As though itself inhuman, cartoonist Charles Addams’s creation, The Addams Family, rises into popularity, disappears, and then rises again. It’s never far from fans’ memories, but the wider general populace occasionally needs a reminder that being macabre doesn’t mean being insolent or desecrate. One can be creepy, kooky, mysterious, and spooky and still give a damn about one’s fellow human. In the 1993 live-action sequel Addams Family Values, with returning director Barry Sonnenfeld (Addams Family; Men in Black) and writer Paul Rudnick (Sister Act), this becomes a central component of the overall narrative as Fester (Christopher Lloyd) once again becomes a central figure in the narrative as he meets the love of his life, which leads to his forced segregation from his family. There’s also a subplot involving familial discord in the central unit with the arrival of Pubert (played by sisters Kaitlyn and Kristen Hooper) that dovetails into the main story of love and acceptance. While neither Morticia nor Gomez (Anjelica Huston and Raul Julia, respectively) would ever proclaim a favorite child, audiences have more freedom and often cite Values as the more beloved. If that speaks to you, delight in the brand-new first-time 4K UHD edition of Addams Family Values, remastered from the original camera negative and including both a brand-new feature-length commentary track from Sonnenfeld and Rudnick and a new 10-minute behind-the-scenes featurette.
Anjelica Huston as Morticia Addams in ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES. Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures, Photo not representative of restoration.
When audiences last saw the Addams Family, Morticia had announced her pregnancy to Gomez and, now, she’s ready to give birth. With the arrival of Pubert, Morticia and Gomez have no time for their usual amorous activities as each of Wednesday and Pugsley’s (Christina Ricci and Jimmy Workman, respectively) attempts to play with their new sibling results in quite a bit of calamity. Enter Debbie Jellinsky (Joan Cusack), a nanny “sent by the agency” who seems to approach each of the Addamses with a sense of acceptance and flair, who also just to happens to catch the eye of lonely Fester. However, Debbie didn’t appear on their doorstep by happenstance, she’s a black widow and she’s set her sights on Fester’s wealth.
While the 4K UHD release of The Addams Family was marketed as for the 30th anniversary, Values missed it by a year, so you’re not going to see that tacked on at any point. That said, we’re going to start with what’s new before offering a few thoughts on the film as an adult/parent viewer and not a child/childless adult.
Christopher Lloyd as Fester in ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES. Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures, Photo not representative of restoration.
As mentioned, the restoration was evidentially made using the original camera negative, which means that the restoration has the best possible opportunity to be a high-quality restoration. Film negatives hold a lot of information and the up-conversation works far better, resulting in a more premium on-disc presentation than films shot on digital that go through the same up-conversation process. Unfortunately, there’s no information as to how the restoration was executed or who reviewed/approved it, but given that Sonnenfeld provides a new commentary track, one can safely assume that he laid eyes on it before publishing to disc. From a technical perspective, the on-disc presentation is a solid one as the bitrate primarily hovers within 70-80 Mbps at any given time, though it does dip into the 50s from time-to-time. With 40 Mbps being an average 1080p high-definition bitrate and 128 being the maximum bitrate for a 4K UHD disc, that the film rests in the 70s is a good sign for a strong presentation. But all the technical information doesn’t mean anything if the film doesn’t actually look good. For the most part, the increased detail and color range is an absolute delight. You can see details like the blemishes on Debbie’s exposed skin, get a sense of the fabric on the character’s clothes, and the double-date sequence in the bistro is quite lovely with the browns, golds, reds, and blacks giving the scene a robust opulence. The film really looks great during the outdoors Camp Chippewa sequences, where the natural colors look fresh and sparkling, creating even more of a contrast against the grimdarkness of Wednesday and Pugsley’s presentation. A downside, of course, is that the makeup was designed for ’93 details, not 2024 4K UHD so there are a few moments wherein the makeup is far more noticeable (like the powder on Huston’s face or on Carol Kane’s Grand Mama Addams) which breaks the mystique of the film a bit.
L-R: Jimmy Workman as Pugsley Addams, Christina Ricci as Wednesday, and David Krumholtz as Joel Glicker in ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES. Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures, Photo not representative of restoration.
Adding in making the presentation as strong as it is are the inclusion of only two on-disc features: a feature-length commentary track and a 10-minute featurette. By not piling on with copious materials, the film is given as much space as possible to fit on the disc, reducing any possible compression. (If you think Dune: Part Two looks good now, imagine what it could’ve looked like without all those features on the 4K UHD disc.) The audio track is going to take up the least space between the two, even at 90+ minutes, so it’s the other featurette, “Creating Family Values,” that runs the risk of impairing the film presentation. In this case, it’s not long enough to do any serious damage, but long enough to offer some fun insights into the making of the film as audiences are given an inside look into the making of the film through a montage of talking head interviews with the cast and crew, on-set footage, and final film sequences. You’re not going to learn anything particularly explosive, but it’s fun to listen to the actors (out of costume) talk about these characters in terms of their arcs and potential.
Side note: For those who enjoy the classic look of the Values cover art visible on the slipcover, be advised that the actual liner discards the black/grey look for the purple-infused version incorporated with prior releases, including the two-film Blu-ray release made available in 2019.
Christopher Lloyd as Fester in ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES. Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures, Photo not representative of restoration.
To be frank for a moment, of the two films, Values was never a film I wanted to revisit. I have the strongest memory of seeing the first in theaters, so I assume I did with Values, but my response to it was so low that I couldn’t tell you when/how/where. Surprisingly, seeing the film as an adult, especially one with two children, offers a resonance that didn’t exist before. The Debbie/Fester storyline felt like a tweaking of the prior amnesiac-Fester storyline and I didn’t understand why Morticia and Gomez would send the elder two away on Debbie’s word, but I really enjoyed the Chippewa sequences. Now, however, I can relate to the sense that every time I try to get close to my wife — to talk, to hug, to kiss, to simply share a meal — one of our children finds that to be the greatest of offenses and must interrupt either directly or indirectly. Would I send my children away on the opinion of someone I’d just met who’s charmed the pants (figuratively) off us? Most likely if it meant a chance to engage my wife without having to worry about screaming, a drive-by nut-shot, or some other poorly timed (to me) entrance of a child. Also, as an adult, one starts to notice all the jokes that went straight over my head, such as the direct implication that poor Thing (Christopher Hart) has been a sexual companion for Fester during this lonely period or that Fester’s been a peeping tom on his brother and sister-in-law. There’s a lot about Values that I don’t think can be appreciated *as much* in adolescence, whereas the shifted perspective not only makes the film make more sense, but increases the appreciation. It was one thing to appreciate that the Addams Family welcomed Debbie and all of her homicidal tendencies with open arms (but pastels?), but a whole other thing to realize that the story is far sharper and specific in execution that one might realize.
Joan Cusack as Debbie Jellinsky in ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES. Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures, Photo not representative of restoration.
With Halloween coming up and Thanksgiving soon after, welcoming a 4K UHD edition of Addams Family Values makes a great deal of sense to those in the know. Most likely, if you’re already a fan of the film, picking this up is a forgone conclusion. Though not every film in one’s collection does require upgrading, given that the 2019 Values Blu-ray includes no bonus features at all, the new addition of the featurette and commentary track may be just what longtime general Addams and specific Values fans have been waiting for. That the film looks as good as it does and with a newfound appreciation for the narrative, this feels like an easy recommendation. It just comes down to whether it’s a day-one pick-up or a sale.
Addams Family Values Special Features:
- *NEW* Commentary by director Barry Sonnenfeld and screenwriter Paul Rudnick — The writer and director of Addams Family Values reunite to watch their beloved comedy and provide new insight on the production and the film’s continuing legacy.
- *NEW* Creating Family Values — The Paramount Archives digs up a collection of insightful behind-the-scenes images and interviews shot during the production of Addams Family Values — including director Barry Sonnenfeld, screenwriter Paul Rudnick, and stars Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, Christopher Lloyd, and Joan Cusack. (10:29)
Available on 4K UHD Blu-ray and digital October 29th, 2024.
For more information, head to the official Paramount Pictures Addams Family Values webpage.
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Categories: Films To Watch, Home Release, Recommendation
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