Review of Elf (2003) by Alasdair B — 10 Dec 2014

When I ask people, "Whats your favorite Christmas/Holliday film,'' usually the answer is: "Elf!''.

"Elf'' is directed by Jon Favreau and stars Will Ferrell, Edward Asner, James Caan, and Zooey Deschanel. This is one of those hit or miss Christmas films that could end up extremely dumb and cheesy, not funny, and just overly cliche. Thankfully, this one isn't. For the most part.

Far away in the North Pole lives Buddy (Ferrell), a human living with elves. Naturally, Buddy thinks he is an elf, but his father Papa Elf soon breaks the obvious too him. Apparently, Buddy was from New York City. It was there where his father still lived and worked. Only thing is, his father is on the naughty list. Desperate to find his dad, Buddy sets off on an iceberg to find his true identity. Buddy goes on to improperly ride escalators, gets hit by cars, eats junk food, and creepily stalks his father.

First of all this is a really funny, really entertaining film. Is it overrated? Sure it is. But that doesn't mean it isn't good. Will Ferrell is really funny in this. The comedy is very good, and the direction from Favereau is evident. The dialogue in this film is quite good, and at times it's somewhat heartwarming. That being said, the first 2/3 of this film are amazing. It's that last thirty minutes when things go way off track. The reason the ending is so terrible is because its strikingly different from the rest of the film. What was once a film about a naïve grown man who thinks he's an elf is now about making people believe in Santa Claus. The point of the film was that Buddy was a big lovable idiot who finds love and tries to make a bond with his dad. Because of the sudden abrupt change to the narrative of the story, it impacts the moment when Buddy and Walter have their bonding moment. I do not hate this movie. I love "Elf''. It's genuinely hilarious and all the other things I mentioned, just only for the first 2/3.

"Elf'' is a great holiday film that I definitely recommend. Its funny, well directed, well written, and Will Ferrell rocks it in his role. It's very entertaining and great for the whole family, (minus the part when Buddy gives his dad lingerie as a gift). So in the end, it's an awesome film, just skip the last 20-15 minutes or so.