Elf is not great, but it is a good Christmas movie

Rating: 7/10 (2 January 2019)

I've realized in the coming years that Elf is not amazing, but it is quite a bit above average for a Christmas film overall. The cast all put in great and wonderful performances, the humor can get a bit annoying, however the movie (for the most part) manages to be very funny at the same time, and although the story is a bit cliched, there are so many good, endlessly quotable lines. If I had to complain about one major thing, that would be the ending, which is pretty corny and schmaltzy to the point where it hurts. Most of the reviewers here who gave it a 6 or 7 like I'm doing here, agree and have come to this realization that the movie falters in its final act; while it's definitely not the worst ending ever, it could've been a lot better and less generic kitsch than most substandard Christmas movies. Besides that, which is my only other complaint, it is a good movie. Sure it may not be up there with the likes of It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, and A Christmas Story in terms of quality, but it is certainly better than most Christmas films out there. I give this one an overall score of 7.6-7.7/10 (Good). - Michael C