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At the heart of the tale, however, is the passion between Morticia and Gomez. Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston still seem so perfectly chosen and matched it's hard not to consider it stunt casting. Their tango dance is both comic and sensual and encapsulates their relationship in a perfect moment.

The drawbacks of the first film are also recreated in Family Values. Uncle Fester remains a resolutely annoying character and putting him front and center again lets him bring down the energy quite frequently. Grandma and Lurch and Itt and especially Pugsley all seem like window dressing, though if you consider what Ricci does with all of her great lines, perhaps this is for the best. The film ends with another inappropriate rap theme song and other R & B songs that play over the credits. I understand that albums need to be sold, but really?

I had fonder memories of the film than what played out in front of me this time around. I guess for all of its bite, for all of its wonderfully mean-spirited satire and observations, I still never believe the Addams as murderers and a lot of their other behavior that gets off-handedly referenced in the dialogue and gags. They end up seeming, well, normal. This may be the ultimate proof of what Rudnick achieves in his screenplay. The final homage to Brian DePalma's Carrie suggests, at the least, that following Wednesday as she grew up might not have been a bad path for the series to tread.

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