Our Holiday Favorites: Elf

For some of us, the moment we saw Elf in the theatre it became an instant classic. My sister and I adore this movie. Quotes from the 2003 film have become part of our lexicon, as we refer to things as "ginormous" and call each other to randomly announce, "Good news! I saw a dog today."

Directed by Jon Favreau post-Swingers, pre-Iron Man, the film focuses on Buddy the Elf (Will Ferrell), told by his papa elf (Bob Newhart) that he is really a human (gasp!) and that his biological father (James Caan) is on the naughty list (double gasp!).  Buddy makes his way to New York City where he gets to know his father's family and falls for a sarcastic Gimbels worker named Jovie (Zooey Deschanel).

I know people who refuse to see this movie because they don’t like Will Ferrell, but they are missing out. His childlike glee in this movie is infectious, and I can’t imagine anyone else pulling the character off. With its excellent cast and the deft screenplay by David Berenbaum, Elf is a perfect combination of the silly and the sweet. I've seen it multiple times and each time I can't help getting a little teary-eyed as the crowd sings "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" toward the end. 

The Alamo Ritz holds annual Elf quote-alongs, so you can attend and recite along with Buddy as he pronounces "Francisco" and refers to Peter Dinklage's children’s book author character as "an angry elf." And remember, "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear."

P.S. Watch for a cameo by Peter Billingsley (aka Ralphie from A Christmas Story) as one of the elves in the workshop. 

Want to watch? It seems this film is on constant rotation during the holiday season on the USA Network (schedule), but if you'd prefer no commercials, the DVD is available at both Vulcan Video locations as well as other local video stores. And as mentioned above, the Alamo Ritz is holding three quote-along showings of Elf, Dec. 15, 18 and 22 -- tickets for these tend to go very fast.