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Actor Will Ferrell returns as one of his most beloved characters, Buddy the Elf, but sadly it’s not in a sequel. Instead, the Barbie star took the Christmas icon out into the real world, slipping into his yellow and green elf outfit while attending the LA Kings ice hockey game over the weekend. While fans will no doubt have sighed with disappointment that the return of Buddy is not in Elf 2, it will surely please everyone to see the elf looking grumpy, disheveled, and with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. Which is not exactly how we imagined the cheerful elf after all these years.

It has now been more than 20 years since director Jon Favreau and writer David Berenbaum gave audiences a modern Christmas classic with Elf. Led by Will Ferrell alongside the likes of James Caan, Zooey Deschanel, Mary Steenburgen, Ed Asner and Bob Newhart, Elf tells the story of Buddy,...

With the holiday season in full swing, people are watching their favorite Christmas classics, like National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Miracle on 34th Street, Die Hard, and others. A more recent classic is Elf, the unexpected 2003 hit film starring Will Ferrell and directed by Jon Favreau. It's a highly quotable movie and full of fun and memorable scenes. One was supposed to be a quick, one-liner moment that ended up becoming a fan favorite. But Favreau had to fight to keep the scene in after the producers wanted to cut it.

The scene in question is when Buddy Elf (Ferrell) is sent to the mailroom by his biological father, Walter (played memorably by James Caan) to essentially get out of the way. While there, Buddy meets the way-older-than-he-looks "Mailroom Guy," played by character actor Mark Acheson. The moment between Buddy and Mailroom Guy was supposed to be short, but it grew into a hilarious,...

Daniel Tay and Claire Lautier in a Central Park scene in Elf. Screenshot: The A.V. Club In our house, as in many others, it’s become a Christmas tradition to watch Elf at some point during the holiday season. It’s hard to believe we’ve been doing this for 20 years now.

Claire Lautier today, and during her appearance in Elf. (images courtesy Claire Lautier and Warner Bros.)Image: The A.V. Club

In our house, as in many others, it’s become a Christmas tradition to watch Elf at some point during the holiday season. It’s hard to believe we’ve...

Channel 4 have cancelled their annual showing of Elf, so Stuart Heritage is organising a mass DVD watch-along instead. Press play on Sunday 8 December at 3pm

"Son of a nutcracker" – Buddy

This Elfalong thing has got a bit out of hand. When I first noticed that Elf was absent from the Channel 4 schedules this year, I was slightly put out. Elf is only a decade old, but Channel 4's Elf Day has already become an institution. For many people, it signals the true start of Christmas.

But while I was slightly put out, everyone else seemed to be genuinely outraged. Elf was their film, and Christmas wasn't going to be Christmas unless there was some sort of communal watch-along. The additional fact that those arch enemies of free fun, Sky Movies, had bought the TV rights – and had completely missed the point by airing it every 20 minutes since...

Margarita

Directed by Dominique Cardona and Laurie Colbert

Written by Margaret Webb and Laurie Colbert

Canada, 2012

In the Canadian dramatic comedy, Margarita, the titular character (Nicola Correia-Damude) is a Mexican maid, illegally working in Canada for a posh couple, Ben and Gail (Patrick McKenna, Claire Lautier) and their tenacious teenage daughter, Mali (Maya Ritter). A mainstay in the household for years, Margarita has become a staple in the family.

Already overwhelmed in a tumultuous relationship with her girlfriend Jane (Christine Horne), Margarita’s problems are compounded when Ben and Gail, swamped with debt and liberal guilt, are forced to fire her.

As Margarita struggles to put her life back into perspective, both she and the family she works for start to realize the gravity of the situation, resulting in a potent cocktail of heart, humour, and humanity.

Whereas films like The Help use domestics as a device to elucidate issues of race,...