Elf (2003)

Spirited (2022) | Elf (2003)

there's an inordinate amount of christmas movies that feature santa claus going against the american justice system and i just feel like that deserves to be talked about more

It just sort of hit me that Keeper of the Lost Cities is a reverse ‘Elf’ (2003) story.

“I’m a human. Well actually I’m an elf but I was raised by humans.”

What’s Christmas without this guy??

ELF, dir. Jon Favreau (2003)

requested by anon

Some of my favorite versions of Santa Claus

Elf (2003)

Director: Jon Favreau

Cinematographer: Greg Gardiner

I love the implication that growing up at the North Pole with Santa and the elves and Christmas magic like. Literally altered Buddy’s human biology to be more elf-like.

they really just sent buddy the elf to new york without any money, no social skills or maps anything. just an ominous warning and a snowglobe. so fucked up. what the fuck.

This is your annual reminder that a very fun and beloved BttF/Elf crackfic exists, and you should read it:

Title: Pennies From Heaven Rating: G Genre: Found Family, Humor Words: 18K Summary: When Marty the Elf discovers that he is, in fact, not an elf, Papa Doc sends him on a journey to reunite with his long-lost mother, Lorraine – a corporate scrooge that’s no stranger to the naughty list. Marty has a lot to learn about life south of the North Pole, but Lorraine has even more to learn about family. Can Marty’s effervescent love restore her Christmas spirit? In the magical land of New York City, anything is possible.

(Hope you're all having a great holiday season! I'm swamped but still smiling!)

It gives me mental whiplash that Elf (2003) is now 20 years old

Last year, I was threatening to write a meta series on mothers in classic Christmas movies, but other things got in the way as this is Things Getting in the Way of Plans Season. So, let's try this again.

To recap from last year, most of the mothers in my favorite Christmas movies have one important thing in common: they're dead (Prancer (1989) and the House Without a Christmas Tree (1972). When they are alive, they are often stay at home moms (Christmas Vacation (1989), A Christmas Story (1983), The Year Without a Santa Clause (1974) and probably more that are slipping my middle-aged mind). The first mother I want to talk about, though, is none of these things. Jon Favreau's Elf (2003) is a new classic that draws heavily on much older Christmas classics made by Rankin-Bass with one notable exception. Emily Hobbs (Mary Steenburgen) is a working mom who provides an example of the kind of work/life balance that alludes her husband until the end of the movie.

The first time we meet Emily, she is hearing for the first time about something Walter (James Caan) has been grappling with for two days at this point: he has a son from a previous relationship who believes he is a Christmas elf. Emily handles this news with surprising optimism and is nothing but generous and kind to Buddy. In some respects, this puts her in company with other Christmas movie moms whose main job is dealing with the fallout of their husbands' choices with as much dignity as they can manage. What makes Emily different is that it is not only her family that benefits from her accommodation of others. When Jovie sings "Santa Clause is Coming to Town," Emily is the first person to join her. Although both of these women have been drawn to Central Park in the same way--seeing people they care about on the news--there is no indication that the have met or that Emily is able to identify Jovie as Buddy's date from earlier that evening. Emily just sees a stranger in need of support and gives it to her.

There is a limit to Emily's accommodations, though, and she is as admirable for what she will not do as what she does. When Walter suggests that she stay home with Buddy, she refuses: "I have a budget meeting tomorrow." Although we never learn exactly what Emily's job is, it is taken seriously enough that Walter does not press the matter any further. She is still the person who does the most domestic labor, but when her husband takes his share of the dinner she has prepared to eat in his room, she lets her son know that is not acceptable behavior. "It's no secret that you haven't really been there for [Michael]" she tells Walter later. Unlike other Christmas moms, she does not accept that it is her job to run interference between her husband and their child. If Walter wants to repair his relationship with Michael, that is up to him.

Elf's representation of women is pretty solid considering how few of them there are in the story (I recently learned that Wanda Sykes was originally cast to play Buddy's manager at Gimbels, which no doubt would have been delightful!) I want to comment further on Jovie and Buddy's relationship, but that is a subject for a different post. It is worth pointing out that when Buddy visits the North Pole with his family at the end of the movie, he is holding his baby daughter for the entirely of the scene, showing the audience a final time the importance of balancing roles in a relationship. Although she is not one of the more dynamic central characters, Mary Steenburgen gives a portrayal of a mom who is kind, generous, and strong all at the same time. Christmas moms have come a long way since Rankin-Bass!

When the crazy lady makes you dress up for the holidays

i don't think i've come across anyone in my life whose favourite christmas movie is also elf and i think that's a travesty