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For a lot of moviegoers—Christians included—Christmas fairy tales are a meaningful and enjoyable part of the holiday tradition. But there are those who think fairy tales cheapen Christmas. The snowmen, the reindeer, Santa. Elf does not make direct references to the real story of Christmas, and some Christian film critics have a problem with that. Do you think Elf and other such Christmas fairy tales are damaging?

Not if they tell the truth! One of the things that is beautiful about a good fairy tale is that it reflects the truth. The truth that Elf reflects is about giving and innocence and learning to live sacrificially—to put others first. That's the story of Christmas. It reflects the truth of Christmas.

We have a savior who was a storyteller, [so] I think there is great value in story. Jesus almost never said exactly what his thought was straight out. He was always couching it in metaphor and simile, so that people would think—to engage them and to engage their imagination, to see the context in which they were living. Story does that. I think it's a very powerful tool. Certainly, like any tool, it can be misused, but I think Elf is a really strong example of a beautiful fairy tale that by its nature ends up reflecting the truth. The writer didn't set out to reflect the gospel. But, in telling a beautiful fairy tale from his own heart and in reflecting a lot of Christmas movies that he had loved, he wound up reflecting the gospel.

Reviewing films, I often hear from believers who view Hollywood and the movie business as "the devil's playground." Is there anything that you wish more Christians would understand about Hollywood or about the whole artistic process of moviemaking? Do you encounter Christians with prejudice toward Hollywood, or people in Hollywood with prejudice toward Christians?

I've never encountered prejudice [toward Christians] … that I'm aware of. I never heard about any of this stuff until I started doing interviews for Elf. I'm not around people that are critical of the arts or the Hollywood machine.

I certainly understand that a lot of movies are just not that good. That to me is less a spiritual issue than it is a corporate issue: one that says, "We're going to sell mass entertainment, we're going to make money back, and we're going to put money into it, so we have to have something that is going to appeal to the broadest audience. Something to go with their Coke and their popcorn." That means you aim something right down the middle, and you try to please everybody. So, the window through which you can sneak something really good as an artist is very narrow. It's much wider with books. I understand that. If I was a studio and I was investing 35 million dollars, I'd be nervous too. You have to answer to a bottom line, to your stockholders. It's capitalism at its heart. So, because it's such a big machine that you have to get pointed in the right direction, and it's so difficult to make a good film, so many things have to come together. It's more a utilitarian problem.

As for those who consider Hollywood the devil's playground, I would encourage them to engage when they want to engage, and not to dismiss anything wholly because they are afraid of things. There is a lot of good stuff out in the culture if you dig for it. I really don't believe that the devil is standing outside the movie theatre luring people in. I think people are very well-served to go to movies like Elf—not to be self-promoting—because it brings families together. I've seen kids all the way from 7 years old to my parents, who are 70 and 75, who were crying at the end and laughing. That's a beautiful experience you can have with the community.

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November (Web-only) 2003, Vol. 47