Now the debate on Christmas films is one just about as old as time itself.
Many people have their own opinions on what movie perfectly captures the essence of one of the most popular holidays. Whether it’s a classic film or something a little newer, concepts of family, love, kindness, and appreciation for those around you and your loved ones, whoever they may be, are the main, non-religious purposes of Christmas. While I eat, live, breathe, and sleep Christmas, I have a deep appreciation for any film taking a shot at capturing Christmas spirit. That said, I firmly believe that the 2003 Will Ferrell classic, “Elf”, is the greatest Christmas movie of all time.
“Elf” tells the story of Buddy the Elf, an infant in an orphanage who finds his way into Santa’s sack on Christmas Eve. Accidentally being brought to the North Pole, the human child Buddy is raised by elves and taught to make toys. He grows up abnormal, freakishly large, and hilariously unskilled at toy making, until the day he learns of his true identity and is sent to New York City to find his father and reunite with his family. It’s a heartwarming, side splittingly funny tale of family, identity, and of course, Christmas spirit.
Starring Will Ferrell as Buddy, the over-sized half-elf, half-man-child, Zooey Deschanel as Jovie, the beautiful store clerk with a hard shell and a heart of gold, James Caan as Walter, Buddy’s estranged father severely lacking in Christmas spirit, and a cast of colorful, diverse, and well spirited actors that make this movie a wonder. There isn’t one single character throughout the film who is purely a stock character. They all have wildly specific characteristics and backstories that contribute to character development that is extremely apparent, natural, and heart-warming to an indescribable degree. The story is original and very different from your average Christmas elf story, breathing new life into what was at that time, very classic-heavy genre (“Holiday Inn”, “It’s a Wonderful Life”, “Miracle on 34th Street”, just to name a few). 2003 was a big year for Christmas films, as the genre experienced a massive expansion of depth that year with films such as “Love, Actually” and “Bad Santa” releasing the same year.
My love for this movie is unending, and I firmly believe it to be, without a doubt, the single greatest Christmas movie of all time. I will leave you with this, the code of the elves.
- 1)Treat every day like Christmas.
- 2)There’s room for everyone on the Nice List!3)
