In an attempt to grow closer as a family, Gomez, Morticia, and the rest of the Addams clan embark on an adventurous road trip in a hideous and humongous camper.
I could easily say that the conglomerate of Addams Family movies has just about run its course, but it would appear contradictory just because I, like many other fans, still have the desire to see what happens next in the series. As each of us has grown with the characters throughout the years, it seems mildly disheartening that we must face the reality of Wednesday (Chloë Grace Moretz) growing up right in front of our very own eyes and acting appropriately uncivilized like every other teenager who is bankrupt in conscience. As the film opens, Wednesday’s non-invitation to the science fair has made her entire family way too excited about crashing the competition with just enough curiosity to set the place on fire with their shenanigans. As Wednesday appears overconfident about winning the entire show, she is immediately exasperated when the Host, Cyrus Strange (Bill Hader), announces that all are winners just because of the simple fact that everyone tried. Afterward, when Strange makes an attempt to cozy Wednesday into giving up the family secret regarding her science project, he is immediately shut down by the dismissive student who is far more clever than he realizes.
As Wednesday’s moodiness and self-distancing continue long past what is deemed appropriate by her parents, Morticia (Charlize Theron) tries to think of more ways to bond, and Gomez (Oscar Isaac) thinks the perfect solution is a 3-week vacation to Death Valley. In the midst of the planning, a small disruption rears its ugly head via a pair of strangers who seem to think Wednesday was mistakenly traded at birth and they want the family to cooperate in the investigation so all parties can be on the road to recovery. Both Gomez and Morticia dismiss the whole idea of the switch thinking it is just one more diversion from Wednesday who is meticulously trying to keep from going on the dreaded bonding expedition. This questionable role of what makes an Addams an Addams, appears to be a reoccurring theme throughout the extended series and helps to carry the film through this mixed version of familiar and unfamiliar territory. As the family packs up the entire crew in its spooky camper, each place they visit along the way has creepy relevance to some of the earlier themes in “Addams Family Values” and is packed with humorous anecdotes from a silly and childish level on Pugsley’s (Javon Walton) behalf to bits and pieces of adult humor that Gomez, Morticia and Uncle Fester (Nick Kroll) are wildly known for.
Without a doubt, directors Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon have definitely appealed to the masses with the idea of “comfort food” filming whereas fans will always be attracted to the familiar, however, even with their casting of Hollywood heavyweights such as Charlize Theron, Oscar Isaac, Nick Kroll, Snoop Dogg, and Bette Midler, it appears that ensuring this is the beginning of the end, will leave fans content that all the humor and creepiness of the beloved family will remain sacred and forever leave us the best memories without changing the whole quirky concept along with a theme song that will forever be immortalized in our minds.
Now available to own on Blu-ray™, DVD, and Digital HD
