Thanksgiving is on its way! And yes, I know that “Over the River and Through the Woods” is not necessarily a Thanksgiving song, but it doesn’t mention Christmas, so by default it must be. Also I am pretty sure it refers to pumpkin pie.
And yes, there are actually some Thanksgiving movies. If you find yourself lacking in holiday spirit, pop in one of these DVDs and bask in the holiday tradition.
This one might sound like a stretch – and it definitely is. But let’s face it, most “Thanksgiving movies” are going to be a stretch. And since this movie features a reenactment of the First Thanksgiving, I am pretty sure it qualifies more than most.
The Addams Family Values was a little better-recieved than The Addams Family, which is nearly unheard-of for sequels. Critics preferred its dark humor to the more sitcom-based original, and many fans did as well.
A notable highlight is Joan Cusak as Debbie Jellinsky, the new nanny hired by the Addams to take care of the new baby, Pubert. Suspicious of Debbie’s motives, Wednesday and Pugsley cause a lot of trouble for her until she convinces their parents to send them away to camp.
Everyone else at the camp is stuck-up, falsely cheerful, and blonde. The Addams kids fit in like buffalos at a wedding reception – until Wednesday meets Joel, a quiet Jewish boy who suffers from allergies and dark hair. A collector of serial killer trading cards, he is soon able to confirm Wednesday’s worst suspicions about Debbie. She is, in fact, a killer known as the Black Widow. She marries rich men for their money and then dispatches with them.
Meanwhile, Debbie is wooing Fester for his share of the Addams family fortune. Once they are married, she immediately begins trying to kill him; being a semi-immortal who thrives on pain and suffering, like the rest of his family, Fester thinks she is just being affectionate. Finally, she denies him conjugal relations unless he cuts himself off from his family.
By far the best scene in the movie occurs after Wednesday, Pugsley, and Joel are given a sort of shock treatment (involving saccharine-sweet movies being played over and over again) to make them cheerful. The three pretend to be changed just long enough to get into the end-of-summer play, which portrays the first Thanksgiving. The kids soon discover that they are not the only misfits; the others are cast as Indian savages. Given the role of an Indian princess, Wednesday goes off-script and denounces the Pilgrims for their culture-squashing, land-stealing ways. The rest of the “Indians” attack, humiliating the kids, parents, and camp counselors alike.
And it’s Pubert who finally saves the family from Debbie’s rage. He’s a true Addams, through and through.
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