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Honest Trailers - Elf is the 273rd episode of Screen Junkies comedy series Honest Trailers. It was written by Spencer Gilbert, Dan Murrell, Joe Starr and Lon Harris. It was narrated by Jon Bailey as Epic Voice Guy. It parodies the 2003 American Christmas fantasy comedy film Elf. The video is 3 minutes 17 seconds long. It was published on November 27, 2018, to coincide with the holiday season. It has been viewed over 1.6 million times.

Watch Honest Trailers - Elf on YouTube

"Buddy has about three years left until the diabetes takes him." ~ Honest Trailers - Elf

Script[]

Some Christmas movies are sweet [Miracle on 34th Street]. Some are funny [National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation]. Others are just super, super weird [Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer]. But only one of them is all of those things. [Narwhal: Bye, Buddy! Hope you find your Dad! Buddy: Thanks Mr. Narwhal]

Elf

Meet Buddy, an orphan abandoned by his mum after a one night stand, who's stolen by Santa, raised by a family who thinks he's a burden, and gets sent to New York with nothing but the clothes on his back to find his real dad - who thinks he's mentally ill and wants nothing to do with him. [Buddy: I love you! I love you! I love yoooooou!!!] Huh, when you lay it out like that, it kind of sounds like a Joker movie. [in Joker voice] "You want to know how I got these tights?"

Enjoy a Will Ferrell performance for the ages, showing off his infectious joy [Buddy: I just like to smile. Smiling's my favorite], his physical comedy [Buddy bounds gleefully onto a Christmas Tree], and his deep gratitude that Jim Carrey turned down this role and did The Grinch instead. As he gives a performance so balls-to-the-wall insane, you won't even care that Zooey Deschanel hooks up with someone who's mentally a child, or that Santa is real and no one seems to care, or that Buddy has about three years left until the diabetes takes him. [Buddy stuffs his face with sugar]. [Retch]

Experience the most honest portrayal of Christmas in film, where the holiday is all about putting as much food into your mouth as you can, getting too drunk at work, fighting with your family, and hoarding toys made overseas in horrible working conditions. But most of all it's about having faith in a higher power. You know, the bearded guy from up above [Buddy: (in a department store) SANTA! OH MY GOD!]

So revisit the holiday classic from "The SNL Guy" [Will Ferrell] who'd go from this to Anchorman,"The Swingers Guy" [Jon Favreau] who'd go from this to Iron Man, and "The Station Agent Guy" [Peter Dinklage] who'd go from this to Game of Thrones. Because everyone in it is talented and deserves the best in life. What, did you think I was just going to savage Elf? This movie is delightful; I'm not a monster.

Starring: [Will Ferrell as Buddy] Elrond Burgundy; [James Caan as Walter] Caaaaaaaaan! [Bob Newhart as Papa Elf] Bob the Builder; [Zooey Deschanel as Jovie] A Manic Pixie's Dream Girl; [Peter Dinklage as Miles Finch] Christmas is Coming; [Kyle Gass as Eugene & Andy Richter as Morris] Sidekicks; [Ed Asner as Santa] Jeff Bezos; and [Elves] Santa's Sleighves.

Honest Trailers - ElfOpen Invideo 2-46 screenshot

Honest title for Elf - A Christmas Ferrell. Titles designed by Robert Holtby.

A Christmas Ferrell

Jovie: You sure it had nothing to do with the fact that I was naked in the shower?

Buddy: I didn't know you're naked .

Yeah. I'm calling shenanigans on that one, buddy.

Trivia[]

Honest_Trailers_Commentary_-_Elf

Honest Trailers Commentary - Elf

  • This Honest Trailer was released immediately after the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. This meant it had to be written and edited in an abridged time frame compared to typical episodes of Honest Trailers. In order to accommodate this shorter production schedule, the writers kept the Honest Trailer short - around 3 minutes. Writer/producer Dan Murrell noted that previous episodes of Honest Trailers released immediately after Thanksgiving have been inconsistent quality-wise. Dan remarked that the Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Honest Trailer was a "Thanksgiving rush job" which the writers consider the worst entry in the Honest Trailers series.
  • Dan Murrell explained that the reason Screen Junkies release Honest Trailers for Christmas movies in November is that "they need to have a shelf life." That is, views for Christmas-related videos drop off dramatically immediately after Christmas.
  • The writers all like Elf. They agreed it was the "last Classic Christmas movie" because no subsequent Christmas movies have managed to become Christmas classics that viewers re-watch every year as part of their holiday ritual.
  • Screen Junkies have also produced Honest Trailers for several other holiday movies including Home Alone, The Santa Clause, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, Love Actually and Die Hard. See list of Honest Trailers for more.
  • In November 2018, the hosts of Screen Junkies invented their own holiday called Goblinnap during an episode of SJU. Goblinnap coincides with the American holiday Thanksgiving and is sometimes described as "Wiccan Thanksgiving."[1] Goblinnap festivities include eating, drinking, being with your family, beating things, and respect to the goblins[2]. The customary greeting is "Happy Goblinnap!" [3] Etymologists are divided over the origins of this phrase: some believe it derives in a mispronunciation of the phrase "Happy Gobble and Nap!" while others suggest it has a similar root to the term "kidnap."[4] Goblinnap revelers enjoy adventures in the nether-worlds, nether-realms and/or astral plane[5]. It is tradition to give every child a jack-in-the-box every Goblinnap.[6] This tradition goes back to ancient times when it was thought that jack-in-the-boxes scared the curses out of children. Other common traditions of Goblinnap include putting the Dark Elf on your shelf, rolling the skulls of the 14 Enchanters,[7] and playing the game "Hide the Chalice."[8] It is traditional to hide the chalice in the ante chamber.[9] Spencer Gilbert notes that younger people may find this tradition tiresome, but it's important to indulge your elders (and, as Roth Cornet says, sacrifice your young).[10] As Joe Starr says, the Dark Elf on your shelf is for your elders as much as it is for you, so just give it to them.[11] Goblinnap festivities come to a close when merrymakers "snuff the torches on the eleventh hour"[12] and say the incantation that brings all the babies back from the nether-realms.[13] The Patron Warlock of Goblinnap is Son of The Dale, whose father's name is, incontestably, The Dale.[14] The day after Goblinnap it is polite to ask after other people's return journey from the nether-realms.[14]

Watch the full Honest Trailer Commentary on YouTube

Reception[]

Honest Trailers - Elf has a 97.2% approval rating from YouTube viewers. People and PopSugar both called the Honest Trailer "hilarious." Geek Tyrant said the Honest Trailer "funny and entertaining." The site also praised Screen Junkies for pointing out how "sweet, funny, and super weird" Elf is. ScreenRant highlighted the Honest Trailer's positive tone, writing "the guys at Screen Junkies joke that Elf is just too delightful to rip apart." Screen Rant also noted "the trailer does point out that Deschanel marries someone who has the mind of a child, that people don't really seem to care that Santa is real, and jokes that Buddy will likely get diabetes in a few years. Screen Junkies also hilariously explains how the plot of Elf could easily turn into a Joker movie."

ComicBook.com also commented on the Honest Trailer's positive tone, writing that the film's status as "a beloved holiday classic" lead to Screen Junkies cutting Elf "quite a bit of slack" In the same article, ComicBook.com also declared that the Honest Trailer "makes a few good points, including how bonkers the plot is...that no one seems to notice that Santa is real, Buddy's eating habits are horrifyingly unhealthy, and perhaps the most troubling that Zooey Deschanel's character Jovie marries someone who pretty much has the mind of a child....The Honest Trailer does make some positive observations as well, specifically about the actors involved with the film and where their careers have gone."

Production credits[]

Honest trailer elf

Video thumbnail for Honest Trailers - Elf

Voiceover Narration by Jon Bailey

Title Design: Robert Holtby

Written by Spencer Gilbert, Dan Murrell, Joe Starr, Lon Harris

Produced by Spencer Gilbert, Dan Murrell, Joe Starr & Max Dionne

Edited by Kevin Williamsen and TJ Nordaker

Assistant Editor: Emin Bassavand

Goblinnap references[]

External links[]

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