Movie Review: ELF

ELF

2003
PG


"We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup."
-- Buddy

Elf is a 2003 comedy directed by Jon Favreau that centers around a man trying to reconnect with his father. When he was put up for adoption as a baby, Buddy (Will Ferrell) accidentally crawled into Santa Claus's bag of toys one Christmas Eve and managed to make his way back to the North Pole. Filled with compassion, Santa (Ed Asner) passed the infant off to one of his older elves (Bob Newhart), who took it upon himself to raise the child. As Buddy grew, however, it became increasingly evident that he was, in fact, a human and not an elf. One day, Papa Elf decided to tell Buddy of his true past, and in a spur of emotion, Buddy decided to make his way to New York City to meet his father, Walter Hobbs (James Caan). Upon his arrival, however, Walter does not believe Buddy to be his son. Left alone in an unfamiliar city, Buddy does his best to get by, spreading holiday cheer to everyone around him. As time continues to pass, Walter starts to come to terms with the fact that Buddy may actually be his son, and with Christmas fast-approaching, it happens not a minute too soon.

Over the years, I've seen bits and pieces of this film, but I had never had the opportunity to sit down and watch it in its entirety. At the time of its release, I was a tad bit anti-Will Ferrell. I didn't quite understand the appeal of his humor, and while I'm still not the biggest fan of his work, I've come to appreciate what he's done for the comedy genre over the past decade. However, after seeing that Elf was very well-received from the critical community upon its initial release, I figured I'd give it a shot this holiday season.

The screenplay isn't anything drastically new, but it fits the mold of a Christmas film relatively well. We have a lead character trying to re-instill Christmas spirit into the lives of people who have lost sight of what the holiday really means. The big twist on the genre is that we're getting a man raised by elves who comes back to a human lifestyle, and that's where a lot of the film's comedy is generated. Seeing Buddy react to his human surroundings for the first time in his life is quite the comedic experience, and it's only heightened by the way in which Ferrell plays the part.

Ultimately, this is Ferrell's vehicle, and his manic presence is enough to keep you entertained throughout the film's entirety. He brings a childish charm to his performance, and he never once strays from his character. It's a very different role from what he's done in his other films, but at the same time, there's still quite a bit that's similar. He's over-the-top, loud and crazy, but the fact that he isn't delving into the raunchy and adult-rated humor makes this character all the more endearing. I'm sure Buddy strikes quite a chord with child audiences. The rest of the cast also fills out nicely. Caan is a great foil to Buddy's manic atmosphere, and although it's nowhere near his best performance, he's serviceable in this one. We get some good supporting performances from the likes of Mary Steenburgen and Zooey Deschanel; also, be on the lookout for a fantastic cameo appearance from Peter Dinklage.

Ultimately, there's nothing truly ground-breaking or new in Elf, but it still proves to be a fun little film for the holiday season. If you're not a fan of Will Ferrell's brand of comedy, you're going to have a tough time getting into this one, but if you are, then this might just be a must-see for you. I found myself chuckling consistently throughout the film, so that alone should tell you it's worth giving a watch if you haven't already done so.

Movie Review Summary
Grade: B+
1.5 Thumbs Up

Movie Review: BACK TO THE FUTURE PART III

BACK TO THE FUTURE PART III

1990
PG

Back to the Future Part III is the third and final installment in the Back to the Future franchise directed by Robert Zemeckis. It picks up just where Part II leaves off, with Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) stuck in 1955 and Dr. "Doc" Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd) stuck in 1885. With the help of the 1955 Doc, Marty unearths the hidden DeLorean, fixes it up and takes it back to the Old West to bring the Doc back to the future after learning that he's going to be shot and killed by a notorious gunslinger named Buford 'Mad Dog' Tannen (Thomas F. Wilson). Marty arrives in the past and finds the new township of Hill Valley, taking on the name "Clint Eastwood" around the townsfolk. After a brief run-in with Tannen, Marty finds Doc and tells him of his fate. The two start to plan their escape back to the future, but things become complicated when the Doc finds himself falling in love with a schoolteacher named Clara Clayton (Mary Steenburgen). As the two try to plan their way home and deal with the ever-present threat from Tannen, twist after twist comes to pass, making their trip home all the more difficult.

Literally everyone I've talked to about the Back to the Future franchise has told me that this third installment is the bad egg of the bunch. Considering our heroes were being sent way, WAY back in time, I can imagine why so many people would think so. Still, I went in with an open mind considering I've loved the franchise thus far, and to be honest, I loved this one almost as much as the rest. I'll admit that the screenplay isn't quite at the standard of the previous two films, and that magical aura that was presented in the original flick doesn't quite permeate into the sequels, but I thought that Part III was original enough to make an entire film devoted to life in the 19th century. The storyline is relatively predictable, but the film carries that lightheartedness that the rest of the franchise has had, so you're still in for an enjoyable adventure.

One of the things that I liked most about this installment is the fact that we get to see a more human side of Doc Brown. In the first two installments, Christopher Lloyd is damn-near brilliant as the manic scientist, and it plays well for the time. However, seeing him lose touch with logic because of a woman presents the real man inside the machine, giving us an emotional touch to a character we thought we already knew. Don't worry - he doesn't completely toss logic out the window, but Part III works well to add another dimension to his character. I also rather enjoyed the outlaw turn that Wilson takes as 'Mad Dog' Tannen this time around. In the past two films, Wilson was always a sore spot for me because I felt like his style of over-acting was just a little too much at times. I loved his Biff, but I could only take so much of him. However, as this gun-toting Western bad guy, you can hardly see the resemblance, and the over-acting is pitch-perfect for the setting. It's the best performance Wilson has given in the trilogy, and I think he should be commended for it.

As I did during my review of the second film, I'd like to commend Alan Silvestri for his musical composition for this installment. A lot of it is the same as we've heard, but we also get some of that western-style twang inserted throughout, and it gives the setting a little more authenticity.

Overall, I have to say that I loved Part III just as much as I loved Part II. Is it as good as the first two films? Not really, mostly because it's a little more mindless than the previous two. Does that make it a bad film? Absolutely not. It's a fantastic conclusion the three-parter, and it solidifies the Back to the Future franchise's spot as one of my favorite film trilogies of all time.

Movie Review Summary:
Grade: B+
2 Thumbs Up

Addition to Rankings:
Best Sequel - #18

Movie Review: THE PROPOSAL

THE PROPOSAL

2009
PG-13

The Proposal is a 2009 romantic comedy directed by Anne Fletcher. It follows the relationship between big-time editor-in-chief Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock) and her assistant Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds). When Margaret, the resident office witch, learns that her work visa has expired and she is going to be deported back to her native Canada, she quickly informs her superiors that she and Andrew are engaged to be married. This comes as a shock to Andrew who knew nothing of the sort. In an attempt to convince immigration services of their apparent "love," Margaret reluctantly agrees to join Andrew in his weekend visit to his parents' home in Alaska. Upon their arrival, the two do their best to maintain their charade in the hopes that they can make Andrew's father (Craig T. Nelson), mother (Mary Steenburgen) and grandmother (Betty White) believe their story without letting them be hurt by the truth. As time continues to pass, however, Margaret and Andrew start to learn more about one another, and feelings they didn't know they had start to surface.

If the above synopsis sounds like every other romantic comedy you've ever seen, then you've had hit the nail on the head. There's really nothing entirely new or original thrown on-screen in The Proposal, which falls into the rote storyline of nearly every romantic comedy I've ever had the "privilege" to see. The whole deportation to Canada isn't something I'd heard before, but that just works as the centerpiece for a film that brings nothing else to the table, story-wise. Some of the dialogue is decent, but it's nothing to rave about and applaud. Overall, the screenplay is a little bit of a bore, never truly hooking you into any aspect of the film.

Fortunately, we do have some halfway decent performances in the film, ultimately making The Proposal relatively watchable. I really only watched this movie because of Ryan Reynolds, who I tend to enjoy. This is by no means my favorite Reynolds role (for that, you'd have to take in 2005's Waiting...), but he does his best with what he's given this time around. Bullock is also very good - she nabbed a Golden Globe nomination for the role - also despite the screenplay she's given. One of the selling points of the film is probably the chemistry between Bullock and Reynolds. Their arc from hating each other to loving each other is actually pretty believable, so kudos to them.

We've also got some pretty good supporting performances, although I felt like some of the actors were a tad bit under-utilized. The ever-present and always-hilarious Betty White easily draws the most laughter. There's something about someone so elderly being so irreverent that just provides for perfect comedy. I would watch her in anything, to be honest, but that's neither here nor there. Oscar Nuñez is also very funny in a limited amount of screen-time. And even Malin Akerman makes a few appearances, but I thought she should have played a much more important role considering her character. Oh well, I guess. The filmmakers must have thought otherwise.

Overall, The Proposal is a serviceable, if entirely predictable, romantic comedy. When they start making truly ORIGINAL rom-coms again, someone please give me a call. I'm down to watch any type of movie, romantic comedies included, but if they can't figure something out with this unoriginality thing, I might have to dump these entirely.

Movie Review Summary:
Grade: C-
Thumbs Sideways