Talking about comic books, TV shows, movies, sports, and the numerous other pastimes that make us Gentlemen of Leisure.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Countdown to Christmas #16: Elf

The most recent of my favorite Christmas movies, Elf combines my love of Christmas with my love of Will Ferrel comedy into a fun little movie I watch in whole or in part every holiday season. Though the climax bugs me (specifically the shoehorning in of some pretty random action movie beats) there's plenty of good stuff to balance that out in this story of a man raised to be an elf trying to reconnect with long lost father.


Some of my favorite lines:

Leon the Snowman: Why the long face, Buddy?
Buddy: It seems I'm not an elf.
Leon the Snowman: Of course you're not an elf. You're six-foot-three and had a beard since you were fifteen.

Puffin: Hey Buddy wanna pick some snowberries?
Buddy: Not now Arctic Puffin!

Buddy: I like to whisper too!

Emily: We can't just throw him out in the snow.
Walter: Why not? He loves the snow. He's told me 15 times.  

Buddy: SANTA! OH MY GOD! SANTA'S COMING! I KNOW HIM! I KNOW HIM!  

Gimbel's Santa: Now what can I get you for Christmas?
Buddy: Don't tell him what you want, he's a liar.
Gimbel's Santa: Let the kid talk.
Buddy: You disgust me! How can you live with yourself?
Gimbel's Santa: Just cool it, Zippy.
Buddy: You sit on a throne of lies.

6 comments:

  1. oooh, good times.

    I also appreciate when he belches for like 1 minute and then says:

    "Did you hear that?"

    Classic

    ReplyDelete
  2. @Falen: I also appreciate when he belches for like 1 minute and then says:

    "Did you hear that?"


    Ha! Yeah, that's good too. There's actually quite a few funny sight gags/physical comedy bits like that don't translate well into blogging form.

    I continue to laugh my ass off when he launches himself at the tree to put the star on top and then the tree falls over, for example.

    ReplyDelete
  3. @Sarah, just reading that I could hear it in my head and I LOL'd. For serious.

    I love this movie for reals! I don't know why it took me so long to watch it. I think I watched it five times last year. It was great.

    ReplyDelete
  4. @Hannah: I don't know why it took me so long to watch it.

    I don't know either...

    ReplyDelete

  5. Hmm... I'd hit my Will Farrell saturation point when this came out (it didn't take long) and now have an extremely low tolerance for him at his schtickiest. That said, I've actually been curious about this ever since Zooey Deschanel hit my radar, which was not long after this came out; plus, it has Bob Newhart. Maybe this is the year I finally check out Elf.

    VW: cardosm — When you enjoy shuffling a little too much.

    ReplyDelete
  6. @Blam: Hmm... I'd hit my Will Farrell saturation point when this came out (it didn't take long) and now have an extremely low tolerance for him at his schtickiest.

    Bear in mind I'm someone who enjoys Ferrel's schtick, but that said, I'd say this is one of his movies where, if that schtick isn't necessarily downplayed, it's at least more appropriate, given his whole man-child routine actually fits in with the story of a man who thinks he's an elf.

    That said, I've actually been curious about this ever since Zooey Deschanel hit my radar

    This movie was actually my first encounter with Ms. Deschanel, and it definitely put her on my radar.

    plus, it has Bob Newhart.

    It does indeed, and he's fairly Bob Newhart-ian at that. ;)

    ReplyDelete

Comment. Please. Love it? Hate it? Are mildly indifferent to it? Let us know!