Wednesday, 26 December 2018

Ok, it's funny


A word of warning - don't buy Champagne at £10 a bottle or, if you do, don't drink it all at once.

Talking of alcohol abuse, yesterday I was given two bottles of single malt Scotch Whisky. I have been through an entire year of not drinking whisky, and the last time I drank it it was from another Christmas present from the same lad who gave me yesterday's. His mother gave me the other bottle. I am probably going to leave it untouched for quite a while. I don't trust myself with whisky.

You know the old Highland tradition of removing the cork from a bottle of whisky and throwing it in the fire so that you and your guest are obliged to finish the bottle 'afore ye leave'? Well I have a tendency to do that on my own and I don't even have an open fire. Hogmanay is coming up and I'm not even Scottish. I might call on St Anthony to help me retrieve my willpower if I lose it.

Sometimes I leave it years to watch a film that people rave about when it first comes out. I think it is a form of snobbery. Last night I watched 'Elf' (2003) on the kid's 70 inch, wall-mounted TV.

They said I would love it and find it very funny, but I was sceptical. For a start, it was American comedy. You Americans are going to have to forgive me for what I am about to say, but I know full well that you hold similar prejudices against arrogant English snobs like me, so I don't feel too bad about it.

Very rarely can you describe American comedy as 'subtle', but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. When it tries to be subtle, it fails horribly. You know the exaggerated looks to camera as if the actor is trying to portray an emotion to a distant member of an audience in the back row of a huge theatre? That's what I call unsubtle.

The best American comedy keeps bludgeoning you with a mixture of ridiculous visual gags, silly one-liners and slapstick until you are forced to give in and laugh out loud. This is what 'Elf' does. It is hilarious and I should have watched it 15 Christmases ago.

Bob Newhart! I thought I recognised him.
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18 comments:

  1. Shawn26 December 2018 at 05:30

    I totally agree about American comedies. I haven't seen Elf or it's kindred.

    Though I've never finished a bottle of whisky in a single sitting, I do find myself regularly replacing the one bottle on hand. Just now it's a 16 year Lagavulin.

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    1. Tom Stephenson26 December 2018 at 05:57

      Do you remember bringing me back an over-size bottle of Southern Comfort when I lived in Green Park? Bill and I finished it in one sitting. I don't think I have ever had such a headache before or since. By the way, Bill died fairly recently.

      Delete
    2. Tom Stephenson26 December 2018 at 05:58

      Oh, and I have never drunk a whole bottle in one go either. Half, yes, and that's bad enough.

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  2. Sue26 December 2018 at 06:21

    I like Elf. My daughters are not keen.

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  3. Jennifer26 December 2018 at 07:35

    I love Elf! Will Ferrell always makes me laugh. And you're right, it's about as subtle as a Mack truck, still funny.

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    1. Tom Stephenson26 December 2018 at 14:37

      I'm thinking about the National Lampoon films with references to beavers by firemen...

      Delete
  4. MrsC (Maryanne)26 December 2018 at 11:29

    It does absurd very well. As I am sure you do after the better part of a bottle of single malt ;-)

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  5. Bea26 December 2018 at 13:43

    I thought James Caan (what is he doing in that film?!) did a fine job conveying a lot through simple facial expressions.

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    1. Tom Stephenson26 December 2018 at 14:35

      Not James Caan, Ferrel?

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    2. Bea26 December 2018 at 16:20

      Caan's character was the father that Ferrel seeks out. He did a great job. I know him primarily from The Godfather, so it was a trip to see him in Elf.

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    3. Tom Stephenson27 December 2018 at 04:08

      That was Caan? I thought he was familiar. I think he was good.

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  6. sarah toa26 December 2018 at 19:18

    Happy Christmas Tom. It sounds like you had a good one. X

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  7. Donna OShaughnessy26 December 2018 at 20:20

    Whiskey. My son in law gave me a bottle of "Writers Tears" from Ireland. I like it, a bit too much. He is now my favorite in law. Elf. I watched it yesterday at oldest sons for the first time. Ridiculous show. I plan to watch it every year, but seeing Peter Dinklage made me miss "Death at a Funeral" which is in my opinion, real humor.

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    1. Tom Stephenson27 December 2018 at 04:10

      I haven't seen Death at a Funeral'. There are thousands of films which I have not seen!

      Delete
  8. Unknown28 December 2018 at 16:25

    My children and I bond over "Elf" every December....Will Ferrel declined to make Elf 2..... It keeps it pure!

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