Reel Deep Dive

Addams Family Values (1993)


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Some of the episodes for this podcast center on big milestones that are significant to the history of cinema. Others, such as this episode, focus on films that Ryan watched an awful lot as a child. Addams Family Values was one of those movies that Ryan put on at least a couple times a year. His family still plays it on every Thanksgiving, hence the decision to post this episode a few days before the holiday.


Ryan is joined by his brother Sylvan; they were molded by this film even moreso than Ryan (particularly by Christina Ricci's performance as Wednesday). Talking points for this one include Gomez & Morticia's appraisal as #relationshipgoals, the LGBTQ community's embrace of the Addams Family as relatable icons, Wednesday Addams' status as an aspirational figure, the film's cheeky commentary on historical revisionism and conservative moralizing, the superiority of Joan Cusack's screen persona to that of her brother, and the film's skewering of codependent romantic fantasies.

There is also a (mercifully brief) description of Tag Team's Addams-themed remix of "Whoomp! (There It Is)".

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Reel Deep DiveBy Ryan Valentine

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