| ELF |
 2003 - USADirector: Jon Favreau - Reviewed by Vickie
It’s a sweet little movie with some clever jokes, good performances and a nice message. I liked it. But, as my sister so wisely pointed out as we were leaving the theater, Elf could have been great. Will Ferrell stars as Buddy the Elf, a human who, as a baby, hitched a ride in Santa’s giant gift bag and landed at the North Pole. Resigned to the wee one’s presence, Santa (Ed Asner) decided to hand child-rearing duties over to Papa Elf (Bob Newhart), who raised Buddy as his own despite obvious physical clues that Buddy was a square peg trying to squeeze into a very small, round hole. Cut to present day. Buddy’s 30 and really tall and struggling to fit in with the other elves. So, Papa breaks the news to his giant-sized charge: he was adopted and his real father (who never knew Buddy existed) lives in New York. Thus sets in motion a colorful, good-natured, holiday-themed, fish-out-of-water story as a wide-eyed, completely pure and naîve Buddy treks to the Big Apple to find dad (James Caan)—a gruff children’s book publisher who’s married with a son. Needless to say, he’s less than convinced that a tall man in a bright green and yellow elf outfit is his offspring. Buddy also unwittingly finds himself working in the Christmas section of a downtown department store, where he falls for a gift-wrapper named Jovie (Zooey Deschanel), and that enables the film to add a sweetly innocent romantic layer. Much of the film’s laughs come from Buddy’s attempt to understand life in the big city and adapt to being part of a human family. His sheer goodness and desire to be happy is infectious, and his well-meaning efforts to wrap his head around things are endearing. Will Ferrell is the perfect choice for Buddy and makes him an entirely lovable character. Caan works well as the Scrooge-like foil, and Deschanel (though seriously underused) shines, as usual. Heck, everyone in the movie is good. The story’s good. The whole thing is good. But, somehow, it felt a little lacking. Only a little, but enough that it almost seems like there was more of a movie there somewhere that perhaps landed on the cutting room floor. It’s like a candy cane without its stripes—still good and enjoyable, but not complete. I can’t quite put my finger on what it is, though, so maybe it’s just me. Well, and my sister. I really did like it, though, and Elf will likely become a Christmas classic alongside movies like Scrooged, Christmas Vacation and A Christmas Story. It *is* a film for the whole family that will leave audiences smiling, so I’m voting you check it out between unwrapping presents and downing your third glass of nog. |
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Elf is cute.
