It was upon learning of the enjoyment Lynn found in the movie Elf (2003) that I decided to take a closer look into the film of a full grown man who mistakenly grew up in the North Pole. Being let loose in New York City as a physical adult during the holidays, we mean the main protagonist that shall be the focal point of the film carrying his name.
Buddy is the name of the elf portrayed by Will Ferrell that drives much of the story that we receive in the movie Elf. We first learn much of the confused backstory of Buddy through the vantage point of buddy’s human family of Walter as portrayed by James Caan, Emily as portrayed by Mary Steenburgen and Michael as portrayed by Daniel Tay. The formative period of Buddy’s life offering him the belief that he is in fact an elf launches the comedy informed by the consumer view of Christmas that Elf offers us throughout the film.
As we are introduced to Buddy’s enjoyment of an odd concept of cuisine and manners, Buddy joins Walter at the department store where Buddy’s human father, Walter, works. The comedy here introduces us to the awkwardness of a father aiming to take his grown son with childlike tendencies to work. Buddy eventually is introduced to the department store’s presentation of Santa Claus with elves, including Jovie. Jovie, as portrayed by Zooey Deschanel, works an elf in the department store. Buddy and Jovie experience an awkward beginning yet begin to interact seriously as the story progresses.
As Buddy is pursuing the intricacies of dating, Walter experiences work pressure from his leadership team to deliver a profitable book for the department store. Morris and Eugene, as portrayed by Andy Richter and Kyle Gass, respectively, are struggling creatively to create a winning concept. The team brings in Miles Finch, as portrayed by Peter Dinklage, to possibly write a book for the department store. This storyline offers humor some will enjoy while others will not of the awkward variety that functions deliberately and clearly.
The narrative of the movie Elf rounds together nicely by introducing Bob Newhart as Papa Elf and Ed Asner as Santa, both who offer a decidedly refreshing take on the tired adult feeling of tolerance that many parents and grandparents will readily understand and appreciate.
In bringing the story to an emotionally uplifting result, Elf delivers the proper recipe for a comedy that doubles as a Christmas movie with largely successful results. For delivering this, my rating of the film Elf is 3.75-stars on a scale of 1-to-5 stars.
Matt – Wednesday, November 25, 2020
Matt Lynn Digital 