And so the screenwriters insert a half-baked plot point that I think is meant to highlight Wednesday’s feelings of isolation and journey to self-discovery. Of course, this wouldn’t be an Addams family trip without some chaos. How many jokes about vapid, selfie-taking tourists can you have before it all gets old? The members of the family barely interact with other people, and when they do, both the “normie” Americans and the Addams family are rendered in a way that barely piques interest. In fact, from Niagara Falls to Miami and on to the Grand Canyon, what happens at each destination feels like more of the same. The three-week road trip, which will take them from their home in New Jersey to Death Valley, California, would have been a good opportunity for the film to amp up satirical observations about American life, but it does nothing of the sort. Pugsley, on the other hand, has taken a keen interest in girls and is leaning on Uncle Fester (Nick Kroll) for advice. Wednesday, especially, seems to become more disdainful of her parents each day, and is grappling with bigger questions about who she is.

Their kids are growing up too fast, skipping family dinner and, as teens do, preferring to spend more time alone. The Addams Family 2’s problems begin after the science fair, when Gomez and Morticia decide that the family will go on a road trip. He and Wednesday bond over their shared passion for innovation and the fact that they are better (read: smarter) than other people. At the end of the ceremony, she meets the man - well, his hologram - who funds the whole enterprise: Cyrus Strange (Bill Hader). Wednesday, along with every other kid who participated, wins the science fair, much to her chagrin. Screenwriters: Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit, Ben Queen, Susanna Fogel

Cast: Oscar Isaac, Charlize Theron, Chloë Grace Moretz, Nick Kroll, Javon ‘Wanna' Walton, Wallace Shawn, Snoop Dogg, Bette Midler, Bill Hader

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