elf.docx

1、elfElf(Comedy/Childrens Fantasy) (2003) 2005 by Raymond WeschlerMajor CharactersBuddy.Will FerrellA loveable tall, sweet human being who has been raised as an elf by the elves of the North Pole, who decides to travel to New York City after he discovers he is a human whose real father lives there.Wal

2、ter.James Caan Buddys biological father, who is an executive with a New York publisher that specializes in childrens books.Emily.Mary SteenburgenWalters wife, who is happy to have Buddy in their house.Papa Elf.Bob Newhart The kind elf that agreed to raise Buddy as his own son, and the narrator of th

3、is movie. Santa ClausEdward Asner The world-famous bearded fat man from the North Pole who brings toys to the children of the world every Christmas.Jovie.Zooey Deschanel A sweet worker at a New York department store who Buddy likes.Michael.Daniel Tay Walter and Emilys son, who grows to like and resp

4、ect Buddy.Miles Finch.Peter Dinklage A successful childrens book writer who is a dwarf (just over four feet tall). Plot SummaryThis film is the story of Buddy, a human being who was raised as an elf by the wonderful and loving elves of the North Pole (Elves are tiny mythical characters that are abou

5、t half the size of humans, wear tight-fitting green clothes, and spend most of their time eating candy and building toys for Santa Claus to give away to the worlds children every Christmas Eve). One day Buddy finds out that he is not actually an elf but a human being, and thus he decides to travel t

6、o New York City to meet his biological father.Buddys human dad, Walter, is a very stressed out businessman who runs a small publishing company that specializes in childrens books. Naturally, when Buddy arrives at Walters office, dressed in his elfs clothing, Walter becomes ever more stressed out, es

7、pecially when Buddy keeps on insisting that he is the biological son that he never knew he had. At first, Walter refuses to take Buddy seriously, but after a (DNA) blood test proves that Buddy is indeed his first biological son, Walter agrees to take Buddy home with him.Buddy drives Walter crazy, bu

8、t Emily and Michael soon learn to appreciate Buddys kind heart and innocence, and he soon learns to get along in New York City, even finding a job at a local department store. Unfortunately, Buddy continues to accidentally cause Walter one problem after another, but he also brings happiness to a lot

9、 of people, including his first real girlfriend, Jovie. Eventually, Buddy is able to teach his entire family, even including Walter, the true meaning of Christmas spirit.Some Words and Expressions that You May not KnowBuddy the elf discovers his human roots.Another interesting elfism.Note that “ism”

10、 at the end of a word means a word that was invented by the people who come at the beginning of the word (In this case, a word invented by the elves!).The first is making shoes at night while the old cobbler sleeps.A “cobbler” is a person who makes and fixes shoes and other types of clothing. This i

11、s a somewhat dated word, and here it refers to Santa Claus.As you can imagine, its dangerous having an oven in the tree during the dry season. A good little expression which means “its probably obvious that”Its the profession that every elf aspires to, and that is to build toys in Santas workshop.“T

12、o aspire to” to accomplish something is to work at reaching that goal because you want it very much. “Santas workshop” is the little work area where all of Santas elves make toys for the worlds children.Our nimble fingers, natural cheer and active minds are perfect for toy building.If you are “nimbl

13、e,” you can move quickly and with great ease. “Cheer” is an interesting noun meaning happiness or contentment. If you have an “active mind,” you are always thinking of new and interesting things. They tried using gnomes and trolls, but the gnomes drank too much and the trolls werent toilet trained.“

14、Gnomes” and “trolls” are small mythical creatures, more like little monsters than elves. Note that in the right context, to “drink too much” means to drink too much alcohol or liquor. If an animal is not “toilet trained,” it will piss or pooh on the floor, or other places it shouldnt!What in the nam

15、e of Sam Hill is that?!This is a somewhat dated way of adding emotion, the way “What the hell is that ?” is used today (Sam Hill was a famous businessman in the 1800s).His name is Buddy; He must have snuck in your sack at the orphanage.“To sneak in” to a room is to enter it secretly (note the irregu

16、lar past tense). A “sack” is a bag, and an “orphanage” is a home where children who dont have any parents are raised.When it comes to babies, Santa is a push-over. If a person is a “push-over” for babies, theyre easily made happy by them.Buddy stayed with an older elf who always wanted a child but h

17、ad been so committed to toy building he had forgotten to settle down. In this context, “to settle down” means to get married, move into a house and have kids. More generally, it means to calm down.Yes, I raised Buddy. I was his adopted father. “To raise” a child is to take care of them, just like pa

18、rents normally do.An “adopted father” is a dad who raises a child like their own, even though they are not biologically related.Before we learn the latest in how to build extreme graphic chip set processors, lets recite the code of the elves, shall we?“Extreme graphic chip set processors” are compli

19、cated words for computer chips that allow your computer to play movies. “To recite” words is to say them out loud, and a “code” is a set of official rules.Theres room for everyone on the nice list. A list that Santa Claus keeps of all the people who are nice.The best way to spend Christmas cheer is

20、singing loud for all to hear.A common way of referring to the spirit of Christmas, which is supposed to include kindness to others and a general sense of peace and happiness.I made him my own personal apprentice.An “apprentice” is an excellent word for an assistant who helps one person in exchange f

21、or getting to learn that persons profession or skills.Santas sleigh! Youre going to help me make it fly.A “sleigh” is a cart for carrying people who want to slide or travel on the snow, but Santas sleigh (pronounced slay) is special because it can fly.I thought the magical reindeer fly.If a person o

22、r animal is “magical,” they have wonderful powers (such as the ability to fly), or more generally, great charm. A “reindeer” is a type of deer that lives in cold and snowy climates.Theres a rumor flying around that the parents do it. An excellent word for a piece of news that quickly travels from pe

23、rson to person, but it is not clear if the news is actually true.We have a real energy crisis on our hands; See how low the Clauseameter is?If you have a problem “on your hands,” it is something that you need to deal with or try to take care of. In this film, the “Clauseameter” shows the energy that

24、 Santas sleigh has, which comes from peoples belief in Santa.Thats shocking! : Thats why I came up with this little beauty.“To come up” with an idea is to invent or create it. Here, “this little beauty” refers to a clever or useful invention.Its a Crinkle 3,000. 8,500 reindeer power, jet-turbine eng

25、ine. This is Papa Elfs way of referring to Santas sleigh, which has lots of modern equipment, including a jet engine.It looks like we got a short on the theorem copper.A “short” is a cut off electricity running through wire (The theorem copper is just more nonsense words referring to modern machiner

26、y).You want to give me a hand with that? “To give a person a hand” is to help them.There were a few drawbacks to being a human in an elfs world. A “drawback” is a good way of saying a disadvantage.Im going to be a little bit short on todays quota. In this context, a “quota” is the amount of work tha

27、t a person is expected to do each day.Just tell me the Etchnsketch didnt get finished.A well-known childrens toy that allows kids to make drawings on a screen that can be easily erased or eliminated before drawing a new one. That puts you 915 off the pace. If a person is “off the pace,” they are goi

28、ng slower than they want to go (“Pace” is another word for speed over a period of time).Im a cotton-headed nin-mogens. Buddys silly nonsense words for an idiot, dope, jerk, moron, etc.We all just have different talents, thats all. An important word for skills.You changed batteries in the smoke detec

29、tor. : You sure did; Triple As! A type of small battery (labeled AAA) that is common in small devices like radios and smoke detectors.Youre the only baritone in the elf choir! You bring us down a whole octave! A “baritone” is a singer with a low sound or voice, and a “choir” is a group of people who

30、 sing together. An “octave” is a range of notes or tones in music. Think you can help me pick up the slack on those Etchnsketches?“To pick up the slack” for a person is to work even harder since they are not doing as much work as hoped for (“Slack” is literally extra rope or string that makes it loo

31、se and not stiff).I just hope he doesnt get wise. : If he hasnt figured out hes a human being by now, I dont think he ever will.“Wise” is a good word for smart or perhaps well-informed. In this context, “to figure out” something is to discover the truth about it.I then proceeded to tell Buddy how his father had fallen in love when he was young to a very beautiful girl named Sara Wells, and how Buddy was born “To proceed” to do something is to start or continue to do it after having paused or taken a break. and put up for adoption by his m