic tango scene and this film cements Morticia and Gomez as the couple to beat all other couples.
The best villain
Debbie Jellinsky (Joan Cusack) is the best villain that the Addams have ever faced, mostly because she could have easily joined the family if she hadn’t tried to separate Fester (Christopher Lloyd) from them. Debbie has some legit scary moments (the scene where she electrocutes Fester makes her look downright demonic), but her scary moments just endear her to the family even more.
Debbie is a demonstration of how sometimes, villains are their own worst enemies and you should just stop and appreciate the unconditional love when you have it.
A solid new addition to the family
Bringing a completely new character into a pre-existing franchise can be a gamble. While not everyone likes him, I adore Pubert. The scene where he changes into a “normal baby” shows how the Addams family’s love for each other is unconditional.
Calling out white privilege
The Addams Family has always served to subvert expectations of what an American family should be and this film takes it to a whole new level by explicitly calling out the racism of a summer camp “Thanksgiving play.” That racism is especially notable, even by early-’90s media standards, since the “savage Indians” are played by disabled children and children of color at the camp.
The play is ostensibly about friendship, but it’s more about portraying the colonizers in a good light and pretending that the horrible crimes committed against Native populations didn’t happen.
(featured image: Paramount Pictures)
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