If you haven’t seen the movie "Elf" then I would say you are missing out on some major pop-culture holiday references. The film, which came out November 7, 2003, stars Will Ferrell, James Caan, Zooey Deschanel, Peter Dinklage, and Ed Asner to name a few. How could we forget the time Buddy got drunk in the mail room? Or the time he stuffed 11 cookies into a VCR? And the scene where he sings in the bathroom with Jovie is classic!
Did you know Jim Carrey was originally going to play the role of Buddy? While I’m sure he would have done a great job, there’s something Will Ferrell has, the overwhelming sense of naïveté probably, that makes his character so lovable.
If you were ever watching the movie and thinking to yourself that it looked a bit like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, you should be happy to know the stylistic use of stop-motion in parts of Elf was inspired by the classic Christmas film.
The doctor in the scene where Buddy gets a blood test to prove his relation to Walter is actually the director of the movie, Jon Favreau.
In that same scene, when Ferrell yells after getting pricked on the finger, Caan actually turns away due to a small break in character in reaction to Ferrell's hilarious overreaction.
The Jack-in-the-Box scene is a blend of acting and real reactions from Ferrell. The pop-up toys were being remote controlled by the director at irregular intervals so Ferrell’s discomfort was genuine.
Okay last fun fact! There was talk of making a sequel, Elf 2, but Ferrell refused. While I personally LOVE the movie, I agree that a sequel wouldn’t be a great idea. I feel that the original is just too good; it can’t really be recreated or extended any further. While there have been some fantastic sequels to beloved films, generally sequels just aren’t as good and often leave people wondering why anyone thought a second or third (or a few more, *cough cough* Shrek) was a splendid idea.
If you want to take your love for Elf a step further, I’ll kindly supply a link to a website that has the entire movie script. You can find it here.
Fun facts were found here. Thanks Mental Floss!
Now, go pop in that aging DVD and start tallying the times you watch this beloved holiday classic through the Christmas season. Last year I think I watched it nine times, so I definitely need to step up my game. Happy Holidays!
