New Line Cinema has a Will Ferrell movie.
"Elf" is a Christmas classic that mocks people with disabilities.
It's implied that Buddy's disability is not explicitly stated.
To make a funny movie with disabled characters, just include them in the joke.
"Elf" became a holiday classic after it was released. It's offensive to people with intellectual disabilities almost 20 years later.
Buddy is a man who was raised as an elf in the North Pole and ignorant of the human way of life. When he accidentally overhears that he's human, he goes to New York City to find his birth father, a publisher who needs some lessons in love and kindness.
It's understandable that the festive spirit of the movie was apparent from the screen and into the hearts of the people who watched it. The film has made over $223 million worldwide.
I couldn't sit through the entire movie without feeling offended. I'm more confident that "Elf" makes fun of people with disabilities through Buddy after forcing myself to watch the entire film.
The story of a man raised by elves is told in 'Elf'.
Theo Wargo/WireImage Will Ferrell at the "Elf" premiere.
We are told very early on in the movie that Buddy is different from the other elves because he's human.
Buddy's body doesn't fit on elf furniture, but his physical body isn't the issue. There is a cognitive difference between Buddy and other elves.
He's been referred to as "special" a number of times. He has to take a post for "special" elves because his toy-making skills are not up to par.
"Special" is a term used to describe people with disabilities. It's often code for different things.
He's the onlyelf in the North Pole who doesn't know he's human. Buddy's intelligence isn't that of a normal elf, or else he wouldn't be so surprised by the revelation.
It only gets worse from there.
Walter always uses derogatory terms against Buddy when he makes it to Manhattan. Walter tells the doctor that Buddy is insane and that he needs to take a paternity test. Walter told his wife that his son is a "deranged elf man". At the end of the film, Walter mentions that Buddy is "chemically imbalanced."
If Buddy is never truly embraced for who he is by one of the most important people in his life, "Elf" can't really be a heart-warming story of acceptance.
If Buddy has a disability, the movie would have been stronger if it had said so.
I'm not trying to destroy a modern Christmas classic, but as a physically disabled woman who spent part of my childhood with people with disabilities, "Elf" offends me.
It is implied that Buddy has a disability. "Elf" would have to take responsibility for its offensive language if it had stated a cognitive difference. We're supposed to laugh at verbal and physical comedy, but none of it is funny to me.
Buddy eating cotton balls, running toward taxi cabs, and even exposing a department store Santa as fake doesn't inspire me to laugh. I wish he had a real support system in his life.
It is possible to make fun of disability. You have to let the disabled know that they're in on the joke. The easiest way to cast disabled actors in roles is to do that.
The film could've had a character confront Walter about the harsh words he constantly hurls at Buddy. That moment never comes.
By the end of the film, Buddy is able to stand up for himself. It would have been a rare and important gesture of support for the disabled community if writer David Berenbaum had truly committed to empowering Buddy. "Elf" falls back on tired stereotypes for laughs.
Someone's differences should not be the center of a joke.
Bob Newhart also starred in the movie.
Some adults with cognitive impairments believe in Santa and Christmas. The people who love them are the ones who bring joy. They'd probably not be insulted at all by people who understand the value they bring to the world.
There is no denying that Buddy is a hero in "Elf", but he could have been his own champion. His implied disability is an unimportant part of the film, which is a sad metaphor for how disabled people are often treated as an unimportant part of society.
When making a Christmas movie, filmmakers should consider how disabled characters are depicted in film and on TV.
It's never funny to make someone's disability the core of a joke. The sooner we accept that as a society, the sooner someone will be able to make a modern Christmas classic that is worthy of the love that "Elf" receives.
The original article is on Insider.
