#bob newhart

I have a job that is very stressful at Christmas time, so for the last couple of weeks I’ve made it a point to review a lot of Christmas movies to help keep me in the Christmas spirit.  There are some great Christmas movies and a whole lot of really terrible ones.  One of the best Christmas movies ever and one that consistently delivers laughs year after year is Elf.

If you haven’t seen elf, I don’t know what to tell you.  What the heck are you doing reading a movie blog since you clearly don’t like movies and hate Christmas?  Maybe that was a little too intense.  You should watch it, it’s awesome.

elf is the story of Buddy the elf (Will Ferrell), who is actually a human that was raised at the North Pole by his adopted father Papa Elf (Bob Newhart).  When he learns that he was adopted (Buddy isn’t the brightest light on the Christmas tree), he takes off to New York City to meet his long lost biological father.

Buddy meets his father, Walter Hobbs (James Caan), it’s not the warm greeting he hoped for.  But eventually Buddy joins the Hobbs family and starts to spread his infectious joy to his step mother Emily (Mary Steenburgen) and half brother Michael (Daniel Tay).  He also meets the beautiful department store “elf” Jovie (Zooey Deschanel) and becomes smitten with her.

Walter’s continual dismissal of Buddy’s attempts to connect with him take their toll and Buddy gives up hope and decides to return to the North Pole.  But as he leaves to return home on Christmas Eve, he runs into Santa and his broken down sleigh.  Buddy, with some help from Michael and Jovie, has to help Santa get back in the air and save Christmas for everyone.

There’s a lot to love about elf, but the whole movie lives and dies with its star Will Ferrell.  Ferrell has had a career full of playing interesting characters with a lot of success, and more than a couple bombs.  One of his greatest abilities as a comedian is his willingness to commit to a character no matter how absurd it may be.  What makes Buddy such a great character is the sincerity and genuine naivete with which he approaches the world, and it’s Ferrell’s commitment to the character that made an ordinary Christmas movie into a classic.

While Will Ferrell definitely carries the movies, the supporting cast is surprisingly great including James Caan is not known for playing characters in warm and fuzzy Christmas movies, but that’s what really makes him fit the character.  Zooey Deschanel is great as Jovie and a different character than the “adorkable” typecasting she’s had the past few years.  There are a ton of other talented comedic actors in this film including the legend Bob Newhart, Faizon Love, Amy Sedaris, and a hilarious but brief appearance from Peter Dinklage.

elf has been a huge hit since its release and it’s largely due to the fact that it really stands up when you watch it year after year.  The jokes are funny, even when you have heard them, and the sweetness and sincerity of Buddy the elf helps remind us all what Christmas spirit really is.

-Phil

Hell is for Heroes (Don Siegel) (1962)