Elf

"Elf" is a very sweet, playful Christmas film that is elevated above the other obligatory yearly Christmas releases by a great performance by Will Ferrell. The premise is that one of Santa's elves, Buddy (Will Ferrell) does not fit in. He's unable to keep up with the work load of making thousands of toys every day, is much taller than all of the other workers and well… there's just something off about him. Even the way he ages is different. It turns out that Buddy Is not an elf at all, but a human who was adopted by a kindly older elf (Papa Elf played by Bob Newhart) Seeking his true father, Buddy makes his way to New York, where his naïve attitude and his enthusiasm for all things Christmas make him stand out like a sore thumb.

I think the best thing about "Elf" is that it's often very silly, but completely innocent and has some genuine heart. Will Ferrell is perfect in the role as what is essentially a big kid who still believes in Santa, gets excited about hot chocolate and believes in the spirit of Christmas without any doubt. It's a fish-out-of-water comedy that has a lot of big laughs in it because he's got some Christmas related skills that are quite useful, but not a whole lot of knowledge about anything else. It makes for a lot of hilarious situations. Something to keep an eye out for is any of the sequences set In the North Pole. The film's art direction really stands out In those scenes, which really feels like a wonderful, magical setting taken straight out of an old Christmas classic movie or animated short (I'd say more but I don't want to ruin any surprises) I also really liked seeing the elaborate decorations and displays created by Buddy throughout the film. When Buddy goes all out decorating his surroundings it's genuinely impressive, even if you know that they had a whole team working for a long time to get the effect ready for the film. If my house wasn't so crammed with movies, it would inspire me to do attempt some of the more impressive pieces in my own living room.

This film could have easily been a generic, forgettable entry in the yearly category of "family Christmas movies", but it turns out to be much more than this. The casting and performance by Will Ferrell is perfect and he has great chemistry with Zooey Deschanel, who plays a cynical department store employee. Somehow these two help keep the movie from being totally ridiculous and unbelievable (magic and flying reindeer aside) In fact the chemistry between the cast members is so good that the ending (which involves "Santa Claus", who was mostly absent during the rest of the movie) feels like it's shoehorned in. I would have liked to have seen the film stay more grounded and go with the heart that was present in all of these characters getting to know each other rather than the typical Santa business. I don't feel like the ending lives up to the rest of the film.

"Elf" isn't perfect and sometimes feels a bit too cheesy, but it's sweet, crowd-pleasing and funny. I'm not sure I would call it essential viewing during the Holidays, but a lot of people are going to think of this one as one of their favorites and around the holidays, I think you'll easily be able to look past the minor gripes that I had. It belongs in your pile of holiday films to watch during December. (On DVD, December 7, 2012)