Elf

Mac. Have you seen this? Have you heard about this? What's that? Hello Fresh has put out a box that allows you to have the Elf experience. Oh boy, the ultimate Elf meal of all the sugars and maple syrups that you want to go with your cook spaghetti. Okay, all right? Do you want some? I don't personally, no, I don't think that's gonna work for me. Did you get your outfit from that Elf box?

Yes? The Hello Fresh head overalls in a sweater. I know that you said you didn't want any, but go ahead and check under your seat. That's a joke. We don't have the budget for that. But we are here at the Alamo Draft House, joined by the community Marketing Manager East Coast, Alex Sheebar. You guys are showing Elf constantly right now, the anniversary. It's Elf season for us, you know, every day all day. That's not actually true, but lots of screenings. We love Elf here

at Almadraft House. But I also have found that there are some other Elf products. You have Elf syrup, fla favored goldfish which that doesn't sound bad in your Hello Fresh box. No stop, get over the Hello Fresh all right? Also, if I wanted to make pasta with all this sugar. I could just make that myself. Yeah, there's a lot of people that throw a ton of sugar in their red sauce. Really, that's a thing. Yeah, that's a thing. My nona would not like that. I

bet she puts sugar in her red sauce, just not much. I've never referred to my grandmother as my nonah, So I apologize to both you guys. I'm being disingenuous across the board. I'm nervous to be in this beautiful, beautiful theater. Yes. I was just opened up down the seaport. Yes, And I have been so excited to come here because you guys did work with WBZ News Radio over the summer. We did free Friday flicks, and every week it was just we're gonna open soon, We're gonna open soon,

and finally, finally we are here. I don't understand it's still February, right. We opened exactly when we said we would see no problems. One good three Yeah, job three. King of Queen MARYL. Street Entertainment, I'm good and we are the Mac and Goo program. We bring you friendship, and today we're adding a third to our friendship. Yes, once again, Alex shee Bar of the Alamo Draft House. I agreed to know

friendship. I don't understand where this is coming. When you agree to my email, it says at the bottom, very very fine print, you need to incorporate friendship in This movie is all about friendship. Actually, you know what? Family? Family, That's what it really is. Actually, the writer of the movie, David Berumbach, says, it's about a father son relationship at its core, which I thought about afterwards. I'm like, you

know what it really is, father son. So it's his father and him, and then his father I believe passed away and now it's him and his sons. And as someone who watches this movie every single year with his mother and now sharing the movie with my three year old son, who absolutely loves it, I fully understand that. Yeah, that's that's an experience I haven't

had yet. So it's interesting to think about. You know, when you first watched this in two thousand and three, yeah, what fourteen fifteen maybe, and you have a different experience with that movie then, and now that you're a father, I'm sure you're having a different speaking as a father, you mind if I take the floor and speak as a father real quick like this is a movie, and not to compare it to other ones, but say, if you have this and you have home alone, I'm not showing

my son home alone. Well, I think he'd have fun with it. He also might try and kill me, whereas this it's him. You know, he loves when Buddy throws up in the trash can or gets attacked by the raccoon. You know, silly things like that, not putting Christmas orn in on the floor for me to then step on. How many tarantulists do you have in your house? It's any more than zero, probably don't show.

Oh that would be if he became obsessed with spiders all of a sudden, that would be real bad news for that'd be great for there wrote and filled area that I live in. So today we are talking about Elf. Elf came out on November seventh, two thousand and three. This movie was made on a budget of thirty three million dollars and it doesn't feel like that at all. Well, I think the budget actually helps it in the fact that it's so well paced. And it's well paced because they had to get

all of their shots in there not waste any time with anything else. Yeah, for sure. And it ended up grossing a total of two hundred twenty million worldwide, one hundred and seventy three domestic. That's a gold mine for a studio right there. That's I mean, we've seen with John Favro, since you make a movie like that that makes that much money, you can

kind of do whatever you want. You've also seen since this movie, and it was really in the ten years after where there were the the push for the live action Let's try and make another Elf movie, Let's try and make another Christmas classic. And while you know I have a soft spot say for Fred Klaus, it's not the same movie. It's not as good. Big Vince Vaughn fan, is that what you're? Big? Vince von day all day? It's Vince Vaughan all day, every day. And I think Vince

Vaughn did he have a hand in Favreau getting this job? He did. Yeah. One of the Alex I don't know if you've seen the Movies That Made Us series on Netflix. I've seen parts of it. One of the episodes is Elf and they talk about how they get John Favreau to sign onto the movie. It was they had Will Ferrell signed up to be the star and he was working on Old School at the time, and Vince Vaughn said, hey, how about this guy for the director? Obviously he him and

Favreau made swingers. So that's how they made that connection, which is pretty much that. It's interesting. Can we talk about Favreau just for a hot second, because what can't that man do? He's like, Oh, I'm gonna reinvent Christmas, I'll reinvent Disney, I'll reinvent Star Wars, I'll reinvent Marvel. Just across the board that he builds foundations of incredible films. I

mean truly amazing when you look back on directors that have changed cinema. I don't think he gets enough credit, right, And going into this one, he had just been he had just directed made and that's it. So this was his second movie starring Vince Vaughn, right, and then off the back of this that's when he did take off. And like, I think we've talked about this in the past, but like we've done like the Dork Hall of Fame. Yeah, he is a first ballot Hall of Famer. Sure,

yeah, just for what he has put into these characters. For sure. Yeah. Well, so let's talk about the nuts and bolt of this movie. Yeah. Elf is a PG adventure comedy, family fantasy romance, and I think one of the best Yeah, I think one of the best things about the movie is it's not one thing. It's not just a comedy, and actually it's not just an adventure horror wise. This was New Line Cinema, which of course was known for horror. Yeah, and they didn't

really know what to do with something like this. They also weren't a great place in two thousand and two, two thousand and three, so that's why a big reason why they took a chance on this movie. Elf is a run time of ninety seven minutes. Again, a huge strength to this movie is it's pacing and the fact that it's an hour and a half. Yeah, short and sweet on Rotten Tomatoes, roddy t's eighty six percent from the critics only seventy nine percent from the audience. I don't understand that at all.

Who is pulling that? Who is who is looking at this film and being like, not for me? It makes no sense. I just can't look at that face anymore. So would the would the people be giving the review say after Will Ferrell had like not at the time, but say in like twenty ten, where people had kind of not soured on him, but they were getting a little sick of them, and they're like, oh, you know what, I don't really care for this one because at the time,

like Farrell wasn't a movie start, He'd done almost nothing. Yeah, it was SNL night at the Roxbury. He Austin Powers Old How dare you neglect his Austin Powers cameo Old School had just come out. Yeah, so this was when he was fresh. This was his first starring role, and I think he knocks it out of the park, oh one thousand percent. And we'll talk about it in a couple of minutes. But I don't know if you ever could have found anyone to do Buddy the Elf the way that

Will Ferrell does it, which is what makes the movie. We mentioned him at the top. This movie's written by David Berenbaum, who moved to Hollywood in the early nineties and this was his first ever you know IMDb writing credit, first thing that actually sold, and since then he really hasn't found much success. He wrote the Haunted Mansion movie, which I came on. I think a year after this one. I was gonna say which one, because he wrote that Tim Allen Zoom movie, which is horrible. It's a terrible

movie. Tim Tim Allen is like a superhero in charge of younger superheroes. It's pretty bad. Was like ages on that one two and five that I have never heard of, And that's something that people, if it was any good, would speak highly of, like, oh, you know what was ahead of its time was this Tim Allen superhero movie. So I've never heard that sky High Yeah, that sky High Rocket or one of those ones.

Jim. And since this movie, he really hasn't found any success. That's really those two titles are the only two titles I thought you guys might know. Uh. He is doing the upcoming Frost of the Snowman movie, so I don't know if they're going to do that live action, if they're remaking

it with stop motion. That remains to be seen. But the interesting thing about Baron Baum is he grew up Jewish, so obviously didn't celebrate Christmas, but he grew up loving Christmas movies, and he lost his father young around the holiday season, so Christmas meant so much to him that this sort of became his pet project, his baby. So uh and speaking to what Goose said earlier, you know, he wrote this movie as a son, you know, so in his eyes when he wrote this, it meant one thing.

And now he's a father and gets to show it to his kids, and it means means something completely different to him now, which is great. Obviously, this movie is directed by John Favreaux, which we just talked about. After this, he did zeph Thura, which didn't do much, so a little bit of a gap there. But then obviously the Man of Break You're unofficial Jumanji wonderful as it was. Then we get Ironman, Iron Man

Two Cowboys and Aliens, which obviously didn't do well. The movie Chef, which actually, other than the Ironman movies, well, I guess this is up there too. Chef is one of the most underrated movies that's come out in the last decade. I love that movie. Uh. He did the Jungle Book remake and the Lion King remake, which I don't know. I didn't love either of those movies, but Jun facing the Lion King, I

would say, but they kicked off Disney Live Action. It was a gigantic change in Disney's strategy for sure, and I wonder he's just kind of I think he can do whatever he wants at Disney, obviously talking about The Mandalorian the Book of Boba Fett, which he was the writer or the creator on

both of those shows. He had a love growing up for the Christmas classics by Ranking Bass, and so when he got hired for this movie, his big thing was wanting this movie to feel timeless and feel like those Rank and Bass original stop motion movies. It's great and I feel like over time that has just proven itself even more where I do think this movie has gotten better with each year and since then, since twenty oh three, I don't think don't you dare laugh? I hate when you do that. I don't think

that we have had a Christmas well. I think we've had one Christmas classic sense and excited to know what you think. Klouse, I was gonna talk Klaus close is I think Klause. Although it does get a little silly at points, I think is the best Christmas movie that we've gotten since ol and maybe the only Oh it's wonderful it is it'll hearts an yeah, and it's

a sportsman. Jake Case Simmons. It's a cool animation too. Yeah, it's almost like old school hand drawn but with with sort of a modern field, so it doesn't feel it feels, you know, like a storybook come to life, and it's this great story about a postman and you're just like, this is what I'm watching, you know, Scandinavian Town about a postman and a toymaker, and it is so good start to finish. I'm gonna have to put that Norm McDonald also in there. I really yeah love that

as a fisherman or a sailor. I'm not sure what he's what he's up to. Lock that in for me. I'll watch that this week. Might be on Netflix. Okay, that's good to know. It's a good recommendation for the folks. Elf. Let's get to the synopsis. Raised as an oversized ELF buddy travels from the North Pole in New York City to meet his biological father, who doesn't know he exists and is in desperate need of some Christmas spirit simple fish. Yeah, yeah, it works, it works really

really well. And I think speaking of that rank and bass stuff, that first like twenty minutes, fifteen minuts, he's on the North Pole. I love the look of that because he's so gigantic, and Favreaux also didn't want they use CGI, So it's a lot of practical effects with the stop motion and they used what's the technique force perspective they use in there, which works

so so well. Yeah. Also, I believe they had a lot of red flags from the studio because they're like, are you borrowing this or are you stealing because the costume is the same costume that the elf manager wears in Rudolph. Yes, all right, this movie stars. We'll talk about the stars, and then we'll talk about the supporting cast looking through this honestly, one of the greatest supporting casts there's ever been in a holiday movie like this,

especially a lower budget with all the names you see here. You will Ferrell obviously as Buddy the Elf, James Kahn as Walter Hobbs, who plays this so straight. Yeah, and that's honestly what makes that relationship work so well. There's a scene with con because he was instructed never to break, he wanted to be grumpy the entire time. But when Buddy's getting his blood test done in screaming, you can see him covering his mouth and moving because

he couldn't keep it together. So that's the only scene where you'll see him going. You know, he loses the stone face. He turns away from the camera because he just lost it. But beyond that, he's perfect as this sour need of Christmas cheer figure. That was also the scene where I was like, you know what, Buddy the Elf is my three year old son. I now like this has now hit me because he was just eating the cotton balls and wouldn't listen to simple instruction to the point of like,

oh, now I fully understand a father's son. And also I think it also plays a bit like how Michael Kine is and I'm up at Christmas Carol, where it's the stoic actor who is playing it as if he is in a Shakespearean play. It doesn't matter what's going on around him, it doesn't matter if he's acting with puppets. He is going to act it a certain way. And James Khn does that here. And as much as you're rooting for Buddy the Elf, you're almost rooting more for the switch in Walter Hobbes.

It really gives you something more to root for in this movie. Zoey Deschanella is Jovi, and this was really her first big role. She was in almost famous, but more of a big player there. But she was not the first choice for the studio. The studio wanted Katie Holmes because she was a star. I'm trying to see if I can see it. She don't think I can. No, I don't think it's the right choice.

I don't know if she could have given off the uh, the charm that Zoe Deschanel has in this movie, because she's almost too well known at that point to play that role. Also, the studio wanted that character to be a prostitute. Oh why a lady of the night? Yes, and the and the writers were like, you know that we're trying to make a family friendly movie. I feel like this might play with that. You know that one guy in the back was just like, how about we make her a

prostitute? Hey, guys, I don't know if you've thought about this yet. Maybe pipe down, save that for another one. Bob Newhart's Papa Elf fantastic, he's so good. And Asner is Santa also, Macda is back. Yes, I want you a lot of far go. I feel like you just hit the Minnesota accident, Santa Clause, Mary Steinberg and as Emily Hobbes is great as the foil for Walter Hobbs. Uh. Faison love as

the Gimbals manager. And there's a great tidbit about this casting. In that Netflix show, they wanted Wanda Sykes super bad in that role that I see, and knowing that she would have been great. However, Faison was great. But if you notice, if you rewatch it again, his name tag even says Wanda on pretty good right there. Peter Dinklage is Miles Finch, also phenomenal. Amy Sedaris is deb He's she's Walter's secretary. She's great.

Uh, Michael Lerner is Fulton. You might not know who Michael Lerner is, but when you see his face, you'll recognize who he is. Andy Richter is Morris, Kyle Gass is Eugene of course of Tenac's d Fame. Artie Lang is Gimbal. Santa is unbelievable. Yeah, And actually there's a funny joke in the Honest trailer for this of Andy Richter, Kyle Gas Ardie Lange just says, sidekicks, you've just assembled basically if character actor from the two thousand film, it's like, oh, yeah, I know that person

from something. Yes, that's the entire list right there. There's also a nice little uh casting of the kid from a Christmas Story. He plays one of the elves buds on the north bowle there. So good. We have talked about this movie a couple times here, so Alex. We used to do because we've sort of run out of years and movies to do. We need to stop this vault series. What the crowd keeps saying to I just

get there screaming outside. It's a lot. We used to go back to a certain year and then talk about the best movies and worst movies of the year, and at the end nominate four, have people vote on it on Twitter or x now. And this was one of the one of our This was one of our final four for the two thousand and three vault. The other three where Old School, Lord of the Rings, Return of the King,

and Finding Nemo. This came in second to Old School, which as much you know, old School might define two thousand and three more, but this is way more timeless than all timeless. Yes, question, I mean thinking back to two thousand and three, that's all anybody voted for Yeah, probably until the forty year old Virgin. Actually know, until Anchorman came out. I think everyone only just quoted Old School. Yeah, So I'm okay with that because old School is definitely more that era. But I would rather

watch Elf ten times more than well. Now, yeah, we also talked about this. We did a Christmas movie though, talked about all the Christmas movies. Our final four for that were Elf, Home Alone, Them Up at Christmas, Carol, and The Night Before Christmas. Now that was more our night Christmas. Yeah, the Nightmare before Christmas. Sorry, that was more our taste playing into it. It's a wonderful life. Probably should have

been nominated. People would mention Diehard. I argue, it's not a Christmas movie where you stand on there, it's obviously a Christmas said it a Christmas party. It really said it at a Christmas party. Can't anymoreus bad Santa? I think is in a discussion a Christmas Carol and a discussion as well. But Elf actually won that vote over Home Alone, which is my favorite. Two favorites come Christmas time, and some of like the online rankings you

go and look at. I just had to bring this up because it bothered Me. Vulture ranked Elf the twenty eighth best Christmas movie of all time, Pure insanity. I think you could you could argue four or five, six or seven movies over it. I'm not even sure I can name twenty seven. I don't. I have no idea how you justify it was at least twenty seven Rudolph movies. Shiny New Year, The July One, the one where he meets Shiny New Year, two, Miser Cold Meser, One Year

Without a Santa Claus. Just about every other publication has a top five, and I think most people you would speak to would have it in their top four or five. Yeah. I mean, if you want to argue the older stuff, which I understand, I think the pacing on the older stuff doesn't help it out. This is the one I like this Home Alone and while Home Alone two doesn't have that same feel as Home Alone one, the

murder House at the end might be my favorite Christmas thing. It does have one hundred percent more Donald Trump. So you go right ahead, gud This is a point you brought up that I think is interesting to talk about. In consideration, I think the original person they wanted for this role was Chris Farley, and obviously it's of the era of Jim Carrey too. Would this movie have been better or worse with those two castings? So with Farley it's

a completely different movie. And I feel like, and obviously we don't know because we've never seen a cut with it, but we've also seen some of the stuff of Farley playing Shrek, and that's completely different than what Mike Myers is. Yes, to the point of like, I don't know if he could have had the childlike wonderment and the sincerity that Will Ferrell had here. So although it would have been maybe a movie that we remember, I don't

think it would have been a timeless classic. You've hit the right word there, which is the wonder because it's easy to see why they would have picked Farley or Jim Carrey because they're looking for adult children. I'm looking for people who can, you know, throw a tantrum or you know, feel larger than life at the same time as like a three year old feels larger than life because it's so much energy and power. But neither of them has the

innocence or the wonder or the sweetness that Will Ferrell brings. The word I keep coming back to is like this wholesomeness beautiful, which I don't think the other two have, and Will Farrow has to the max. Well, I think Farley kind of had it, but you needed a sidekick with him, like a Chris, like a David Chris Baide, like David Spade, who can like poke at him and like get him to that point. I'm not sure because when Farley was off on his own, those movies didn't really have

that same feel. Plus, did you know I don't know if you know this fact. This is not Will Ferrell's first adventure with Christmas. Before he was famous. He was a mall Santa and his elf was Chris Catant. They were both coming up in the ranks. And that's so funny. They've told many stories about it andredible, that's awesome. So the rumor with Jim Carrey not doing it, and I've only seen that one online because the Chris

Farley stuff is in the Netflix special. But the stuff with Jim Carrey is that he was doing the Grinch and he didn't want to do back to back Christmas things. You know, that's a classic Christmas movie, But that one's insane, but that no one's insane. And that one's a bit more crass. Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean it worked out from

that movie did well too. After the success of Old School, which I think was in the early part of two thousand and three, Yes New Line looked at this movie and was like, oh boy, we got to capitalize on the Frank the Tank and didn't want the wholesome Will Ferrell. They wanted Frank the Tank. So they had actually taken the movie away from Favreaux and re edited it and tried to make that PG thirteen slash R rated comedy and they couldn't do it. The footage wasn't there. So they're like, we

didn't shoot that movie. You can't. You can try, you can't edit something that isn't there, setting it swear beliefs and random times they're like, look out, look at his mouth. They were actually adding in footage from Old School, just putting it in there digitally edited Santa Hat just like on him running through the streets, like look, it's elf. We nailed it.

Didn't know Luke Wilson was in this movie, Jeremy Pevin. So after they cast Farrell, their next role was Walter that they wanted to cast Originally they wanted Gary Sandley, which would have been interesting because I don't know, he could have been as mean but not as serious as Conn plays it.

But I think that Shandling actually could have pulled off the supporting role. He could have not as not as important as the main role as Buddy the Elf, And I think that Shandling could have had, like could have had that hatred and anger towards Buddy. But altoately, when I was young and I saw this film, like con scared me so like, I mean, you know, maybe flashbacks to my own father, which you're not getting into this

podcast, but like that's actually why you're here, great, wonderful. I had no idea, but like I remember being like, I don't know if Gary Shanling if I looked at it ever looked at that man and been like, well, the cast and crew was also very afraid of James con sure, James, God, I would be afraid of him. We also a couple of years ago, two three years ago, we did a top ten Will Ferrell characters. Okay, we had Buddy the Elf ranked number two behind

Ron Burgundy, which I think that's that's an absolute fair ranking. Uh So, getting back to your point, gu has there been a Christmas class since this movie? So they tried with Violent Night. And while I appreciate Violent Night, I think that's a fun movie, I don't even consider it a Christmas movie. No, I mean, after you know, Bad Santa is maybe the only thing I can think of that sort of bridge that gap of like adult Christmas movie, Like let's take out all the sweetness and wonder and

childhood fun and we'll just make it like crass and violent and angry. And there have been ones that have enjoyed, but they're not classics. They're just kind of there for the moment to be like, oh, this is crampis a movie about Crampus, and they're like, great, that was the tag on the movie. Nailed it in one. Yeah. So, and Bad Santa even works only because of Billy Bob Thort. Anyone else you'd be like, what are we watching here? So I don't have a class, was

my answer. You asked me this question earlier, That's the one I was bringing. You stole it from me. Thanks, that's great. Sorry, I that was a movie. I think my son was like one at the time, and like, oh an animated movie. Let me put this on for you, and then I'm sitting there watching like this is fantastic. It truly is two thousand and three. By the way, you get Bad Santa as well and also love. Actually, yeah, great year for for a

Christmas movie special there. I have heard that the new Paul Giamatta movie The Holdovers is almost an instant Christmas class Now that's interesting, but obviously for an older crowd. It is said at Christmas, it's one So you've seen it. I've seen it. We haven't seen it. It's fantastic. You know, Giomani is best. Geomony is one of these actors that like everything you see him in he's fantastic, and then you forget him out immediately. He's

like, why are you not in more movies? What are you doing? Paul Giamonni like, yes, it's very sad and very it's it's it's kind of like got that dead Poet's thing going for that, where like it's inspirational and it's all about obviously a prep school and uh there's connections made and people grow as characters, etcetera, etcetera. But it's not like a super cheerful, fun movie. I wouldn't throw it on with like a hot coco and be like, this is not my entertainment for the So there's not a ton

of like rewatchability to it. I guess that is what you're saying. Do you like? How much? Do you want to like be sad like it? I love it? Then, yeah, you'll you'll enjoy it very much. It is. It is a fantastic film. I'm just not sure I'll watch it again next year. Okay, that's fair. I have heard it's one of the best movies of the year, so I can win that. I've been putting together my list and it's it's definitely top ten. I have to figure out where it's gonna go. Here's a good question for you.

So we go back and forth on this. Our top two right now is Oppenheimer and across the Spider Verse. Okay, I don't know where you stand on those two. Absolutely those are big top five. Yeah, all right, there's there's I haven't seen Killers of the Flower Moon yet. I think it just hits streaming, so that's my next It's really really good. I have it just a smidge below, say Oppenheimer. Okay, that's interesting. I did Barbenheimer when that actually came out into the whole five hours back to

back again. Oh no, you do Oppenheimer. Then, Barbie, it's dinner than dessert. There is no other option. I will hear no. I yield the rest of my time. I will hear no. Rebuddal that's true. Imagine having coming off the high of Barbie going into Oppenheimer. I would just crush your soul. Barbie. But like Barbie Barbers, Yeah, that's true. That's the main difference. I liked Barbie a lot more than him. The emotional stuff hit for me, it didn't really hit for him.

Okay, I saw with my mom, so then I was kind of overwhelmed with my mom sobbing and I was like, well now I'm crying, thanks mom. All Right, so we talked about Christmas classics. Now let's talk about like two thousands classics comedies. Okay, obviously I wouldn't say this is as funny as barrat Stepbrother's Anchorman, But because it's so good, I think you could argue it's in that top tier. Now. I made two tiers, so there might be eight tiers, five tiers, however you want

to do it. But I have a tier one of like two thousands classic comedies, and you tell me what I'm missing or what shouldn't be in there. I have Stepbrothers, Borat Anchorman, super Bad, and Mean Girls. I think that five sort of defines that, you know, eight to ten year period, and I would have this just a tier below with like forty year Old Virgin, Wedding Crash. There is Jackass, I Love You man in Old School. I think I have those just a step below that the

top five. So number one Jackass two is better than Jackass one, fair enough. Also, I think forty year Old Virgin is in the tier one. I think that kicked off the R rated comedy decade, which was just Gangbusters. And that's the only thing I'll say about that is the last thirty minutes. It's a little long. Yeah, yes, it goes a little long. But that's what an appata movie is. Yeah, that's true and also true. I mean think back to you know hockey, like in the

locker room, what was the movie that we quoted the most. No, for sure that it was the forty year Old Virgin. Yeah, I like the ones who just named you're just basically reading Will Ferrell's holography. That is that's a huge point too. You just dartboard at his sort of IMBB page. You're like, well, that's a class. It's like Will Ferrell, and then you start to get into like Paul Rudd stuff, and like that's a whole fifteen year period. Well it's like Will Ferrell and then like all

of his friends. So it's like it's kind of sprinkling out. Yeah, all right, let's get into the gauntlet goo fun. Fact? Does this movie define fun? Is this the most fun movie ever? It is ninety seven minutes of just fun. I don't think it is like I would say fun factor wise, I would have it below say like a Back to the Future, where I think that movie is just wall to wall. It's like different fun, it's different kinds of fun. But this is just very simple.

Will Ferrell as perfect casting with the counter of his fuddy duddy daddy yep, and with the small budget, and they had to only get so much footage. It's quick, it's brisk. They change the scenes enough. It's very very well done. You know why I will actually give you credit for running the goonlet of fun that this is it is that this movie works at any age. You were nine you were ninety, you will laugh, yeah, laugh at different things, which I agreed. Back to the future,

I probably had more fun watching. But if I was like fourteen, I'd be like, what am I watching here? Like I want to play with swords. I guess that's what I did at fourteen. And you know what, even like background so to that point in college, my college roommate was from New York, just outside of New York City. His the hardest, he laughs, is when Buddy gets hit by the cab, because he's like, that's so realistic, you know, it's like that, just that little

touch is so good. That's how you know you're a New Yorker is when you've been robbed, you need a bad celebrity, and you've been hit by a cab. It's those three things you have officially become a New york Also, the guy that Will Ferrell says, Santa two on the street, he didn't even know him. That's awesome. Yep, is this a random guy in the street. That's great. It's like Billy on the Street way before. But you talked about quotability. This movie for being as maybe not on

that upper tier of comedy is insanely quotable. Almost every scene has as something requotable from it. You talk about Cottonhead and Nitny Muggins when he gets scared by the jack in the box. That kills me every time. The line about the race pizza being the race pizza, that's an awesome line that you'd never even would think to put it in there. You get it. Yeah, you saying that you don't see Santa and you all aways go sat up. Yeah, I know him. I can't not say it. It's hope

you find you're dead. That's John Fabre is it. Yeah, smiling is my favorite. I'm singing. I'm singing. Every single interaction with Faison love is absolutely gold amazing. You sit on a throne of lines. I think I might quote that one the most. It's a great quote. Oh he's an angry elf. I always Francisco, Francisco. That's fun to say out of the elf. What's your favorite color? Like? It's the whole movie from top to bottom is so cornable. Son of a Nutcracker. That's another

one that's great. You walk into an elevator and you just see all the buttons and you just have that instinct to just like fingers all the way down, it's like, all right. One of the funniest things that has been that was originally pointed out I think in one of those like honest trailer type videos is the guy that he drinks with in the mail room. It's supposed to be like twenty six years old. That man looks like he's fifty five. That's Hans Mallman. I'm thirty two. Alcohol has ruined my life?

Uh, satisfactor. How satisfying is this movie? To you? Guys? It's wildly satisfying. But I will say that the end it is them trying to find an ending almost and although I don't love it like I love I think the ending of Home Alone is way more satisfying. Yeah, that's true, but true this movie needed to end, and that is that's a good Christmas spirit Christmas movie ending. Yeah, there's a family, there's a successful business. James Gone is happy. What more do you want? Yeah?

The real satisfying thing, I guess is James Kahn. He starts singing, he makes that switch and he finally like opens up his heart. But also, why wasn't he singing like he just met Santa Claus. He's a curmudgeon. I know, but he just met Santa Claus. It's not like you know, he hadn't met him yet. Borahmer. If you were looking at this as a meter of bor Alex, was there any ticking on the meter at no point? It's ninety minutes of like insanity and wildness and manic craziness

for Christmas, like we be bored. We say this so often, is that if you can get a movie to ninety minutes, we'll almost always accept it. It's the perfect length right there. It is. That's how long a dream is. Honestly, like, even if you don't love a movie or borderline, if you borderline disliked a movie and it was eighty eight minutes, you're like, I'm not even that upset. No, no, no, I've watched TV shows that are longer than at this point, and that's

one of thirty. So let's dance Halloween. This is us misconstruing the words ween and Wayne Alex. Has this movie waned over time to you? No? In fact, it's gotten better yes by Christmas? Why you know? Does it have something to do with Zoe deschanelisn't on TV anymore? So I don't have to be annoyed by her constantly, and this is like a lovely take. Yeah, maybe this is about the level I could take of that woman. And there it is. Yeah, No, it's it's only gotten

better all time. Great rewatchability. Yes, this and Home Alone are the only two that I watched multiple times during the Christmas season. Equator equator is this? Is this movie better or worse or the same as twenty seventeen's Aquaman. It's a tough call. Better. I know you guys show Aquaman every December. Here in classic tradition, people come and float ees, It's wonder, bring your trit as to the raft, No weapons in the pants, tent city, Excite bike Mania. This is the PG way of saying,

did anything in this movie get you going? Really really stir you up? No, to put it, That's totally fine. I'm not thrown by the question. I'm more interested in your answers because if there's a yes coming, this podcast is going to run a little longer. To keep it PG, no, to give it to be honestly, to say. PG thirteen the singing in the shower scene. All right, sure, all right, fair

a little bit cu Max credit Union. This is the segment of our program where I give credit to someone that made the movie or in the movie. Obviously Will Ferrell is the obvious answer. But I would say this script is pretty great. The writing is really good, the joke telling is great. So I got to give David Berenbaum his credit because he never found success.

Again, I want to give Will Ferrell more credit because, like we already talked about earlier, I don't think anyone else could have pulled off this wide eyed, wholesome, silly character and made you want to watch it again. Yeah. Yeah, because there's also a point of if someone else is doing this, you're like, oh, that wasn't bad, but you're not going to want to watch it again. He plays it so well, Yeah, he really does. He also, obviously John Favreau has to get some credit

here. Yeah. I just read a book about the rise of MC of Studios, which was phenomenal, and you learned how much he was just pushing for this vision because you're dealing with suits, you're dealing with being character. Yeah, the character, that's exactly right. And then the podcast, now,

yeah, we're good. You nailed it. You nailed it on a terrible pun, and so I obviously I haven't looked into this, but I imagine, especially if it's new line is putting this together, you need a director who's like, I have this decision, I want this to come out this way, and I know what's going to work. And he did. Yeah. His number one thing was for this to be timeless, and he nailed it and nailed it. Yeah. Success, all right, hot dogs,

hot dogs, Alex. I know this was briefly explained to love this. We rate things on a forty hot dog rating stuff, and everyone, I'm shocked to hear you even need to do you give something a forty. It's the best movie roughly you've ever seen. I'll go first. If you don't mind, you know what, I'll let you go first. That's fine. So this Fish out of Water in New York City is perfectly executed by Will Ferrell. His physical comedy in two thousand and three is peak. It's

peak Will Ferrell. Beyond Will Ferrell. The supporting cast is call it time out real quick. Yeah, have you ever seen Old School? On mute? I've not seen Old School. I cannot recommend that enough. Will Ferrell is unbelievable. Just the facial expression is when he's doing the toiral stuff. Okay, that's the best part. Actually, I would say the pool party, the party stuff with him like it's it's so good, it's so good. But I do that way more than i'd like time in Beyond fare,

the supporting cast in this movie is incredible. There's like twelve to fifteen great characters in here. Some of them get thirty seconds, some of them get three minutes, and they do a really good job of painting this pessimistic New York City up against Buddy's glee. It's a really good they're really good foils for each other. Yeah, And as funny as this movie is, it's ultimately defined by its heart, which is why I think it makes for me

the best Christmas movie ever. The feel good moment during the conclusion when everyone's singing like it's a bit corny, but it's Christmasy as well, and Christmas is kind of corny obviously, it's hysterical as well. We talked about the comedies. There's actually a decent little romance story in here too. It's not a bad rom com between him and Jovie. But I think what takes this from like being a great movie to all time great is the pacing. There's

no moment wasted in this movie from beginning to end. It's ninety seven minutes. Whatever it is, it's perfect, perfectly paced. So while maybe it's not a forty out of forty comedy or a forty out of forty family movie, I think when you consider all the outside factors and the fact that it's like clearly my number one Christmas movie, I had to give this forty hot dogs and I very rarely I nitpick a lot. I think maybe you could argue it to thirty nine, but for me, it's a forty hot dog

movie. Yeah. For me. First off, I want to give a shout out to Michael for wearing a Wayne Krabet jersey that's perfectly of the time. That might be the only thing that takes it out of being timeless, because that was the first thing I looked at him, like, what was he wearing? Eighty jets? Okay, But like we've already talked about a million times, Will Ferrell is perfect in this. It captures the Christmas magic that they're absolutely going for. And Favreau wanted he wanted that rankin bass.

He wanted that every year you can put it on, you can watch it with your mom, you can watch it with your dad, you can watch it with your kid of any age. This movie hits for everybody. It's one of the most quotable Christmas movies of all time. You made the point of making it, you know, quotable movies of the decade. And I think as a Christmas movie, this is pretty perfect as a Christmas movie.

This is a forty hot dog Christmas movie. If you're talking about just a movie in general, you might knock it down to like, you know, thirty seven, thirty eight because you can't compare are it. No, yeah, you can give me if you take it. We're not tell Chindler's List. It's a tough comparition. I know it's tough to compare those movies, but don't throw it up against the Christmas backdrop. If you had to evaluate this in a vacuum as a movie, what's your score? Probably thirty seven

or thirty eight. Okay, all right, that's fair. But I also you need to look at the context of what the movie is fair. I know, and I'm just saying, like, like Christmas movie wise, I don't think you can do better than what this is. Yeah, yeah, well so don't you think that it being like a fifty out of forty Christmas movie brings it up to forty. That's not how the skis. Well, I'm not gonna argue it broke my brain. Thirty seven thirty eight is a

great score. Okay. So this movie obviously iconic for lots of reasons and has sort of transcended the film itself. I mean, if you're going to hire someone to be at your your Christmas party, you're gonna hire a Santa. You're gonna hire a buddy the Elk. Yeah, they're like, that's it, Like who else would you? I guess a missus Claus. So you've got three options, maybe a weird dude in a reindeer suit with like a glowing red news even that's like you hire him first. Yeah, that's

the first one obviously. And so I kind of agree with you that it's hard to take this out of kind of the Christmas vacuum of like I wouldn't watch this in like March see I would, Okay, And that's totally fair. I have a colleague named Bridget who sets up all of our movie party. So we're at the Almo draft House. We do elf with props and you get like hats and snowballs, and it's really fun. This is the bane of her existence because she has to do so many shout out Bridget and

so it's really funny to watch her. The only person I know who actually actively hates this movie. And so I would give it thirty five syrup filled hot dogs, the most sweet, disgusting odd dogs. But I'm giving the extra five just to annoy Bridget. You get that four full forty? Yeah, just fight, but probably thirty five your shortlist of greatest Christmas movies ever?

Get what's in the conversation with Elf for you? So I love Night Member four Christmas that you brought up, But I think Night Member before Christmas is a Christmas movie for people who love Halloween. Halloween movie for people love Christmas. I think it's the opposite way there. That's the one I probably watch more than anything else. I just think it's weird and wonderful and dark. I do watch Diehard as a Christmas movie. I think that you know,

you've got violence and anger and Alan Rickman. What more would you want for Christmas? That's a great movie. That's a great film. That's right. So we we've this is seven years, six years of a standing argument die Hard being a Christmas not being Christmas movie. I've gotten so deep in that people think I don't like die Hard. I love Diehard. I just draw that line in the sand I Christmas. I also refuse to have this argument anymore. It's it's the hot dog is a sandwich argument for movies.

It really doesn't matter. It's at a Christmas party. Yeah, I mean the second Fas line is him with the machine gun. Oh yeah, there's the line. Yeah. I think those are like my mom really loves White Christmas. She watches that a lot, and that one. That one's sweet and wonderful. I love the old ranking baths stuff. I don't know if you are you guys big TikTok people, and if you're not totally fun Okay, So all the people doing the claymation like in live action to those songs,

it's incredible to see. I don't know why this year over any other year, but they feel like they've been a ton of them and it's super nostalgia. Like that's wonderful. I think, you know, obviously we just talked about this movie for forty five minutes, but I think that's what ropes you into this movie immediately. Is it feeling like those classics? From the jump one minute in? It feels like those ranking and bestmentvies, which is great. Yeah. I did update my Christmas list? Do you want to

do a top ten Christmas list? Oh? As a separate podcast because we need content. We did the vault, but we didn't do the top ten because we desperately need content. It's on my lap right now, see it. I haven't made this list. I'm going to have to do that. This is good. Yeah, yeah, So what is your top four on that list? Right? Top four? I mean that kind of gives it away. I mean already, but we've all I'll just give my top two

because we've talked about it a million times. I think you've mentioned it too, Elfin Home Alone are just the ones that every single year, and Home Alone is the other one now that people start to give, well it's Christmas. No, that is there's a movie that you cannot tell unless it's Christmas.

The only so because they bring this up as a counter to the to the Diehard argument is Diehard could happen any other number of times a year, which I think I think there's like seven or eight other times during the year. You could set diehard and it would work. Ye, Home Alone only works during Christmas time or Thanksgiving. It has to be that draw. Maybe it has to be the hectic travel. Which hectic travel, It's it only like one two three times a year. That's why I think Home Alone is

more of a Christmas movie. But you could make the diehard argument against you heard it there first, Home Alone a hectic travel time movie. All right, so I guess that'll do it for this episode of MAC and do Alex, would you like to plug yourself? Hello? Yes, all right, let's do that. I'm Alex. I'm at Alex shebar s HG B A r on on Instagram and at featuring Alex on on TikTok. I do a movie fact every single day at ten second movie fact on TikTok every single day.

Awesome. So if you want, you know, nonsense, you can do That's that's that's featuring Alex on TikTok. If the audience here loves nothing else, it's nonsense. Yeah, there it is that well, I got plenty of it for you. And of course, the Alamo Draft is now open in the Seaport District of Boston. Mac where gonna people find. You

can find us on Twitter and on Instagram at Mac and goog podcast. On every other platform, we are Mac and Persan Goo that's Mac Shift seven Goo on your keyboard that includes Facebook, Stitcher, Tuning, Castbox, Spreaker, Google Play, I Heart Radio. We are on Spotify, but more importantly we are on Apple Podcast. Rate review, subscribe five stars. If you do that, we'll get you a free Mac and Goo T shirt from the

folks over at Watertown Sportswear. That's Watertown Sportswear thirty four mo auvun Street in Watertown, Watertown Sportswear experts, screenprinting and embroidery dot coming. He's a robot. Now he's done. He's done this over eight and freaked down t bubook dot com Merch, go and check out my I think you should leave merch because I need Christmas dollars. Check us out at the beginning of next week for a news dump and then we'll have some more Christmas fun or maybe what

have you been watching? Because we had seven more movies to do that and if we both see God's Own minus one, that'll be worth talking about and if you see us next wins it's rough. Don't give away anything, sorry, I mean it was a mystery so much, and love him much, but you know what, he has a show called Our Flag Meats Death, which I'm absolutely loving. So you know ups and downs of Taiko this year. I didn't want to give anything away, but it felt like someone wrote

the movie for him and then tried to put in taikas well. That's exactly right. I felt like it was the Mighty Ducks with with him, but neither one was done well, and you just like, what go one way or the other, but you can't do just Fashbender helped the movie at all. And this is the movie he like, hadn't a movie in like half a decade because he's been racing and he came back to make this and then you're just like, what disappointing? What are you doing? Brother? Yeah,

I'm gonna come away loving Italy. I hope you do. I really honestly hope you do. I'm gonna apologize for it if you don't mind me, all right, So check us out next week. Thank you to this great studio audience. Bye bye bye. Please flip the cassette over to Side B to continue the adventure.