Elf (2003)

1 plot hole - chronological order

★★★★☆

Starring: Will Ferrell, James Caan, Zooey Deschanel, Bob Newhart

Genres: Christmas, Comedy, Family, Fantasy

Plot hole: Throughout the film we see several characters talk about how there's no Christmas spirit and how nobody believes in Santa anymore. If, in this universe at least, Santa does exist, it's almost impossible for people to think this. If the parents deliver the presents then how do they explain the excess gifts that Santa brings? We know that Michael is on the nice list because Santa shows him towards the end, so Michael must get presents from Santa. There is no way that Walter can't believe in Santa then because Michael gets gifts from him every year.

deadexcel

Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: Emily and Walter probably just thought each present Michael got from Santa was from the other parent. I'm not sure if Walter got him presents or not but you can see that Emily did as she's seen walking home with presents when she's on the phone with Walter.

That is highly unlikely. When my daughter was "believing in Santa" age, my wife and I always talked about what we were getting her, so we didn't duplicate. Plus that theory wouldn't work for single parents.

wizard_of_gore ★

It is very likely because it's obvious Walter is not in the Christmas spirit like his wife and Michael are. Plus it's obvious Walter is not focused on his family at the beginning of the movie so it's safe to assume the original submission is correct.

lartaker1975

More for Elf

Mistakes

Visible crew/equipment: In the scene where Buddy and Michael are leaving the school, a crew member is visible in the bottom left of the shot. At first, he is just standing there, but he then tries to hide inside a doorway. (00:52:00)

More mistakes in Elf

Quotes

[Buddy sees the mail room for the first time.]
Buddy: It's just like Santa's workshop! Except it smells like mushrooms, and everyone looks like they want to hurt me.

More quotes from Elf

Trivia

Trivia: Originally, the store Buddy and Jovie work in was supposed to be a Macy's. However, Macy's quickly dropped out of the project when they got the script and saw that there was a scene where Buddy confronts a fake mall-Santa in the store for not being the real Santa. Reportedly, Macy's representatives indignantly told the studio that "Macy's Santa is the REAL Santa!"

TedStixon

More trivia for Elf

Questions

Question: Has anyone noticed what looks exactly like a Buddy Elf doll standing on the kitchen counter during the breakfast scene where Buddy is pouring syrup for the mom? If you pause when the camera pulls back to show Buddy pouring syrup and the back of the moms head, you'll see the elf doll on the right side of the scene (our right, Buddy's left) facing away from the camera. It's on the counter directly below the cabinet knobs; behind the back of a chair and in front of what looks like a radio that sits against the counter wall. Ideas? Looks just like a Buddy doll to me.

Answer: It might just be a regular elf doll that, coincidentally, is dressed in real elf clothes.

Answer: This was probably deliberately added to the scene. Movies often add in-jokes like this. I believe it was "HP and the Chamber of Secrets" that while Harry, Ron, and Hermione are in Diagon Alley, the entire Harry Potter book series can be seen on a shelf in the background. In "Raiders of The Lost Ark," there are a little C-3PO and R2D2 carved into the stone hieroglyphs in the Well of Souls. "Jurassic Park" openly displayed JP merchandise, the same merchandise that was sold in stores. Filmmakers love to add little "Easter eggs" like that for audiences to find.

raywest ★

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