Just delightful - even for a bitter old atheist!

Rating: 10/10 (20 December 2011)

So, aside from falling instantly in love with Zooey Deschanel when I first saw Elf way back in 2003, this movie still gets 10 stars from me because each and every year I watch it at least twice... and cry.
It's like watching Tinkerbell come down from atop the Matterhorn at Disneyland, the penultimate scene in Elf. It awakens inside of me memories of youth, innocence and memories of a time when everything was new.
Obviously I am cheesy and weak - but most of the year I am a bitter, aggressive atheist who compares believing in God to believing in Santa.
But not when I watch this movie.
I love the story, Mr. Narwhal, Bob Newhart (a god as true as any!), and Zooey singing. I love James Caan and Mary Steenburgen in this film too! Everyone inhabits their roles so seamlessly in my mind...
And seriously - when was the last time you saw an 'elf' fly down a conference table to kick some ass? Anyhow, I am rambling. I love Bad Santa, A Christmas Story and Silent Night Deadly Night as much as the next guy, but to call Elf anything less than a classic, must see Holiday Movie on par with It's a Wonderful Life or Miracle on 34th Street is a crime.