Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, November 20, 1993 TAG: 9311200043
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: B12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The saturation advertising and promotion have already given away many of the best jokes, but there are still a lot of fine moments. This one also has a stronger story than the first film.
As Debbie Jilinsky, a killer blonde with the most basic instincts, Joan Cusack is a welcome addition to cartoonist Charles Addams' ghoulish clan. She joins the family as a nanny for Gomez (Raul Julia) and Morticia's (Anjelica Huston) new son, Pubert. It's immediately clear, however, that her sights are really set on Uncle Fester (Christopher Lloyd), and her intentions are less than honorable.
Even though the film is mostly concerned with the adults, young Christina Ricci, as daughter Wednesday, has the best moments. She has learned how to deliver mordant one-liners with the right deadpan inflection, and steals her scenes. Her real triumph, though, is the play that's put on at Camp Chippewa, where she is sent for the summer. In a film made of set-pieces and sight gags, that one stands out as the best, almost worth the price of a ticket on its own.
Overall, Paul Rudnick's script takes a more conventional approach than the first film. It was, essentially, a series of Addams' cartoons re-created on the big screen. Here, Rudnick stays true to the original characters while expanding the scope of the action.
Director Barry Sonnefeld also seems more comfortable with the material this time around. Even though the humor is based on the most grisly material imaginable - where everything is backward and pain is pleasure - it's never offensive. Of course, those who don't have a taste for this kind of black comedy won't be entertained. And, as the title indicates, those who champion narrowly defined "family values" may be uncomfortable, too.
But if the movie didn't offend someone, it wouldn't be doing its job. As we enter the "holiday season," when good cheer is mandatory and if you're not smiling something must be wrong with you, it's good to know that the Addams family is still out there to cut the sugary sweetness with a drop of venom.
"Addams Family Values" is the warm and cuddly feel-bad comedy of the year.
\ Addams Family Values: *** A Paramount release playing at the Tanglewood Mall Cinema and Salem Valley 8. 90 min. Rated PG-13 for subject matter.
by CNB