Quick Synopsis: Buddy is accidentally brought to the North Pole as a baby and is raised there. Since he doesn’t fit in as an adult, Santa sends him to New York City (dressed as an elf!) to find his dad, Walter Hobbs. He turns out to be a selfish businessman who does not believe that Buddy is his son. When a DNA test proves that they are in fact related, Walter attempts to start a relationship with Buddy. Walter + Buddy = CHAOS!
Rating: 4/5
Favorite Quote: “There’s no singing in the North Pole!” - Gimbel’s Manager
A few weeks ago, my sister, Olivia, and I went Christmas shopping in our town. It was our first day out in months! We wandered into one of our favorite clothing stores, and at the entrance was a raffle for 4 tickets to see “Elf” at our local movie theater. We had never seen “Elf,” because we thought it was stupid, but we decided to enter for fun because we never win anything. A few days later while I was at school, I got a text from Olivia announcing that we had WON THE RAFFLE?! We were somewhat disappointed that the only thing we ever won were tickets to see some lame, overrated Christmas movie, but decided to take our parents to it anyway, to celebrate this big win.
Let me start this review off by apologizing. I was so incredibly wrong about this movie! It was hilarious - there was not a moment that we weren’t cracking up in our seats. Plus, we went in with such low expectations which somehow made it even better.
I’ve never seen a comedy where every single funny element is centered around Christmas. Having the holiday topic made the movie so much more charming than it might have been if it had been more generic. When you think about it, if you strip away all of the holiday themes then you’re left with some pretty predictable plotlines. But, since it has to do with Christmas, it’s all things you’ve never seen before. For example, practically every comedy has a funny physical fight, but I don’t think it’s everyday that we see a man who thinks he’s an elf take on a department store Santa!
There were so many scenes that stuck with me, but here are a few of my favorites:
Buddy Meets His Dad
When Buddy meets his dad Walter for the first time, the situation can be classified as more than just a misunderstanding. Walter’s secretary lets Buddy into the office in the first place because she thinks he’s a “Christmas Gram,” sent there by a friend to sing him a song or deliver a festive message. If anything, Walter is not someone who gets in the Christmas spirit. He just wants this Christmas Gram to be over, but little does he know that it’s not a Christmas Gram! After Buddy sings him a song, he repeatedly confesses that he is Walter’s son! Of course, Walter thinks he’s crazy and has him escorted out by bodyguards.
The Snowball Fight
When Buddy meets Michael, his half brother, he instantly wants to hang out with him all the time. Buddy waits for him across the street from his school for many hours until dismissal, but accidentally embarrasses Michael in front of all his friends. As the two of them walk home together, some menaces attack them with snowballs! Buddy insists that they get back at them, and creates at least 20 snowballs in a matter of seconds. He begins pelting them at the bullies in fast-motion. Because it goes so fast, the scene is hilarious and unlike any other.
The Central Park Rangers
At the end of the movie, Santa’s sleigh crashes in Central Park, but there is a huge crowd nearby so Buddy, Walter, and his son need to protect Santa from becoming exposed to the whole world! The crowd thinks that they see something, so the *Central Park Rangers* go into the park to find the sleigh. As a distraction, Walter puts on Santa’s suit and pretends to be him. This is an epic fail, as the Central Park Rangers race right past him without a second look. Luckily, Santa gets his sleigh off the ground just in time. This scene is the biggest climax of the whole movie, which is a bit stressful, but keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time.
You’ve probably already seen it, but if you haven’t, I completely recommend adding “Elf” to your list of Christmas classics!