Elf (2003)

Christmas List 2024

>>

Before Jon Favreau hit it big with 'Iron Man', and grew with his involvement in things like the MCU and 'Star Wars,' it could be argued that his big beak was actually this nice little Christmas film. 'Elf,' released in 2003, has since become an annual classic for many, and it's hard to blame anyone for putting this on a list of favourite Christmas movies. There's definitely something about this movie that reminds us of those innocent childhood days, and it doesn't stop at Will Farrell playing a man-child, and really making it work.

For me, I can still remember going to see this in theatres upon its release, and actually feeling that bit of Christmas magic I remember from being a kid around the holidays. We were definitely a traditional Christmas household, so I believed in Santa for a while, thinking he'd somehow magically show up and drop some presents off for the next morning. And even after finding out the truth, I can honestly say I have no regrets in thinking Santa was real as a kid - it simply added to the wonder of it all. This movie is something that kinda helps restore that old wonder.

The film opens with some backstory, introducing us to human orphan, Buddy (Will Farrell), who stowed himself away in Santa's (Ed Asner) sack one Christmas Eve, and rode all the way back to the North Pole with him. Upon arriving, and being that he was from an orphanage, he was immediately adopted by Papa Elf (Bob Newhart) and raised at the North Pole as... well, an Elf. As he grows up, however, he finds he doesn't really fit in, despite the other elves treating him kindly. It's more that he can't keep up with the Elf lifestyle.

By the time Buddy's around 30, Papa Elf tells him about his history, and his real father, Walter (James Caan). Frustrated with things at the North Pole, and feeling like a real misfit (or a cotton-headed ninny-muggins, if you will),  Buddy soon sets out to find his real father, and hopefully, where he belongs. Upon meeting his father, a DNA test eventually reveals the blood-connection between them, and Buddy's reluctantly taken in to meet the rest of the family; new stepmom, Emily (Mary Steenbergen), and new half brother, Michael (Daniel Tay).

Buddy also meets and falls for a Gimbles elf named Jovey (Zooey Deschenel) who isn't quite in the Christmas spirit to begin with, but as the film unfolds, her cold side slowly melts away. There are other characters he meets along the way, and he often injects a little bit of joy into each of their lives by being so fun and cheerful all the time. For others, as one may predict, things don't go so well, and that includes getting into a fight with a character played by Peter Dinklage after mistaking him for a Christmas Elf.

The film is largely about finding one's place in life, and where one belongs and fits in. If that sounds a bit like 'Rudolph,' that's probably because a lot of this movie was inspired by it. One of the best features in the movie is the design of the North Pole, completely looking like something from Rankin & Bass (the guys who made all those stop-motion holiday classics like 'Rudolph,' 'Santa Claus is Coming to Down,' and 'The Little Drummer Boy'). It's a place that allows you to not blame Buddy for being so over-the-top and hyper. I mean, it looks like it would be a LOT of fun to explore.

On a personal level, I don't tend to lead towards Will Farrell all too much, and that is largely because he tends to be typecast (although probably not anymore) as that man-child I mentioned earlier. But for 'Elf,' it feels like a role he was born to play. Not only does he embrace it, but he cranks it to eleven, really showing his audience his inner child. And I think that's what the movie wants us as viewers to do, as well - embrace and own that inner child of ours, so cool stuff like Christmas magic doesn't have to fade away.

4/5

---