I just watched the film Elf, which has many elves in. I realised this year for the first time that I think they realised fifteen minutes before the end that the film had no climax, which is why just when they run out of plot, Santa Claus crashes right next to where the elf is and goes 'shit, no-one believes in Christmas anymore!', which has not in any way been demonstrated previously anywhere in this film, and this now becomes something for the elf and his friends to solve. It's a better film when it's just Will Ferrell being a fish out of water.
Yeah, it's weird, because the film looks like it's heading towards a totally different, and actually earned ending. Towards the end the stakes and issues are clear: Buddy's sad because he's been rejected by the father he travelled to New York to meet; the dad is upset because he's about to lose his job because Buddy interrupted the pitch meeting for the new kids' book; the family are tired of the dad because he pretty much neglects them.
So you'd expect the dad, despairing, to go back home, where he's comforted by his wife and son, and bonds with them. Realising the importance of family and Christmas and yadda yadda, he goes out and finds Buddy to apologise to him. He finally humours Buddy by letting him talk about his life, and while he still thinks his son is a lunatic, he realises this is the story that could save his job!
But oh no, the finished story will need to be on the guy's table in just a couple of hours!
So Buddy calls in some favours with Santa and a squad of elves arrive to draw the whole thing up in double-quick time. Buddy's proven not to be a lunatic, dad saves his job (but promises to spend more time with his kids), Zooey Deschanel... I dunno, plods about with her stupid, dull, joke-killing voice and pops out a baby. Happy ending!
Then some studio exec says WHAT'S THIS SHIT WHERES SANNA CLAUSE WHERE'S THE REINDEER, YA FUCKIN' JAMOKE, WHERE'S THE BIT WHERE THEY SAVE CHRISTMAS THIS ISN'T A HALLMARK CHANNEL MOVIE YOU DUMB FUCK CHANGE IT NOW and the new, shitty ending with random evil park rangers is bolted on instead, while the dad saves his job by, er, stealing Peter Dinklage's notebook? Very good message for the kids.