TBT: Addams Family Values | A Turkey Named Brotherhood

It’s Thanksgiving yall!

It’s one of my favorite times of year. A perfect excuse to get together with family and friends and eat to your hearts content. (Pass that turkey and dressing. Cause this ITIS is going to be real.)

And there’s only one movie that comes to mind when I think about this special time of year: Addams Family Values.

That’s right…the black wearing, macabre loving Addams family clan.

It’s been 26 years, so here’s a quick recap to catch you up: 

The sequel to 1991’s Addams Family, Addams Family Values starts with Gomez and Morticia (Anjelica Huston and Raul Julia) having their third baby, Pubert, and their older kids Wednesday (Christina Ricci) and Pugsley are just not into it. They are constantly trying to kill him. So this prompts the Addams’ to seek out a nanny for the kids and none of them can handle Wednesday and Pugsley until Debbie (Joan Cusack) comes along. 

What the Addams’ don’t know is that Debbie is actual the notorious black widow who preys on rich men, marries them, and kills them on their wedding night never to be seen again. And she has set her sights on Gomez’s brother Fester Addams (Christopher Lloyd). When Debbie realizes that Wednesday is on to her, she tricks Gomez and Morticia in to sending the kids to summer camp at Camp Chippewa, the summer camp for “privileged young adults” to get them out of the way.

I know, you’re thinking how in the world would the Addams family remind me of Thanksgiving? Well this movie came out when I was 8 years old, and it has stuck with me for 26 years. Not only because it’s hilarious, but mainly for that one pivotal moment in the movie: The Thanksgiving play at Camp Chippewa.

As a kid, I just thought it was funny typical Wednesday Addams antics. I mean, this shit is hilarious. How she faked being happy after being subjected to Disney movies for hours only to trick them and ruining Gary’s dumb play and sticking it to the snobby Amanda. 

As an adult, I had no idea how fucking woke this movie was. 

For decades, schools have been feeding us this false narrative of how Thanksgiving started by Indians and Pilgrims blissfully breaking bread together.  I mean, it does sound better than Europeans coming to this country, murdering folks, and taking what they wanted. Revisionist history is amazing amirite?

Don’t worry, I’m not lecturing. Now that I know this, I make sure I do my part in making sure I don’t continue to tell these lies. I also still celebrate Thanksgiving. I just removed the Indian and Pilgrim narrative and I choose to celebrate everything I’m thankful for with family and friends. There’s nothing wrong with that. Don’t let anybody shame you for eating that plate sis!

But despite all that, the Addams’ is all about family. And taking care of each other. They all come together to save Fester from evil Debbie. And yes, the kids try to kill the baby but that’s their love language! Don’t dissect it. Just go with it.

So this Thanksgiving, I’m grateful for the Addams family. For teaching us family over everything. But particularly Wednesday Addams. Hilarious as fuck. Bringer of truth. And for giving us the greatest Thanksgiving monologue ever.

And forever let us all remember, “Do not trust the Pilgrims. Especially Sarah Miller.”