I’m not sure where we’re at as far as how many movies on our list could be considered NOT Christmas enough, but not only do I not care, it doesn’t apply to Elf at all anyway. This is a Christmas movie through-and-through. No ifs, ands, or butts. And not only are there are many references to classic Christmas films (including a Burl Ives inspired snowman), it’s a great original story about Santa Claus and Christmas magic as well.
But Elf is really about, well, an Elf. His name is Buddy (played with childlike wonder by Will Ferrell). As an infant, he snuck into Santa’s bag on Christmas and was a stowaway to The North Pole. Once he’s discovered there, Santa decides to keep him and raise him as an elf, and places him under the care of Papa Elf (Bob Newhart). 30 years go by and Buddy still hasn’t realized he’s not an elf, despite being terrible at all the elf jobs (and not to mention that he’s now several feet taller than all of them). As he grows more and more frustrated, Papa Elf finally tells him the truth and sends him on a journey to New York City to find his true father (James Caan). Along the way, He’ll also fall in love with Jovie (Zooey Deschanel) and help to bring the Christmas Spirit in all those around him.
I love this movie.
I consider it to be the best of the “modern” Christmas movies (and that’s a wide range of movies that includes A Christmas Story and Christmas Vacation). Having the incredible Ed Asher play Santa Claus is an inspired choice. He’s just as good as Edmund Gwenn was in Miracle on 34th Street and that’s saying a lot!! He has a mischieveious, magical twinkle and I just love his portrayal.
But casting the legendary Bob Newhart as Papa Elf just might be the icing on the cake and he is able to bring out just the right amount of emotional weight to a role that could have been overacted and forgettable. The same goes for Will Ferrell. His character, as written, could have been annoying but he’s somehow just the right blend of innocence and purity.
But what I love most about this movie is that it doesn’t try to go too raunchy like many recent Christmas films have (Bad Santa for example). There are a handful of innuendos here and there, but never pervasive. Make no mistake: This is a great family film. Buddy’s Christmas spirit is contagious and you will feel it, too. Oh, and the music is INCREDIBLE!! I love it when the reindeer fly over New York City. My heart swells every time.
Elf has become a Christmas staple at our house. It’s one of my wife’s all time favorite movies, and though my daughter is too young to fully appreciate it (it’s her first Christmas!!), we are already starting this tradition with her.
So that concludes our 12 Days of Christmas Movie Reviews. We know that we miscounted and on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas Day, but oh well. Maybe next year I’LL learn how to count (Yes, it was my fault).
But whatever you’re doing and however you celebrate this year, we hope you’ve had fun with us and we wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!
On a side note, don’t try to eat spaghetti like Buddy does. I made that mistake once and let’s just say it wasn’t pleasant for anyone involved.
The post Day 12 (Merry Christmas!!): Elf (2003) first appeared on It's Just Awesome DOT com.]]>The film takes place in Whoville, which is populated by the Whos. The Whos love Christmas, but what they really love is buying presents. The title character, The Grinch, was born in Whoville but never quite fit in. This may be because he inexplicably has green skin and fur, or because he is a bit socially awkward. Either way, the Grinch decides it is best for him to run away to Mount Crumpit. Years later Cindy Lou Who decides to try and bring him back to the community. Through some dirty tricks by Mayor May Who the Grinch was once again driven from town. At this point he decides to steal Christmas from the Whos, with the help of his trusty dog Max. Despite all that the Grinch has been through I think Max has a rougher time than the Grinch does. Its hard to be friends with a Grinch. Through all of the zaniness that ensues the Grinch manages to steal every last bit of Christmas in Whoville. But despite all his thieving the Whos still come together to celebrate the true spirit of Christmas. The Grinch is so moved that he returns all the gifts and he is welcomed back to the community.
Now just for a little background, several of us here at ItsJustAwesome.com met while working at a popular retailer. This gave us a first hand view of the rampant consumerism that really comes into its own this time of year. Its great to see this whole system broken down by little Cindy Lou Who early on in the movie. While the movies uses the term Christmas, I think it could easily be a commentary on what it means to simply be Kind. Just like Christmas, Kindness doesn’t come in a box with a bow, and sometimes you have to lose everything before you’ll show it to others.
Its also worth noting that this movie was nominated for three Oscars and won one, for makeup. The entire look of the film captures the look and feel of the original Dr. Seuss book. Its goofy and silly and filled with lots of practical effects that make the world come alive. And yes, the makeup is great. But no matter how much makeup you pile on his face Jim Carrey still shines through.
The Grinch is silly, cartoonish, and full of over the top humor. But at its heart it the story of finding the true meaning of Christmas. Tomorrow Charles will finish off our 12 Days of Christmas Movie Reviews with Elf (2003).
On a serious note, in recent days bullying has become such an issue that there is actually a website setup by the US government, StopBullying.gov, to try and prevent it. Now I’m not going to say that everyone that is bullied will become a Grinch who steals Christmas, but it certainly is a real problem.
The post Day 11: How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) first appeared on It's Just Awesome DOT com.]]>Depending on whether you agree with Topher’s review on White Christmas and it NOT being a “Christmas movie” or Kelley’s review of It’s a Wonderful Life and it NOT being about Christmas, Gremlins might be the third non-Christmas movie on our list. Personally, I think they’re all Christmas films, but the argument could be made that if you can replace Christmas in a film with any other holiday and have little or no change on the plot, then it’s not really about Christmas and thus not a true Christmas movie.
To me, this is akin to colorizing a black-and-white film. Sure, it can be done, and the plot doesn’t change, but that movie was specifically created to look like that, with costumes and set design that photographed best in black-and-white. In that vein, White Christmas, It’s a Wonderful Life, Gremlins and Die Hard were all written to take place during the Christmas season, and if you were to alter that, you are inherently changing the movie and what the creators envisioned (even if it might not be apparent).
So, I’ll emphatically defend Gremlins as a Christmas movie… and I guess not colorizing black-and-white movies as well.
Gremlins is the blended, twisted creation of director Joe Dante, producer Steven Spielberg, and writer Chris Columbus and their unique influence is clear throughout the entire thing. It also happens to be a fantastic film that blurs the line between being a heartwarming family movie and a gory, frightening film more suited for adults. This is, after all, one of a handful of films in the early 80s that helped lead to the creation of the “PG-13” rating in the U.S. (the other prominent one being Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. What’s up, Spielberg??).
Inventor Randall Peltzer is looking for the perfect Christmas gift for his son Billy. In an eerie and strange shop, he discovers a creature known as a “Mogwai,” but the owner of the shop doesn’t want to sell it. After some back alley dealings with the shop owner’s grandson, Randall is able to purchase the Mogwai, but is given three rules he must follow:
Naturally, not along after Billy receives the Mogwai (which he names Gizmo), he breaks all of these rules. It wouldn’t be a very good movie if all of these rules were followed and the mysterious shop owner’s foreshadowing didn’t come true, right??
The lights in the bathroom prove too bright for Gizmo, but it’s when he gets him wet that the real trouble begins. You see, when water is accidentally spilled on Gizmo, more Mogwai pop out of his back. When these other Mogwai are accidentally fed after midnight, they form a cocoon and go through a metamorphosis to become a larger creature… the Gremlin! Soon, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of them wreaking mischievous havoc all throughout the town of Kingston Falls. And only Billy, his girlfriend Kate, and Gizmo can stop them!!
I love this movie.
I love the strange homages it makes to other films and cartoons (not unlike what Dante did in The Howling). I love that Dick Miller is used to great effect, even giving the reason the creatures are named Gremlins. I love Kate’s bizarre story of how her father died (similar to her Abraham Lincoln memory in Gremlins 2) and I love how much fun it is!! A room full of Gremlins singing “Heigh Ho” while watching Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs?? I mean, what’s not to love????
Seriously, watch this movie this holiday season, especially if you’ve never seen it before!!
Tomorrow is Day 9 and Kelley will be reviewing a movie we disagree on: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation!!
The post Day 8: Gremlins (1984) first appeared on It's Just Awesome DOT com.]]>In this telling Rudolph is born to Donner, one of Santa’s reindeer. It quickly becomes obvious that he is different, and despite his amazing flying ability he is rejected because of his red nose. Meanwhile Hermey the elf is having trouble fitting in as well. You see elves are supposed to make all the toys Santa delivers on Christmas Eve, but Hermey just wants to be a dentist. What kid can’t relate to that? Both Rudolph and Hermey find themselves wandering the Arctic wilderness where they meet Yukon Cornelius, a prospector looking to find his fortune and driving a sled pulled by poodles and dachshunds. This trio of odd balls meet the toys on the Island of Misfit Toys, and eventually defeat the Abominable Snowman. In an effort to get Santa to help the toys on the Island of Misfit Toys Rudolph goes back to the North Pole. Once there he is called upon to use his shiny red nose to guide Santa’s sleigh through a snow storm.
Other than the classic songs and the wonderful animation, the best part of this movie is the characters. It should be obvious that most, if not all of the main characters are misfits. A red nosed reindeer, an elf with dental ambitions, a prospector with sled poodles, and of course an entire island of misfit toys. This begs the question, is the movie saying we should accept misfits, or that we are all misfits? I can’t speak for every child, but I know that I and most of my friends felt like misfits growing up. So maybe we could use this movie as a way to teach that we are all a little weird, and thats Ok.
The other perspective is of course that Rudolph isn’t a misfit at all. He is a hero, endowed with super powers, who has come to save the day. He is like so many great people throughout history that were seen as crazy or weird, but in the end prove to be gifted or even genius. This goes for all the heroes in this story. Only Rudolph could guide the sleigh, only Dr. Hermey DDS could extract all the teeth from the Abominable Snowman, and only Santa could save the toys from the Island of Misfit Toys.
So perhaps both perspectives are true. We are all weird misfits, and you never know who is going to be the hero that saves Christmas. I really hope you will watch this movie again this year, I found it to be just as charming today as it was the first time I saw it.
Tomorrow Micah will take a look at A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965). You won’t want to miss that one. Enjoy!
The post Day 5: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) first appeared on It's Just Awesome DOT com.]]>Day 1: It’s A Wonderful Life (1946);
Day 2: Miracle on 34th Street (1947);
Day 3: White Christmas (1954);
Day 4: Santa Claus (1959);
Day 5: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964);
Day 6: A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965);
Day 7: A Christmas Story (1983);
Day 8: Gremlins (1984);
Day 9: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989);
Day 10: Home Alone (1990);
Day 11: How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000);
Day 12: Elf (2003).