Addams Family Values Hid A Political Message Right In Its Title
I think of director Barry Sonnenfeld's "The Addams Family" and "Addams Family Values" the same way I think of director Tim Burton's "Batman" and "Batman Returns." In each case, the first movie operates as more of a test run for what the filmmakers can do with the property they're adapting, whereas the sequels allow them to really let their darkly off-kilter creative sensibilities run wild.
To be sure, 1993's "Addams Family Values" is the zanier of Sonnenfeld's takes on the "Addams Family" franchise, which originated with Charles Addams' original comic panels for The New Yorker dating back to the '30s. While its predecessor has a fairly basic plot (greedy "normal" people try to steal from the Addameses, an endearing gang of creepy aristocratic weirdos), "Values" pits the eponymous clan against a dastardly black widow — played to camp perfection by Joan Cusack — who's out to marry and then murder wealthy Uncle Fester (Christopher Lloyd). It's also the film that fully embraces the satire at the heart of Charles Addams' comics, presenting the ghoulish Addamses as kin whose members sincerely care for one another and love each other unconditionally, unlike the so-called more "traditional" families around them.
"Traditional" is the key term when it comes to "Addams Family Values" and its political commentary. Republicans and other political conservatives, just like they do today, loved to proclaim themselves the last bastion of healthy, loving family life in the U.S. when the film's writer, Paul Rudnick, was penning his script. "Family values" was a particularly insidious dog whistle that they coined, allowing them to champion misogynistic, homophobic, and other prejudicial views without saying the quiet part out loud. So, as you've no doubt already put together, Rudnick and Sonnenfeld elected to wryly subvert the concept when they titled the film.
The Addamses revealed 'family values' for the sham it is
Rudnick, for those not familiar, is an openly gay novelist, playwright, and screenwriter who also penned the queer '90s comedies "Jeffrey" and "In & Out," along with "Sister Act" (which some would argue is actually one of the best mainstream queer comedies of the '90s). As you can imagine, then, he picked up on a lot of the queer subtext and camp that was inherent to Charles Addams' comic panels. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in honor of the film turning 25 in 2018, Rudnick confirmed that he aspired to "pay tribute to [Charles Addams'] delirious genius," as much as possible, even naming the Addamses' baby Pubert (something that The New Yorker wouldn't allow Charles Addams to do in his comics). He added:
"I did also want the movie's name to be a response to the Republican Party's constant harping on 'family values,' as if only conservatives could define a loving family. In Republican terms, 'family values' is always code for censorship and exclusion, and Republicans still refuse to respect or even acknowledge, for example, LGBTQ families. I like to believe that the Addams Family is far more loving and accepting than their enemies."
The Addamses are, in fact, consistently portrayed as being more accepting and supportive of each other than anyone else they encounter in "Addams Family Values." They're even sort of okay with Cusack's character, Debbie Jellinsky, conspiring to kill Fester and keep all his money — if only she hadn't painted their home in pastels. And while the actual movie failed to reach the same box office heights as its predecessor did upon its theatrical release, there's a reason why "Values" is still regarded by many as the definitive "Addams Family" film more than 30 years later.