The mysterious and spooky Addams Family are back, along with directors Conrad Vernon and Greg Tiernan, for another animated adventure. This time, the familiar theme of embracing being different comes in the form of a road trip movie. The Addams Family 2 sees everyone’s favorite kooky bunch pack up for a manic summer vacation that brings hyper, candy-coated comedy at warped speed.
When Wednesday (Chloë Grace Moretz) starts skipping family dinners and retreats further into isolation than average, Morticia (Charlize Theron) and Gomez (Oscar Isaac) worry their kids are growing up too fast. The parents’ decree family bonding as the top priority, so they load up Wednesday, Pugsley (Javon’ Wanna’ Walton), Uncle Fester (Nick Kroll), and company into their camper. Their trip across the country takes them out of their macabre element, prompting a variety of wacky encounters and hijinks.
Writers Dan Hernandez & Benji Samit and Ben Queen and Susanna Fogel only outline a loose narrative for the Addams to follow. Wednesday questions her identity and role in the family while finding plenty of time to inflict torture upon her bother, Pugsley. It’s the core, underbaked plot driving the entire series of rest stops across America, providing the necessary setup for sequences of manic comedy. It results in silly run-ins with biker gangs, tourists in Niagra falls, a Texas beauty pageant disaster, and more.
For adult viewers, getting a foothold can be challenging as the movie zips through its locations, gags, and sequences, much of it set to a soundtrack packed with recognizable hits. It plays like a greatest hits compilation. It’s manic, rhythmic comedy on hyperdrive, with its jokes aimed squarely at the very young. If you wound a child up on as much sugar as possible before letting them loose, you’d have The Addams Family 2. The good news is that this will likely have no trouble retaining the interest of even the shortest attention spans. The gags don’t make the most sense, but they’ll amuse their target audience nonetheless.
Target demo aside, the downside of this sequel is that its predecessor locked the unfortunate character design in place. We’re officially stuck with unappealing visuals for the duration of this franchise. Under the bright blue skies and vibrant landmarks, these characters only stand out even further than before.
The overly simple story and slapstick shenanigans eventually circle back to Wednesday’s plight to deliver a finale more fitting of the Addams. With it comes a tidy little bow about acceptance and embracing being different. The precise type of wholesome content that parents can get behind, even if they don’t understand a lick why Grandma (Bette Medler) stays home and throws a rave for the normies. Or why Snoop Dogg‘s voice gets rendered unrecognizable as Cousin It until the precise moment that he can drop a beat.
The Addams Family 2 might change its scenery, but it doesn’t deviate from its approach. It’s still a ridiculous, straightforward animated update to an enduring property. Grown-ups may disown this take on The Addams Family, but it was never meant for adults anyway. This focuses solely on tickling the funny bone of the youngest of audiences. In other words, it’s not a great movie, but it likely succeeds in its goal as a manic comedy bit for children. That it steps further away from a grim aesthetic means it’s a far more anemic gateway into the genre than before.
The Addams Family 2 is in theaters and VOD as of October 1, 2021.
