Elf was made in 2003? Man that makes me feel old!
The Christmas classic starring Will Ferrell and Zooey Deschanel was viewed by my family and I yesterday and once again I was reminded how much I love this movie. For those who haven’t seen it, how haven’t you?
Buddy (Will Ferrell) sneaked in to Santa’s bag of toys and wound up at the North Pole. He’s raised as an elf and doesn’t discover he’s an elf until he’s well into his thirties! Then he learns that his real father works at the Empire State building in New York City and so begins Buddy’s journey.
Will Ferrell was the perfect actor to play this character. Between Ferrell’s expertise in comedy and his hilarious facial expressions, I’m not sure anyone else could have played the role aside from maybe Jim Carrey. While he’s incredibly annoying, it never gets irritating, partially because it’s just too funny to get mad at. A great portrayal of Buddy’s father by James Caan as well as the rest of the supporting cast really helps give the script and Ferrell the solidarity it needed.
You feel for Buddy, or at least I did. He’s a child stuck in the body of an adult, who still has that childlike innocence and naivety in his character. The movie is sentimental in its message: remembering what it was like to be a kid, to believe in things with absolute faith and not a single doubt in the world. You didn’t know all there was to life, just as Buddy doesn’t. You can see that when he puts syrup into spaghetti, eats gum off the subway railings, and runs ’round and round the turnstile doors. Despite how dumb it is, you can’t help but smile because it reminds you of the stupid things you used to do, presenting you with a sense of nostalgia.
Couple that with the Christmas spirit and some dumb humor and you’ve got a Christmas hit.
Once again, if you’re new to my blog, I’ve always ranked movies on a scale of 0-100 (I don’t know why, I just always have). Here’s the grading scale.
90-100 It’s a great movie and definitely one worth buying. (Iron Man 3, World War Z, 42, Just Go With It, Real Steel)
80-89 It was a pretty good movie and definitely one worth seeing, but it doesn’t quite scratch my top ten percentile. (The Truman Show, The Hunger Games, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Gangster Squad, The Amazing Spider-Man)
70-79 It’s okay but I’ve seen better. It has its moments, but it has its flaws, too. (The Usual Suspects, 21 Jump Street, Escape Plan, Captain America: The First Avenger, Dawn of the Dead)
60-69 It’s got plenty wrong with it but I still got enjoyment out of this one. (Pacific Rim, The Long Kiss Goodnight, Disaster Movie)
50-59 This movie isn’t intolerable but it’s not blowing my mind either. I’m trying really hard to get some sort of enjoyment out of this. (Along Came Polly, Aliens, Alien Resurrection, Full Metal Jacket, Thor)
40-49 This movie is just mediocre. It’s not doing anything other than the bare minimal, so morbidly boring that sometimes I’m actually angry I watched this. (Patriot Games, The Great Gatsby, Pitch Black, Alien)
30-39 Definitely worse than mediocre, the 30’s ironically define the 1930’s, full of depression, lack of accomplishments, poverty and just so dumb. (The Contract, Pride and Prejudice)
20-29 What did I just watch? Cliches, stupidity, nothingness, did I mention stupidity? Just…wow. (The Sum of All Fears, Thor: The Dark World)
0-19 Watching this movie resulted in one or more of the following: seizure, loss of brain cells, falling asleep/unconsciousness, feel you wasted your time/day, accomplished nothing for you, left the movie knowing less about it then you did going into it, constantly asking yourself why you came to see this movie, or near-death experience. In short, staring at a wall was just as entertaining as watching this movie. This movie deserved a sticker or a label that said, “WARNING: EXTREME AMOUNT OF SUCKAGE.” (Midnight Cowboy, Dark Fury, Alien 3)
My score for Elf: 88.
Filmmakers try to make a new holiday classic for the ages every year, and very few succeed in doing so. This one does just that. The only reason it doesn’t get a 90 is I find myself asking for more from the 97 minute running time.
*SPOILER ALERT* IF YOU DON’T WANT THE MOVIE SPOILED, STOP READING!!!
*SPOILER’S EDITION*
Just kidding guys. Nothing to spoil here. Stay tuned for my review of The Hobbit sequel.
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