Movie
      Review
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Hand
      That
      Rocks
      the
      Cradle
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Directed
      by:
      Curtis
      Hanson
     
    

    
     
      Written
      by:
      Amanda
      Silver
     
    

    
     
      Produced
      by:
      David
      Madden
     
    

    
     
      Actors:
      Rebecca
      De
      Mornay,
     
     
      Annabella
      Sciorra,
     
     
      Ernie
      Hudson
     
    
   
   
    
     
      4
     
     
      B
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I
      heard
      it
      was
      a
      scary
      movie,
      and
      I
      was
      reluctant
      to
      go
     
     
      and
      watch
      it.
      But
      as
      it
      turned
      out,
      a
      friend
      of
      mine
     
     
      managed
      to
      use
      his
      charms
      on
      me
      right
      at
      the
      last
     
    
   
   
    
     
      minute
      (we
      were
      going
      to
      see
      Beauty
      and
      the
      Beast
     
     
      initially).
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      light
      dimmed,
      and
      I
      tensed.
      But
      then
      I
      realized
     
     
      that
      the
      entire
      theatre
      was
      packed
      with
      people,
      and
      it
     
    
   
   
    
     
      wasn't
      as
      bad
      with
      people
      around
      me
      after
      all.
      The
     
     
      movie
      began.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      movie
      ended,
      and
      I
      gave
      a
      huge
      sigh
      of
      relief.
     
     
      Actually,
      the
      movie
      wasn’t
      at
      all
      scary,
      only
     
     
      suspensful.
      It
      is
      a
      typical
      story
      of
      revenge,
      of
      tragic
     
     
      deaths,
      of
      hate
      and
      love.
      It
      isa
      story
      ofa
      babysitter
     
     
      ‘who
      went
      psycho.
      ‘‘The
      hand
      that
      rocks
      the
      cradle
      is
     
     
      the
      hand
      that
      rules
      the
      world...’’
      This
      line
      stuck
      on
     
     
      my
      mind.
      Peyton
      Flanders
      was
      a
      wealthy
      woman
      who
     
     
      lost
      her
      husband,
      her
      child
      and
      her
      security,
      so
      she
     
     
      set
      out
      into
      the
      world
      to
      seek
      revenge
      upon
      the
      one
     
     
      who
      crushed
      her
      life.
      Claire
      Bartel
      was
      a
      patient
      who
     
     
      was
      sexually
      abused
      by
      Dr.
      Flanders
      (Peyton’s
      hus-
     
     
      band).
      His
      career
      ended
      there
      because
      of
      her
      revela-
     
     
      tions,
      which
      leads
      Mrs
      Flanders
      to
      seek
      revenge
     
     
      against
      Bartel
      by
      becoming
      her
      children’s
      nanny...and
     
     
      the
      movie
      went
      on
      from
      there.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Many
      watched
      this
      movie
      with
      thrills,
      but
      mothers
     
     
      with
      children
      may
      not
      because
      this
      movie
      is
      every
     
     
      mother’s
      horror.
      Nevertheless,
      the
      chances
      of
      this
     
     
      (you
      have
      to
      find
      out
      what
      ‘‘this’’
      is
      if
      you
      have
      not
     
    
   
   
    
     
      watch
      the
      movie
      yet)
      happening
      is
      remote,
      but
      you
     
     
      never
      know!
     
    
   
   
    
     
      [
      think
      this
      movie
      deserves
      an
      ‘‘ok’’
      at
      the
      very
      least.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      K.W.W.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘AT
      THE
      MOVIE
     
    
   
   
    
     
      THE
      ADDAMS
      FAMILY
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Houston
      (Morticia
      Addams),
      the
      acting
      was
      great.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      pened
      rbuennea
      renmeatcnaspatnememn
      meee
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Addams
      family
      first
      came
      to
      us
      as
      a
      comic
      strip
     
     
      in
      the
      50’s.
      IN
      the
      60’s
      it
      became
      a
      semi-successful
     
     
      sitcom
      (reruns
      weekdays
      on
      CBC).
      The
      End
      of
      199]
     
     
      gave
      us
      the
      Addams
      asa
      feature
      length
      film,
      loaded
     
     
      with
      big
      names
      and
      grossing
      over
      90
      million
      by
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      New
      Year.
      Not
      surprisingly
      it
      was
      a
      little
      late
      arriving
     
     
      in
      Charlottetwon.
      :
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Addams
      family
      movie
      has
      Uncle
      Fester
      3
     
     
      (Christopher
      Lloyd)
      reappearing
      after
      being
      missing
     
     
      for
      47
      years.
      The
      problem
      is
      that
      festers
      a
      fraud
      (or
      :
     
     
      is
      he?)
      and
      he’s
      out
      for
      the
      family
      fortune.
      Simple
     
     
      enough?
      Maybe
      too
      simple
      to
      drag
      on
      for
      100
      min-
     
     
      utes!~
      This
      movie
      would
      have
      made
      a
      much
      better
     
     
      sitcom
      episode.
      The
      laughs
      were
      few
      and
      far
      between:
     
    
   
   
    
     
      and
      even
      when
      they
      did
      occur,
      it
      still
      wasn’t
      very
     
     
      funny.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Other
      than
      an
      uncharacteristically
      weak
      Anjelica
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Paul
      Juila
      (Gomez
      Addams)
      had
      some
      really
      impres-
     
     
      sive
      sword-fighting
      scenes,
      and
      Christopher
      Lloyd
      5
     
     
      made
      the
      movie
      worth
      seeing.
      The
      photography
      and
      —
     
     
      props
      were
      entertaining
      in
      themselves
      and
      the
      movie
     
     
      did
      have
      an
      even
      pace.
      Thing
      deserves
      a
      big
      hand,
      he
     
     
      did
      a
      great
      job.
      B.
      2
     
    
   
   
    
     
         
     
     
         
     
    
   
   
    
     
      hep
      PUR
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      X-P
      RESS
     
    
   
   
    
     
      February6,
      1992