20th Anniversary TLDR: Elf (2003)
Candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup.
Plot: When young Buddy falls into Santa’s gift sack on Christmas Eve, he’s transported back to the North Pole and raised as a toy-making elf by Santa’s helpers. But as he grows into adulthood, he can’t shake the nagging feeling that he doesn’t belong. Buddy vows to visit Manhattan and find his real dad, a workaholic publisher.
Direction: Jon Favreau set out to make a Christmas classic and he nailed it. You will often hear me refer to myself as a Favreau apologist because, despite that unbelievably bad Lion King remake, I think he just knows what the people want. He made the first freakin' MCU movie, for cryin' out loud. The Mandalorian revived Star Wars for many, myself included. He's a populist director in the best way. And he knew that Christmas favorites had classic songs, stop-motion animation, a red-nosed Santa Claus, and clear iconography.
Screenplay: David Berenbaum went on to write a bunch more family films: The Haunted Mansion, Zoom, The Spiderwick Chronicles, and Strange Magic. As you can see, none of those hit the way that Elf did. Those royalty checks must be really nice.
Performances: Do you know how hard it is to create a character? From nothing? I mean, I love Ed Asner in this, but come on, he's just playing Santa the way he should be played. Will Ferrell invented an iconic character, endowing him with just enough Ferrell-isms to make it impossible to imitate and distinctly him. He created a Christmas character in a way that I don't think had happened since...Frosty the Snowman? And, of course, it catapulted him into superstardom. This was also before the general public knew Zooey Deschanel and she shines so brightly here. I think we all want to sing "Baby, It's Cold Outside" with her.
That was my introduction to James Caan (I was six!) and it would be a long time until I even knew who he was outside of this movie, (we've since named our dog after his character in The Godfather.) I suspect that is true for everyone under the age of 18. How crazy is that? I guess that's Christmas movies for ya! Mary Steenburgen, Bob Newhart, Peter Dinklage, and Amy Sedaris round out an adorable ensemble.
Best Moment: Buddy decorating the store. I wish every store looked like that.
Imaginary Accolade: Runner-Up, Best Use of Forced Perspective, 2003 (it lost to The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King)
Fun fact: I think of the line, "You did it! Congratulations! World's best cup of coffee! Great job, everybody!" literally every time I see a sign that says anything like that.
Everything is too long! Is it too long? 96-minute perfection, even if the final act does drag a little.
The best way to spread Christmas cheer? Singing loud for all to hear.
Have you seen these toilets? They’re ginormous!
Rating: Sometimes I worry that Elf became oversaturated and shoved down our throats to the point where I couldn't enjoy it as a movie anymore and instead as a collection of moment after moment. Then I realize I'm being a cotton-headed ninny-muggins. It's magical.
Credit: Plot synopsis from Letterboxd via TMDb.