Elf (2003) New Line/Comedy-Fantasy RT: 97 minutes Rated PG (some mild rude humor and language) Director: Jon Favreau Screenplay: David Berenbaum Music: John Debney Cinematography: Greg Gardiner Release date: November 7, 2003 (US) Cast: Will Ferrell, James Caan, Zooey Deschanel, Mary Steenburgen, Daniel Tay, Edward Asner, Bob Newhart, Faizon Love, Peter Dinklage, Amy Sedaris, Michael Lerner, Andy Richter, Kyle Gass, Artie Lange, Jon Favreau, Peter Billingsley, Leon Redbone, Ray Harryhausen, Mark Acheson, Claire Lautier, Lydia Lawson-Baird. Box Office: $178M (US)/$228.9M (World)
Rating: ***
I’m not a particular fan of Will Ferrell. I think he’s highly overrated and most of his movies aren’t all that funny- Anchorman, Land of the Lost, Step Brothers, Bewitched, The Other Guys, Kicking & Screaming, etc. Once in a while, he does make a pretty good movie. Elf is one of those times. However, I think the story has more to do with the movie’s success than Ferrell. It has a unique and clever premise that should appeal to the little kid in all of us.
The story is narrated by Papa Elf (Newhart, The Bob Newhart Show) who tells us about his adopted son Buddy (Ferrell) and his adventures in the real world when he leaves the North Pole to find his biological father in New York City. How did Buddy end up at the North Pole in the first place? As a baby at an orphanage, he crawls into Santa’s (Asner, The Mary Tyler Moore Show) sack when the big guy wasn’t looking and ends up at the North Pole. Papa Elf agrees to raise Buddy as his own.
Buddy always knew he was different from all the other elves. The fact that he’s a few feet taller than everybody else is a major indicator. He may possess the merry and enthusiastic spirit of an elf, but his poor toy-making skills make him something of an outcast. Papa finally tells Buddy the truth about where he came from and where his bio-dad can be found. After finding out his father, cynical children’s book publisher Walter Hobbs (Caan, The Godfather), is on the naughty list, Buddy sets out to find him in the Big Apple.
After saying goodbye to his friends, including a stop-motion animated snowman voiced by Leon Redbone, Buddy makes the magical journey to the outside world. He rides an ice floe to a candy cane forest and a sea of “swirly twirly gum drops” that takes him to the Lincoln Tunnel. Needless to say, there’s a lot Buddy doesn’t understand about the world beyond the North Pole. He’s like an innocent child running loose in a big city.
When Buddy finally finds his father, it’s not exactly a joyous reunion. Walter thinks he’s a nut and has him ejected from the building, telling him to “get back to Gimbels”. That’s exactly where he goes. He’s immediately mistaken for an employee by the supervisor (Love, Friday) who tells him to get to work helping the other store elves set up the North Pole display in anticipation of Santa’s arrival. Buddy thinks he means the real Santa Claus and gets super-excited. After the store closes for the night, Buddy sticks around and redecorates the place in an attempt to make it look more like the real North Pole. Imagine his disappointment when he finds out their Santa is a fake (“You sit on a throne of lies.”).
Walter is called to the police station of bail Buddy out of jail after he attacks the fake Santa. Wanting to settle the matter once and for all, he has Buddy take a blood test which confirms he is indeed his son. He takes Buddy home to meet his wife Emily (Steenburgen, Nixon) and son Michael (Tay). She insists Buddy stay with them until he gets past his delusion of being an elf. Walter, of course, isn’t elated about this arrangement, but he allows it. Buddy tries to develop a close relationship with his father, but Walter isn’t interested because of some crisis at work that’s keeping him busy over the holidays.
An initially unenthused Michael bonds with his new stepbrother after Buddy helps him defeat a bunch of bullies in a snowball fight. In turn, the preteen encourages him to ask out the girl he likes, former Gimbels co-worker Jovie (Deschanel, New Girl). It’s an unusual first date to say the least. She can hardly believe Buddy’s child-like demeanor, but she kind of likes it.
Directed by Jon Favreau (Iron Man) who also cameos as a doctor, Elf is a good and funny movie. The idea of a human being raised by elves at the North Pole is like something from a storybook which is how Favreau presents it. Ferrell makes it work. He convincingly exudes a sense of childhood innocence. It’s one of the few times he hasn’t gotten on my nerves. He gets a lot of help from a strong supporting cast that also includes Michael Lerner (Harlem Nights) as Walter’s demanding boss and Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) as an arrogant and temperamental author who Buddy mistakes for an elf.
The whole cast does a great job in Elf. Deschanel is as cute as a pixie here. She gets to show off her superior singing skills in a duet with Buddy (“Baby, It’s Cold Outside”). Unfortunately, she’s too shy to sing in front of other people. It’s a pretty safe bet she’ll overcome her fear by movie’s end. Caan shows he’s capable of lightening up when need be. It’s always a delight seeing old pros like Asner and Newhart. Peter Billingsley, Ralphie from A Christmas Story, appears unbilled as the head elf who voices concerns about Buddy’s lack of toy-making skills.
There’s something about New York and Christmas. The two go together as well as chocolate and marshmallow; it’s a magical combination. It’s in direct contrast with the stereotypical bad attitudes of most New Yorkers. They tend to be rude and apathetic for the other eleven months of the years. Christmas seems to bring out their better sides. Without revealing too much, there’s a situation in the third act that can only be resolved by a show of Christmas spirit, something that most people don’t seem to have anymore. It’s what powers Santa’s sleigh. The people need to find that spirit or else Christmas might not happen.
Elf is a homage to the old Rankin-Bass Christmas specials we all watched as children, particularly Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer with its narrator Sam the Snowman (voiced by Burl Ives). Leon, the stop-motion animated snowman voiced by jazz musician Leon Redbone, is cool. This is the aspect of Elf adults will appreciate the most.
Favreau, who was tapped to direct after Terry Zwigoff turned it down to do Bad Santa, did a complete rewrite of the script which was reportedly much darker. The lighter tone serves the movie well. Elf has become a holiday classic for young and old(er). It’s funny, entertaining and heart-warming. How can you dislike a movie where the main character likes to pour maple syrup on spaghetti? Buddy’s enthusiastic Christmas spirit is infectious; it seems to rub off on everybody including those watching. That, my friends, is a Christmas movie in its purest form.
