Common Sense Media Review
By Brian Costello
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Quirky holiday tale has bullying, peril, mild language.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
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Elf Me
What's the Story?
In ELF ME, Elia (Federico Ileapi) is a 10-year-old boy living in a small village in the Italian mountains. His quirky mother Ivana (Anna Foglietta) runs a toy shop that is struggling to stay in business due to an unscrupulous toy manufacturer. Meanwhile, Trip, an elf from the North Pole, is in trouble after the odd toys he invented malfunction. He ends up in the village where Elia and Ivana live and in their house. At first, Trip's efforts to help only make things worse and cause Elia to dislike him, but over time, Trip proves his worth by helping Elia stand up to bullies and impress the girl he has a crush on. However, the toy manufacturer wants to kidnap Trip and use his powers to make his toys take over the world, so Ivana, Elia, and Elia's friends must find a way to rescue Trip and save Christmas.
Is It Any Good?
This is an offbeat holiday movie that will not be to everyone's taste. Elf Me is filled with odd characters and unusual toys, exaggerated conflicts, and wacky moments. This aggressive quirkiness grows tiresome after a while, and it just gets in the way of the movie's more serious messages about believing in dreams, confronting parents' divorce, and struggling with dyslexia.
It's imaginative at times, but like the scene in which Elia and the elf ride bikes that slowly start to levitate high over the city, there's a nagging feeling that this has all been done before. Maybe not in the winter wonderland of a small Italian village, but still. It's not awful, but it falls short of belonging on the shelf with the other holiday movie mainstays.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about coming-of-age holiday movies like Elf Me. How is this like other movies set during Christmas in which the lead character learns important lessons?
While a comedy, how does the movie address serious topics like parents divorcing or kids who struggle with dyslexia?
A recurring theme in the movie is "never stop dreaming, even when you are awake." What does that mean to you, and what are your thoughts on this?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : December 21, 2023
- Cast : Federico Ielapi , Anna Foglietta , Pasquale Petrollo
- Director : Younuts
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Amazon
- Genre : Comedy
- Topics : Holidays
- Run time : 99 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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