Christmas is a time of cheer, laughter, and joy. A perfect way to celebrate the season is by watching some of the many festive movies out there. Elf is the perfect holiday movie to satisfy this need. Bringing a light and fluffy feeling to anyone watching, this 2003 classic is a genuinely funny addition to anyone’s Christmas movie marathon.
Most movies within the holiday subgenre are, as some would say, the same text in different fonts. The usual Christmas movie starts off with two people in the same snowy town and typically ends with the perfect love story. It’s boring repetitive content that gets old fast and is definitely unappealing to the younger audience. Elf, on the other hand, is not age specific. Its ability to be fun for everyone to watch and ensure a good laugh makes it a perfect classic.
According to a review website, Elf focuses on one of Santa Claus’s adopted elves and his journey to New York City. As Buddy the elf, played by Actor Will Ferrell, finds his birth father and explores his new life, he helps discover the true meaning of Christmas. This movie is the all-time greatest Christmas movie because of it refraining from the typical corny, mushy-gushy love stories that tend to take over seasonal films (commonsensemedia.org).
Another website about Elf shows aspects of unconditional love, unity, and reconnection within a family. The way Buddy loves his father, despite their problems, pulls on the heart strings and brings friends, family, and strangers together during this joyous season. Buddy reconnects with his new family and helps them get closer with each other, showing the true meaning of Christmas — it is not about the food you eat or the gifts you receive but the people you are surrounded by and the love in the atmosphere.
This comedy does not just celebrate these aspects of family, but also incorporates romance in a way that doesn’t leave viewers cringing. Buddy and his crush, Jovie (played by Zooey Deschanel), have a dream holiday date. This creates a warm and loving feeling for the audience. The couple’s relationship installs an endearing feeling which shows another side of the true meaning of Christmas, and this aspect of the film strays away from corny, unoriginal tropes. Buddy’s relationship with Jovie is meaningful and never comes off as fake, while it does acknowledge how temporary it could end up being. Furthermore, this is not what dominates the story, but rather it plays as a stepping stone to the understanding of love for everyone.
Christmas lover Junior Angie Santos said, “Elf is a hilarious comedy that makes me laugh every time. It’s a holiday classic.” She added, “Elf is a Christmas classic that certainly does make many families around the world get a good laugh.” Although some would argue that Elf is corny, boring and even with pointless meaning, those people are failing to take a deeper look and are truly misunderstanding the true meaning of the movie.
When one thinks of Christmas, the comfort of snow, baking, and gifts tend to come to mind. However, more people should take a look at the real meaning. Although each of us may have a different interpretation of the holiday, Christmas’ focus should be about family, something that Elf beautifully explores while bringing holiday cheer to all. This, along with the film’s deviation from common Christmas movie tropes and consistent hilarity, makes Elf the ultimate Christmas movie.