Elf ( 2003)

Directed by
Jon Favreau

Writing credits ( WGA)
David Berenbaum (written by)

Genre: Comedy / Family / Fantasy

Tagline: This holiday, discover your inner elf.

Plot Outline: Will Ferrell makes yet another memorable splash on the big screen in Jon Favreau's sweet and hilarious Christmas fable. Ferrell is Buddy, an innocent figure who was raised as an elf in the North Pole by his adoptive father, Papa Elf (Bob Newhart). When Buddy discovers that he's actually a human being, he heads to New York City to reunite with his biological father. The trouble is that his dad, Walter (James Caan), is a publishing executive who doesn't have time for anything other than work. Buddy moves in with Walter and his family, and proceeds to teach them a lesson or two about what being a family really means. Meanwhile, he also falls head over heels in love with the incredibly cute department store clerk, Jovie (Zooey Deschanel). By the time Christmas Eve rolls around, the general lack of spirit in the air threatens to ground Santa for the big night. He must rely on Buddy's expertise and overall enthusiasm to ensure that Christmas will be saved once again. Favreau's film is family entertainment at its finest, featuring a performance by Ferrell that is at once innocent, tender, and laugh-out-loud funny. A stellar supporting cast--including Caan, Deschanel, Newhart, and Faizon Love--adds to the film's already overabundant charm.

User Comments: Find out: why Will Ferrell's performance is a good one, and which radiant newcomer to look out for...

User Rating: 7.0/10 (11,078 votes)

Cast overview, first billed only:
Will Ferrell	....	Buddy
James Caan	....	Walter
Bob Newhart	....	Papa Elf
Edward Asner	....	Santa
Mary Steenburgen	....	Emily
Zooey Deschanel	....	Jovie
Daniel Tay	....	Michael
Faizon Love	....	Gimbel's Manager
Peter Dinklage	....	Miles Finch
Amy Sedaris	....	Deb
Michael Lerner	....	Fulton
Andy Richter	....	Morris
Kyle Gass	....	Eugene
Artie Lange	....	Gimbel's Santa
Claire Lautier	....	NY 1 Reporter

MPAA: Rated PG for some mild rude humor and language.
Runtime: 95 min
Country: USA
Language: English
Color: Color
Sound Mix: DTS / Dolby Digital / SDDS
Certification: Argentina:Atp / Australia:G / Brazil:Livre / Canada:G / Germany:6 / Philippines:G / Singapore:G / Spain:T / UK:PG / USA:PG (certificate #40170)

Trivia: When she first meets Buddy, Jovie asks, "Did Crumpet put you up to this?" Crumpet is the name David Sedaris chose for his elf in "The Santaland Diaries", a collection of stories inspired from his time spent as an elf in a department store. David's sister, Amy, also appears in the film as James Caan's assistant, Deb.

Goofs: Continuity: When Walter and Emily are talking in their room, and Walter is lying on the bed, his legs change position between shots.

Quotes:
[ first lines]
Papa Elf : Oh, hello. You're, uh, you're probably here about the story. Elves love to tell stories. I-I'll bet you didn't know that about elves. There's, uh, probably a lot of things you didn't know about elves. Another, another interesting, uh, elfism, uh, there are only three jobs available to an elf. The first is making shoes at night while, you know, while the old cobbler sleeps.
Disgruntled Cobbler Elf : Lazy bum! Couldn't even make a clog!
Papa Elf : You can bake cookies in a tree. As you can imagine, it's, uh, dangerous having an oven in an oak tree during the dry season. But the third job, some call it, uh, "the show" or "the big dance," it's the profession that every elf aspires to. And that is to build toys in Santa's workshop.

Awards: 2 wins & 5 nominations

User Comments:

1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful:-
Find out: why Will Ferrell's performance is a good one, and which radiant newcomer to look out for..., 13 December 2003
Author: clifford43 from Oz

As the delightful human who was raised by elves at the north pole, Will Ferrell, the greatest new comic actor out, walks a fine line between satire and genuineness.

If he played Buddy completely for laughs, the movie would not imbue the audience with christmas spirit, and make us forget our doubts for a magical hour and a half.

If he played Buddy completely subversively, poking fun at the christmas myth, adults would perhaps have had a few more laughs than they did.

The reason Ferrell's performance is one of the best comic performances in recent memory, is that it serves both these purposes: there is a hint of satire in Ferrell's over-the-top enthusiasm, yet the innocence on his face appears absolutely genuine. One of the greatest sources of humour in the movie comes from actually believing Buddy has the mind of a child.

Truly a remarkable thing. After this he goes on my list of greatest comic actors.

My other favourite thing about this movie (which i found absolutely magical) was exciting newcomer Zooey Deschanel. She was absolutely radiant in this movie. I would watch it again just to watch her. She played William's sister in "Almost Famous" who leaves home to become an airline hostess (and plays Simon & Garfunkel's "America" to her mother to explain why she must, in one of the movies's best scenes). She also played one of the funniest characters in "The Good Girl" - Cheryl who remedies her boredom with her job by insulting customers without their understanding. I've now become a pilgrim of hers, and will follow movies wherever she goes. And believe me, i'm not usually this enthusastic!