Elf

Hello, and Merry Christmas to one and all. After running a poll on Twitter, the people have decided that I should review the 2003 movie Elf as my Christmas Day review! I remember 2 years ago that I reviewed Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas, and I mentioned that I loved this movie so much and would always watch it during the holidays. If you want to find out more about my thoughts on the animated version, then go and check out my review of it. Anyway, clearly I'm not the only one who only thinks good things for this movie because everybody on Twitter was outraged when Sky revealed they wouldn't be airing this on demand or on any other British channels. Thanks 2016 for further ruining everybody's lives during the most wonderful time of the year! Good thing I have the DVD and thank god for the internet...So, will this movie be able to avoid sitting on a throne of lies with all the praise it's been given, or am I a cotton-headed ninny muggins for reviewing this? Let's take a look!

Story: Given that this has been considered a modern holiday classic, it really is hard not to see why. Surprisingly original, it follows Buddy, a human raised as an elf who finds out his birth father is on the Naughty List. With that, he decides to head to New York despite everybody's understandable confusion. While it takes the concept of a stranger in a new world, it does it in a way that's. This leads to the best part of the movie: the humour. Thanks to the balance of the deadpan and over the top throughout, it leads to many laughs and the execution is what really helps. By blending two different styles, Jon Favreau really knows when to show cartoonier situations and everyone's reactions to them are hilarious. From over the top snowball fights, to Buddy slathering maple syrup on spaghetti and loudly singing in Gimbels, the is what saves it from being annoying. He also knows how to make the story original while respecting other Christmas specials and movies, parodying them in an endearing way up to the point he got freaking Ray Harryhausen for a cameo. Next to that, the heart is also what saves it from being obnoxious or annoying, as the message of Christmas bringing family together despite their differences really shining through. This all shown through the relationship between Buddy and Walter, as while the former's quest to get his father off the naughty list may make the latter look like a cold hearted demon, he's not really a 'bad guy'. Jon Favreau makes them real people and that's why this movie works. I'll dive more into this in the characters, but instead of making them cardboard cutouts of generic tropes, they really help with diving into the strong emotions which make me feel all warm and Christmas-y while watching this. On top of that, the subplot of people not believing in Santa due to the rise in modern technology and times changing is also a very real one, and it feels pretty sad that this is happening now with the rise of smartphones, social media and what-have-you. The way this is addressed is also well done as it can lead to it being very relateable and quite saddening to see how much the lack of Christmas spirit affects Santa. If I had one criticism, it would be the third act. The whole sad part and all hope is lost stuff just felt weak compared to the beginning and middle because it dives into cliches you'd expect in a plot like this while the rest of the movie was subverting them. But still, the resolution is actually really well done and it helps capture how much Buddy has affected the people of New York, even if it's the smallest act of kindness. The writing and execution save from could've been a dull, generic and obnoxious movie into one that's funny, sweet and most importantly, charming.

Visuals: Blending fantasy and reality together, director Jon Favreau was definitely the right person to create the world of Elf. Clearly going for an over the top and cartoony look in the North Pole, I love how it manages to respect the Christmas specials from times past, in particular the ones from Rankin/Bass, as shown with the stop motion style animation and matte looking backgrounds. It helps that it looks very colourful and that it knows to limit itself by creating attention to detail on the architecture so that it's not too caricatured. The costumes also look great as they thankfully don't look too cheap or gaudy while still having an over the top style. This also helps enhance the contrast between human Buddy and the tiny happy go lucky elves, almost going for a whimsical storybook look in the way the factory works. Also, the addition of modern technology of Santa's sleigh helps with showing how times have evolved without deviating too much from the folktale of Santa. Another thing I want to add is that the movie utilizes practical effects for the North Pole, mostly through optical illusions as shown in the picture below of Buddy sitting on Papa Elf's lap. The contrast between this and the beautifully Christmas-y yet realistic and modern New York really helps bring harmony to the two completely different styles. Both realistic and over the top, the visuals look fantastic for what they are and really bring the movie's world to life.

Characters: Besides the original and funny story, the characters are another reason why this movie holds a place in my heart. With Buddy, there's a reason why Will Ferrell's performance became a highlight of his career. With his child-like innocence and charismatic presence, he makes what could have been an annoying or obnoxious character into a hilarious yet endearing one. Just seeing his obliviousness to modern day New York and never-ending optimism makes him a joy to watch, and everyone else's reactions do perfectly sum up the contrast. His father, Walter (James Caan), while stern and overworked, he's not portrayed as a full on bad guy. He just clearly doesn't know what to do with a strange man who claims to be his son and thinks he's an elf. If anything, his reactions sum up what a normal person's would be. His wife, Emily, while a bit strange that she's immediately accepting of her husband's illegitimate son from a previous relationship, still tries her best with the strange situation and can have a few good laughs. Michael, Buddy's half brother, is mostly your normal kid as he (understandably) wants to avoid his crazy brother until. But when the time comes to help him, it shows he has a good heart. As for Jovie...she's probably the weakest character to me. Although her snarky and deadpan nature can lead to some good laughs thanks to the contrasting personalities between her and Buddy, I didn't really find her interesting. We don't know much about the origins of her cynicism for Christmas and her liking of Buddy feels like it comes out of nowhere. I don't necessarily blame Zooey Deschanel cos I really enjoy her & I do give the movie credit that they try to give her an arc about overcoming her shyness, and it is nice that it's used to it's advantage by the climax. So, she's not bad, just more on the weaker side in writing. The other characters are all equally as enjoyable. Ed Asner's Santa brings a funnily snarky yet kind hearted approach to the big guy as a grandparent figure towards Buddy. Papa Elf (Bob Newhart) is also charming as he tries his best to keep the fantasy for his adopted son alive while being aware that he has to know the truth. Even the elves themselves feel human (no pun intended) as they're not just happy go lucky all the time and that they have their own problems through trying to keep the fantasy alive for Buddy. Even a few one off North Pole characters are funny and memorable, including Leon the Snowman (clearly a homage to Burl Ives from Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer) and a cameo of Peter Billingsley (AKA Ralphie from A Christmas Story). Others from the real world like Miles Finch (Peter Dinklage, yes Tyrion Lannister himself) and the Gimbel's manager (Faizon Love) can have their funny moments thanks to their cynicism and funny reactions while not clearly being downright villains. Each character, main and side, are well written, charming, amazingly acted and most importantly, human.

Elf is both a great Christmas movie and one of my personal favourites to watch during the holidays. With a hilarious yet heartwarming story, very well done visuals and a cast of loveable yet characters played by amazing actors, this is a must watch for the holidays, especially if you want something to laugh at. You know what...I think I'm gonna go and watch it right now because after such a crappy year 2016 has been for everybody with all the shit that has gone down, I'm in need of something from a happier time that actually gives hope for people. I don't think I need to say anything else other than go and watch this now and I'm wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and let's try and pick up the pieces of this year and make 2017 a year to look forward to.
Story: 😄
Visuals: 😄
Characters: 😄
Overall: 😄