Few Christmas films have contributed as much to the cultural zeitgeist as Jon Favreau’s adorable film Elf (2003).
It shouldn’t have worked. A wacky yet occasionally dark comedy that included both live-action and stop-motion characters? Will Ferrell playing a human orphan raised as an elf? James Caan as a temperamental children’s book editor? (Okay, maybe that works.)
Yet Elf has spawned countless memes and GIFs, unforgettable scenes (“he’s an angry elf…”), and enough merchandise to keep every retailer afloat. The movie has aged well, as Ferrell’s charming performance turns Buddy the Elf from a mildly disturbing premise into a nuanced portrayal of family bonds.
There’s just one problem, and it’s the problem that plagues almost every Christmas film, fantasy film, and combinations thereof. As always, this is a story about absentee fathers and abandoned boys, while the women are relegated to supporting roles as mothers and girlfriends.
A Christmas Pixie for a North Pole Elf
The character of Jovie (played by the ever-quirky Zooey Deschanel) is initially introduced as a jaded young woman, wearing an elf…
