|
|
| One Christmas Eve, a long time ago, a small baby at an orphanage crawled into Santa’s bag of toys, only to go undetected and accidentally carried back to Santa’s workshop in the North Pole |
(2003) Film Review by Greg Wright |
| This page was created on October 20, 2003
This page was last updated on
November 5, 2003
—Review
—Feature Article
—Trailers, Photos
—About this Film
—About this Cast
—About the Crew
—Spiritual Connections
—Forum
Dial up modems will take a few moments |
| CREDITS |
| Directed by Jon Favreau
Screenplay by David Berenbaum
 Cast (in credits order)
Will Ferrell .... Buddy
James Caan .... Buddy's Biological Father
rest of cast listed alphabetically
Edward Asner .... Santa Claus
Patrick Baynham .... Elf #2
Annie Brebner .... Elf Student #1
Zooey Deschanel .... Jovie
Faizon Love .... Elf Manager
Bob Newhart .... Papa Elf
Luke Pohl .... Elf Student #2
Michael Roberds .... Disgruntled Cobbler Elf
Richard Side .... Elf Teacher
Mary Steenburgen
Daniel Tay .... Michael
Produced by
Jon Berg .... producer
David B. Householter .... co-producer
Todd Komarnicki .... producer
Jimmy Miller .... executive producer
Shauna Weinberg .... producer
Julie Wixon .... executive producer
Original Music by John Debney
Cinematography by Greg Gardiner
Film Editing by Dan Lebental
MPAA: Rated PG for some mild rude humor and language.
For rating reasons, go to FILMRATINGS.COM, and MPAA.ORG.
Parents, please refer to PARENTALGUIDE.ORG |
| TRAILERS AND CLIPS |
| —Trailers |
| POSTER |
|
Elf
27 in. x 39 in.
Buy this Original Poster plain, or
Framed Mounted
|
| AVAILABILITY ON VIDEO AND DVD |
CHECK AVAILABILITY AND PRICING OF THIS MOVIE ON VIDEO OR DVD.
Just type in movie title and click go.
Also, check out 100 Hot Videos
and the 100 Hot DVDs
|
|
| SYNOPSIS |
 This holiday season, discover your inner elf!
One Christmas Eve, a long time ago, a small baby at an orphanage crawled into Santa’s bag of toys, only to go undetected and accidentally carried back to Santa’s workshop in the North Pole. Though he was quickly taken under the wing of a surrogate father and raised to be an elf, as he grows to be three sizes larger than everyone else, it becomes clear that Buddy (Will Ferrell) will never truly fit into the elf world.
What he needs is to find his real family. This holiday season, Buddy decides to find his true place in the world and sets off for New York City to track down his roots.
Although Buddy experiences a world he never knew existed, he quickly learns that life in the big city is not all ice skating and sugarplums, and he finds himself as much an outsider there as back in the North Pole. Buddy seeks out his real father, Walter (James Caan), a workaholic publisher of children’s books with a place on Santa’s “naughty” list. Walter doesn’t believe Buddy is who or what he
says he is; in fact, the only thing Walter believes in with any certainty is the bottom line. Buddy also discovers a new mom (Mary Steenburgen), and learns he has a ten-year-old half-brother (Daniel Tay) who doesn’t believe in Christmas or elves or Santa. In fact, everyone seems to have forgotten the true meaning of Christmas.
With the holiday season fast approaching, Buddy takes it upon himself and his earnest elf ways to win over his family, realize his destiny and, ultimately, save Christmas for New York and the world.
|
 Review by
GREG WRIGHT
hjpastorgreg@hotmail.com
Pastor and Tolkien Scholar.
Greg Wright has written a book on the mythology of J.R.R. Tolkien and has degrees in Theology, English Literature and Computer Science. |
A few weeks ago, Ethics Daily culture editor Cliff Vaughan and I were sitting in a movie theatre debating radical goodness. I have long believed that love professed but undemonstrated is meaningless. But to what extent must one go to demonstrate genuine love toward a fellow human? Personally, my wife and I have tweaked our own lifestyles to be less concerned about ourselves and more focused on others; but I am yet unsettled in my mind about taking any
truly radical steps toward change.
Cliff agreed that the example of Jesus, at the very least, was radical; and notable examples of selflessness in the modern age -- Schweitzer, Gandhi or Mother Teresa, for example -- are fairly extreme as well. When goodness is radical, there's no mistaking it. |
 |
| Perhaps ironically, the screening which Cliff and I were attending was the holiday feature, Elf. At its most elemental level, the story is a retelling of Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer. For high-concept pitch purposes, it might also be described as a Christmas fish-out-of-water story: what would a human child raised as one of Santa's elves do when first exposed to human culture, courtesy of New York City? |
 |
| If you're a holiday film buff, there's plenty to like about Elf. First, there's engaging performances by Will Farrell as Buddy the Elf, and Zooey Deschanel, who brings cabaret experience to bear on her character, Jovie. There's also the happy casting of Edward Asner as Santa Claus and Bob Newhart as Papa Elf. And last, but not least, the movie also pays visual tribute to a host of holiday classics. |
 |
| Elf invokes Miracle on 34th Street, Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, and It's a Wonderful Life, among many others. So this clean, amusing, good-natured light comedy is not just the latest entry in the holiday film sweepstakes, it's the continuation of a long and honorable tradition of films about "saving Christmas" -- and, indirectly, about the saving power of Christmas. |
 |
Because the thing that makes Buddy the adult "elf" stand out in New York City is his radical goodness. He is variously described by the movie's characters, actors and makers as, "pure as the driven snow," "child-like," "innocent," "naive," and "magical." In many ways, said star Will Farrell in pre-release interviews, Buddy demonstrates that ignorance (of the ways of the world) can truly be bliss.
Mary Steenburgen, who plays Buddy's step-mother, puts it another way: Buddy shows us that we "are all capable of being magical." So why aren't we magical? In Manhattan a few weeks ago, Steenburgen offered an answer: natural human cynicism and the everyday cares of life drag us down.
Or, as Jesus put it in one of his parables, the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke out the magic in us like thorns and weeds in a garden.
|
 |
| So what does it take? If we are all capable of being magical, where do we start? Radical, elf-like goodness may be a distant goal; but maybe we can start -- as Buddy's young half-brother Michael tells their naughty-listed father -- by really singing, and not just moving our lips. If we stop going through the motions and do the right thing when we see it, that may be radical enough for today. |
 |
| Merry Christmas! |
|
| Continue: |
|
| COMMENT ON THIS FILM |
| BULLETIN BOARD (Rules)
Post your thoughts in the forum
View or post comments -click here.
Your Private Comments.
I will not post these comments. What are your personal thoughts? I also welcome your spiritual concerns and prayer needs. I will correspond with you, usually within two weeks. Click here |
OFFICIAL SITE
Publicity information and images © 2003 New Line Cinema. All Rights Reserved.
No other uses are permitted without the prior written consent of owner. Use of the material in violation of the foregoing may result in civil and/or criminal penalties. Credits and dates are subject to change. For more information, please visit their official site.
Hollywood Jesus News Letter
Receive the Hollywood Jesus Newsletter FREE.
Sign up here
|
| | |
|
|
