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Festive Film 'Elf' Officially Turns 15 Years Old Today

Festive Film 'Elf' Officially Turns 15 Years Old Today

Buddy's the guy that made us want our four main food groups to consist of: candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup

Rebecca Shepherd

Rebecca Shepherd

It's that time of the year we just have to talk about Elf - you know, the festive flick starring Will Ferrell as lovably weird man-child Buddy the Elf, who creeps into shower rooms to duet with women, can't navigate a simple escalator and takes everything at face value. Anyone for the 'World's Best Cup of Coffee'?

Well believe it or not, the best Christmas film of all time (if you don't agree, you know where to go) is turning 15 YEARS OLD.

Do you feel old? We certainly do. Are we still going to watch it as much as possible during the festivities? What a stupid question.

The film was released in the US on 7 November 2003 and we watched on in delight as Buddy wreaked havoc in search for his estranged biological dad, whose absence led to our hero living in an orphanage.

Which is where Santa accidentally picked him up - obviously.

We took a look on IMDb to double check our age-related suspicions and were more shocked than anything to find that the film has been rated 6.9 out of 10. WTF?!

Who are these raters and where do we find them?

Reassuringly, a separate poll saw this piece of cinematic genius voted the best family Christmas film. Ranker placed the comedy at the top of the list, followed by Macaulay Culkin vehicle Home Alone, Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas and The Polar Express, with The Santa Clause starring Tim Allen coming in fifth.

Obviously being a list focusing on 'family' or PG-13 movies, it means the likes of Die Hard and Bad Santa miss the cut. Yes, it's surprising that The Muppet Christmas Carol didn't feature in the top five, but never mind - it's all about Elf anyway.

With a budget of $33 million (£25 million), it made more than six times that at the Box Office. Even the tough-to-crack Rotten Tomatoes gave the film an 84 percent rating, with the Critical Consensus saying: "A movie full of Yuletide cheer, Elf is a spirited, good-natured family comedy, and it benefits greatly from Will Ferrell's funny and charming performance as one of Santa's biggest helpers."

As well as Ferrell playing the main character, the film also stars Zooey Deschanel, James Caan, Mary Steenburgen, and Peter Dinklage.

Featured Image Credit: New Line Cinema

Topics: Entertainment, TV and Film, Elf, Movie