Courtesy of New Line Cinema
Elf is the funniest Christmas film. It stars Will Ferrell as Buddy The Elf. Buddy is a human who grew up at the North Pole in Santa's workshop with elves. Buddy grew up to be bigger than all of the elves because he is a human. This led to Buddy having an uncomfortable life in an elf's world. He couldn't make toys like an elf could but he does have the Christmas spirit any elf has. Buddy finds out who his real dad is and wants to meet him. Santa tells Buddy his dad is on the naughty list. Buddy is shocked from this news but wants to meet his dad anyway. Buddy meets his dad in New York City and at first Walter (James Caan) doesn't believe that Buddy is his son. Buddy mentions Walter's long-lost girlfriend and suddenly is invited home to meet Walter's wife Emily (Mary Steenburgen) and son Michael (Daniel Tay).
Buddy starts to work at the Gimbels department story and meets love interest Jovie (Zooey Deschanel). One of the best scenes in the film happens between Buddy and Jovie. Jovie is in the shower at the store singing "Baby, It's Cold Outside." Buddy hears this and decides to join Jovie for a little duet. The song goes on for about a minute long but Jovie realizes someone is in the bathroom with her. She looks and sees Buddy and tells Buddy to leave. Buddy is more startled than Jovie. He closes his eyes and runs into the bathroom door. Just watch that scene alone, it is truly hysterical.
Elf is a standard Christmas film with a standard plot but the reason why it is so good is because of Will Ferrell. Ferrell as Buddy The Elf is movie magic and makes the movie hilarious. Ferrell in the elf outfit already has you laughing but the moment he speaks you're cracking up. My favorite scene in the film is when Buddy is working in the Gimbels department store. The manager tells the workers and the customers Santa is coming to the store. As soon as Buddy hears that, he lets out a loud scream saying "Santaaaaaaa." Ferrell made Buddy sound like a 6 year old and it is truly hysterical.
Another great scene is when Buddy goes to work with his father Walter. Walter assigns Buddy to help out in the mail room. Buddy meets another worker and talks about life with him. The worker introduces Buddy to alcohol and Buddy gets drunk. Buddy starts to dance on a table and I must say his dance moves are quite good.
Elf is the funniest Christmas movie but it dives onto deep emotions as well. It's not explicitly stated, but there is a scene where Buddy is thinking of committing suicide because of his father's disapproval of him. That scene is a direct reference to It's A Wonderful Life when George is thinking of jumping off a bridge. You feel for Buddy in this scene because everyone wants to be good enough for their parents and not thought of as a disappointment.
The film ends as any Christmas film would. It's a happy ending for Buddy and his family. I won't spoil the film because in case anyone hasn't seen it and is reading this review, just watch the movie. I promise you will laugh your ass off and enjoy it. It is a good family film and your kids will enjoy it as well.
Grade: A
What is your favorite scene in Elf? Leave it in the comments below.
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