November 22, 1993 -- You may have heard it through the grapevine that the sequel to ``The Addams Family'' is better than the original. That rumor is true. It is funnier than the original and it even has a plot.

The sequel ``Addams Family Values'' is another example of black humor, with the two kids, Wednesday and Pugsley, trying to kill the new baby in the family. It doesn't sound very funny, but that's black humor for you.

The funniest subplot in the film is when Wednesday and Pugsley are sent to summer camp. The ridiculously happy camp directors try to turn Wednesday and Pugsley into happy face pod people. They try brainwashing them with a marathon session of Disney movies.

Christopher Lloyd, who plays Uncle Fester, doesn't have as good a role in this film as in the original. He does his best, but he spends most of the film as a hapless victim.

Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston (Gomez and Morticia) are excellent and Joan Cusack is very good as a crazed ``Black Widow'' killer who seems to fit into the Addams family all too well.

There are some good laughs in this nice adaptation of the original cartoon. There are also some flat spots. Some of the subplots don't work well. But generally, the film is a lot of fun. This film rates a B.

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