It is always debatable what the best Christmas movie of all time is. Everybody has their preferences of what speaks to them, and nobody is wrong for choosing a film that had a personal impact on them. For me, nothing rings in the Christmas spirit like the 2003 smash hit “Elf.” Elf, to me, perfectly embodies the spirit of the holiday season by bringing on the sentimentally and cheesiness, and of course, a whole lot of laughs that no matter how many times I watch this film on repeat, it still manages to feel fresh and always manages to make me burst out laughing and remind me of my immature side of being a kid at Christmas time. Grab your maple syrup and find out why this movie is considered one of the great Christmas movies and why I love it so much even years later.
In an orphanage, a baby escapes his crib when he sees Santa and his magic bag of toys. He stows away in Santa’s bag and is quickly discovered when Santa (Ed Asner) returns to the North Pole. One of the elves named Papa Elf (Bob Newhart) raises the baby as his own and calls him a Buddy. Buddy (Will Ferrell) grows up to be a full-grown man with the knowledge of being one of Santa’s biggest helpers. Unfortunately, Buddy soon realizes he’s not like the other elves and decides to go on a quest to find his father in New York City. When Buddy makes it to New York City, he finds his cynical, job-focused father, Walter Hobbs (James Caan), who is not pleased that Buddy is his son and is taken aback by his jolly North Pole ways. Can Buddy survive in a seemingly harsh environment with his upbeat and Christmas spirit attitude?
The Story is noticeably corny and cliched, which may be a turn-off for some people who don’t like that sort of stuff. In all fairness, I’ve seen the setup of “the overworked father learns to appreciate his family more through magical shenanigans” in many other movies, especially Christmas-related ones. However, to me, even though the story uses familiar tropes usually found in many other Christmas films, the fresh direction from director Jon Favreau and the willingness to explore many ideas for humor or holiday cheer make the story feel fun, fresh, and positively intoxicating to the point that it's challenging not to fall for the antics of Buddy the Elf and those he involves his adventures with. There are so many moments that make me burst out laughing, most of them coming from Buddy himself. The film knows it's corny and cheesy, and it relishes any moment it can out of it. The great thing is that the film knows when it needs to be over the top and funny and when to hold back and have a softer moment to calm things down. The movie has excellent pacing, and there is never a dull moment that I could see for miles. Christmas movies and specials have an amount of ridiculousness to them, but that is what made us fall in love with them, and the story of Elf clearly understands that uses its holiday spirit to its maximum capability.
The Characters are very well cast, and each of them does everything in their power to make their performances add something interesting to the table. Of course, the main star is Buddy the Elf, played expertly by then-newcomer from SNL, Will Ferrell. Initially, Buddy's character was supposed to be for Jim Carrey until he passed on the project. Ferrell’s performance, though, is so high energy and infectious that he delivers the film's biggest laughs and most quotable lines from the movie. According to the filmmakers, one of the biggest influences on Buddy’s character was Tom Hanks, who played Josh Baskin from “Big.” The inspiration really does show that Buddy is basically a grown man with the mind of a child, and his immatureness and curious nature always manages to make me feel like an out-of-control but also innocent kid again. Aside from Buddy, Ed Asner plays Santa Claus, who does a great job filling the role of the big red man himself. Zooey Deschanel plays Jovie, who starts out very stern but eventually falls in love with Buddy and has a few charming moments of her own. Finally, James Caan plays Walter Hobbs, Buddy’s biological father, and even when he’s cynical, he can still pull off a decent laugh, especially when Buddy is involved. Other highlighted characters include a young Daniel Tay playing Walter’s other son Micheal, Bob Newhart playing Papa Elf, and a surprise appearance from Peter Dinklage. Each of the characters brings out an outstanding performance and works well with each other to deliver memorable characters to love and cheer for.
The Cinematography takes a fascinating approach; it combines old and new technology to create something familiar that can stand the test of time years later. When we start at the North Pole, the look and feel are heavily inspired by Rankin Bass shorts, specifically “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” the influence can undoubtedly be seen from the Elf's clothing to the set design and even the addition of stop motion animated characters walking about from time to time which helps influence the cartoony nature of the world Elf takes place in. Another impressive feature is the use of forced perspective to make Buddy seem huge, and every other elf seem small. They only use CGI effects when necessary, which I always appreciate. I'm not against CGI, as the technology has come a long way since its early days, but using practical effects honestly is much more impressive, and this film clearly is brilliant for not going full-on with computer graphics to create the North Pole. Even when we start to enter New York, the visual splendor dosn’t stop there. Whether in the Rockefeller Center or the inside of a mall store that Buddy decorates, the visuals are still delightful. This film knew how much Christmas to cram in; the visuals help reflect that.
The Music in this movie feels warm and fuzzy, and some of the songs they chose to put in this movie fit the style of the music score. Some songs added to the soundtrack aren't Christmas-related, but they still work since most are soft and relaxing. The rest of the compositional score was done by composer John Denby, who brings a delightful melody to capture the feeling of Buddy’s magical journey and the sense of being an Elf in a mysterious new place. Like everything else in this film, the score brings that sentiment that will enchant the young and the young at heart.
Some of what I am saying is pure nostalgia, but “Elf” is a near-perfect Christmas movie that always manages to put me in the holiday spirit no matter my mood. Its high-energy story, lovable characters, impressive visuals and cinematography, and subtly sweet music score make this an undying classic with everything a Christmas geek like myself could ever want out of a Christmas-themed movie. Sure, the rest of you can love your “Home Alone,” “A Christmas Story,” and even Die Hard Christmas films, and I can understand why cause I love them too. To me, though, Elf will always and forever be my favorite out of all the well-known Christmas classics, and I will keep watching this film every holiday season every year for the rest of my life.
(Final Grade: A)