Although the 2003 film Elf is now regarded as a modern-day holiday classic, one which is beloved by people all over the world, it almost didn’t get made. When its writer initially tried to sell the screenplay he had written for it in 1993, he spent a very long time getting rejected by multiple movie studios.
Then, when a studio was finally interested, the making of Elf remained a great struggle. A lot of concerns needed to be addressed and a lot of big questions needed answering, including:
Who would direct this very quirky project?
What actor would be a good–and “bankable”–choice to star as Buddy the Elf?
And, very importantly to the movie studio, would people actually be willing to pay to watch a silly movie about a human elf from the North Pole trying to find his father in New York City?
Comedian, actor, and podcast host Andy Richter (with Aaron Karo) delves into all of those things and much, much more in Elf Unwrapped, a very informative and entertaining oral history about Elf.
Andy Richter had first-hand knowledge of what he’s written about here, since he had a small role in the movie as one of the two writers who worked for Buddy’s father, Walter Hobbs, at a children’s book publisher.
Since I am a movie lover who frequently “geeks out” reading about the making of movies I love, this book about Elf is completely up my alley!
Not only did it offer a very thorough history about the making of Elf, but it also provided me with a lot of fun trivia about it I didn’t already know.
Plus, I thoroughly enjoyed reading many quotes about the making of the movie from multiple crew and cast members, including Elf‘s lead actors Will Ferrell and Zooey Deschanel, and director Jon Favreau.
Since Elf is a movie I watch at least once per year (even in the summer!), I had very high expectations for Elf Unwrapped. I’m happy to report that I loved it and wasn’t at all disappointed in it.
If you’re like me and you love the film Elf, you’re probably going to love the book too!
NOTE: I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher.
Thank you for reading. Have a wonderful day!
Buddy Gott
P.S. – I regularly write about books, music, and other fun things elsewhere online. I can be found on BlueSky, Instagram, Threads, and Medium.
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