In the ages where comedy films were brave, we got stuff that truly challenged the narratives we would commonly be expecting. These films crossed barriers into different genres, and created new types of comedy that was both meta and humorous at the same time. These films were not only funny, they were thought-provoking and had narratives that you couldn’t really imagine until you saw those films, they brought in new experiences that you could truly rely on to be fun and exciting. One of such films was Elf, a whole new take on Christmas, everyone’s favourite holiday.
How to Stream or Download Elf (2003)
You can stream it or you can download the film from a digital store. Click on the Download button located at the end of this review.
The Movie Review
In one of the most intriguing and funnily written plots, Elf follows the story of a man named Buddy. At first glance, Buddy looks like your average human dressed up quite weirdly, but he’s actually a proper human who was raised by Santa Claus’ Elves at the North Pole. One day however, Buddy is shocked with the horrifying news about his true nature, that he’s a human.
Of course, in an effort and journey to understand himself better, Buddy sets out on a quest to the lands of New York City to find his biological father.
You can’t expect Jon Favreau to act too good, that parts for sure. However, if there is one thing that you can expect him to do, is to direct a super funny comedy film! In recent years, he has made his mark with movies such as The Jungle Book, the Iron Man franchise from Marvel, and films such as Chef and The Lion King Remake. If there is one thing that these films have in common is that they all revolve around an endearing, lovable main character and A story that is both funny and heart warming.
That is particularly the case with Elf, a film so increasingly funny as time goes on that it is just wonderfully hard hitting when the sombre moments come in.
The slapstick and vocal jokes are constantly going on, and yet every once in a while there is a moment sprinkled in between that will truly make you want to cry. The comedy itself is wonderfully created, the writing is smart and snappy, and it is delivered by some of the funniest comedians in the world. The actors are the one and only reason why this works so well.
The snappy writing and the comedy would have all gone to waste if it wasn’t for actors such as Will Ferrell, James Caan, Bob Newhart, Zooey Deschannel, and Mary Steenburgen.
Will Ferrel is PARTICULARLY so good in this movie, every single line he says is automatically funny due to his funny demeanour. Not to mention, every single one of the jokes in this film are amazing, and Will Ferrell delivers them to such a high standard of comedy that it’s near impossible to dislike them.
They’re also far enough apart that they’re incredibly funny when they’re said, but they’re also frequent enough that they’re essentially always keeping the film paced super well.
The production design on this film is actually super fun to watch, it’s uniquely done enough to be eye catching and the New York city parts of the film have a great Tim Burton feeling to them.
Moreover, it naturally captures the Christmas spirit with its wonderful production design, and while the camera isn’t art house at all in its angles and movement; it’s still a film that is shot well enough that the camera does justice to it’s beautiful candy-land design.
It’s certainly a film that is super pleasing to the eye and it’s by far one of the most Christmasy films in the Holiday film subgenre.
In conclusion, this is a film that is truly worthy of praise as one of the best Holiday films. It’s a truly funny and lovable film that you can’t help but feel good while watching.
It’s an iconic Christmas film that has found its way into everyone’s home on Christmas eve. There is nothing that holds this film back aside from its ambition being too small, and yet it stayed confident as a great little film that constantly gets better every year.
