The Addams Family 2 Movie Review – Colorful but Overcomplicated

In The Addams Family 2, Wednesday’s (Chloë Grace Moretz) science fair exhibit attracts mad scientist/sponsor Cyrus Strange’s (Bill Hader) attention. Seems her successful transfer of pet octopus Socrates’ smarts to Uncle Fester (Nick Kroll) is just what he needs to finish his own work. Later, when a lawyer comes to tell the Addams that there was a mix-up at birth and Wednesday is not their child, they are mortified. Since the kids have been more distant, Gomez (Oscar Isaac) decides to take the family on a cross country road trip but the lawyer, assigned to bring Wednesday to his client, is in constant pursuit.

The family van/camper is loadedCourtesy of Metro Goldwyn Mayer Picture

Science Fair

Wednesday’s school science fair project asks how do we eliminate undesirable qualities in our families? When Uncle Fester can’t figure out a Rubik’s Cube and her pet octopus can, Wednesday is able to transfer, via a cocktail, the animal’s smarts into Fester. Everyone at the fair, including the Addams family, is impressed but Pugsley (Javon Wanna Walton) manages to set the room on fire destroying most of the projects. At an awards ceremony, all of the entrants are deemed “winners”. Wednesday is appalled. She obviously won. Sponsor Cyrus Strange offers her a partnership if she will give him her “recipe”. She says it’s a family secret and turns him down.

Wednesday's Science Fair project is a successCourtesy of Metro Goldwyn Mayer Picture

A Road Trip and a Lawyer

Wednesday is tired of family antics and won’t come to dinner. Pugsley is listening to Fester’s strange dating advice. Gomez convinces Morticia (Charlize Theron) that a family road trip is needed for bonding. Before the family can leave, a lawyer arrives representing a client from Sausalito, California who says babies were switched at birth and Wednesday is not their child! They think this is Wednesday’s plot to keep from going on the family vacation and dismiss the lawyer without his needed DNA test. Grandmama (Bette Midler) vows to watch the house and the family is off in their wild-looking camper van. The little lawyer and a thug follow them.

Wednesday and Morticia at Niagara FallsCourtesy of Metro Goldwyn Mayer Picture

Niagara Falls, Sleepy Hollow and Miami

Due to a wrong turn (Thing and Fester are driving), the family ends up at Niagara Falls where Wednesday is bored and decides to manipulate Pugsley with a voo voo doll. She ends up tossing the doll over the falls and, of course, Pugsley goes over too. Gomez, Morticia and Wednesday end up going over in barrels. Doesn’t work for bonding. Back home, Grandma is throwing a wild party and charging admission. Later, camping at Sleepy Hollow, Wednesday overhears Fester admitting that he did “juggle” a few of the babies at the hospital when she was born. Does this mean she is not an Addams? In Miami the family meets with Cousin It (Snoop Dogg) who will join the trip. Not exactly beach material, Wednesday is more miserable than ever.

Gomez greets Cousin It in MiamiCourtesy of Metro Goldwyn Mayer Picture

San Antonio

On the way to San Antonio, Wednesday learns from It that he shaved his bod as a teen to fit in then decided to own who he really is… a furball. She admits she doesn’t really know who she is. With the lawyer and thug in pursuit, Gomez enters Wednesday in a “Little Miss Jalapeno” contest to hide her. Her “look” is totally changed. She is forced to dance and sing with the other contestants on stage. Lawyer doesn’t recognize her until she makes red paint dump on all the other contestants. Gomez yells that the lawyer is a talent scout and all the rabid stage moms jump all over him while the family gets away. Wednesday will never forgive Gomez for the humiliation of the contest.

Grand Canyon and Death Valley

Cousin It leaves the trip and Morticia gifts Wednesday with a family heirloom necklace. Answering the temporarily captured lawyer’s phone, Wednesday learns that Cyrus Strange is his client and he thinks Wednesday is really his daughter. After using her own DNA kit, Wednesday learns that Gomez isn’t her dad! She leaves for Sausalito to learn the truth. Lurch follows and they head off together meeting a group of bikers in Death Valley and ending up at a biker bar where Lurch charms them and he and Wednesday hitch a ride with the bikers to Sausalito.

Pugsley about to blow up the Grand CanyonCourtesy of Metro Goldwyn Mayer Picture

Cyrus Strange’s Mansion

At Strange’s mansion, they are welcomed, Wednesday’s DNA is tested and is a match! She’s found her real family. The Addams family arrives and Pugsley falls for Strange’s weird daughter Ophelia. Gomez just can’t accept that Wednesday is not his daughter. Morticia is sure Strange’s DNA test is a lie. Will the truth ever come out? What danger is the family in? Will they ever get back home and will Wednesday be with them? Which DNA test is true, if any?

Wednesday with Cyrus Strange at his mansionCourtesy of Metro Goldwyn Mayer Picture

Wrapping Up

Although Addams Family 2 is entertaining, it’s as if screenwriters took two plots and tried to weave them together in an “everything and the kitchen sink” manner.  One story questions Wednesday’s parentage and creates a villain who is trying to create killer humans with animal instincts and needing Wednesday’s brilliance to achieve his goal. That alone is enough but no, we throw in a wacky family “bonding” road trip with cross-country adventures that have nothing to do with the other plot. Cousin It arrives from time to time with no real purpose and nothing to add to the story. Uncle Fester is suddenly a dating expert for Pugsley? Although colorful and interestingly animated, all of this and more is just too much.

The production design is great. The Addams family travel “van/camper” looks amazing and fits their style perfectly. Various animated trip locations are nice duplicates of real locales but there are just too many of them.

Wednesday, reading, is miserable on Miami BeachCourtesy of Metro Goldwyn Mayer Picture

Some of the physical gags are fun. I loved seeing the Thing hand slathered in hand sanitizer. There seems to be a wacky combo of rap and other music that sometimes, doesn’t really illustrate the story. The theme of family and belonging despite being “different” is worthy but is the same as the last “Addams” 2019 film. Famous actors do a great job of voicing the characters but their efforts seem almost wasted when the story is so disjointed.   

You will probably enjoy seeing the cute animated family together again but for this over-stuffed story we can only award three stars.

The Addams Family 2 Movie Rating: 

Courtesy of Metro Goldwyn Mayer Picture

See The Addams Family 2 in theaters and On Demand October 1^st!