HondaReport.com - Movie Review: Ferrell's Elf delivers delightful present

Critics hailed Elf as a new holiday classic, which is usually a clear, vivid sign that this film may belong in a trash bin along with other recent duds like ... well, you know what they are (coughcoughanymoviewithDavidSpade). Elf, however, more than delivers a tidy Christmas present. It may be the best physical comedy of the year.

MPPA Rating: PG
Date of Viewing: Sunday, November 23, 2003
Location: Dole Cannery

By Paul Honda
Monday, December 1, 2003

No good movie is worth spoiling, but there’s no way to review Elf without spilling at least a few beans.

The quick summary about Will Ferrell’s latest vehicle is simple: Baby boy accidentally stows away in Santa’s bag o’ presents, is raised by elves, but eventually senses that he is not an elf by heritage or DNA. That leads to the Big Apple Adventure: Buddy (yes, his name is Buddy) treks to New York City in search of his dad, William Hobbs.

It is the kind of search, an adult child seeking his “real,” natural parent, that is portrayed all over the media today. But Ferrell plays it as only he can.

Elves: (gasping in shock) “No, Buddy, you are NOT a cotton-headed ninnymuggin!”

And so it goes. Buddy doesn’t fit, literally, at the North Pole, being twice the size of everyone else. Every turn at the much-too-low toilet reminds him that perhaps he doesn’t belong there.

It is likely no coincidence that screenwriter David Berenbaum chose the name Hobbs for such an elemental part of the storytelling. After all, New York City is the home base of another famous, mythical figure, Roy Hobbs, home run king for the New York Knights in The Natural.

In Elf, William Hobbs, gruff and scowling to a tee by James Caan, is nothing mythical or magical. He has long been caught up with the game that is book publishing, meeting quotas, exacting demands and placing work above all, including his lovely wife (Mary Steenburgen) and elementary-school age son.

Buddy, who comes from a dreamy land of the North Pole, assumes that everyone everywhere has the generosity of Santa and the dignity of his fellow elves. And when he tracks down his dad, two worlds clash. Polar opposites, so to speak.

Frankly, there’s nothing scintillating about the voyage to modern society. There’s nothing original about Buddy’s experience with jaded New Yorkers, even with the ever-so-monotone-yet-alluring Jovie (Zooey Deschanel). Berenbaum’s choice of Jovie as the name of Buddy’s love interest is more than coincidental. What better than a feminized version of the name Jove, mythical Greek god? It’s all about fantasy and ideals, but Buddy’s struggles are well apparent, and the hilarity disguises all subtle references.

It is particularly because Ferrell and this cast, including Ed Asner as Santa and Bob Newhart as Buddy’s adoptive elf father, have such good chemistry that the simple plot works so well. On paper, it’s not the most special of storylines. But halfway through this film, I stopped taking notes. There was nothing much more to add, and there was a whole lot of great storytelling to absorb.

Never mind that this is one of the best performances of physical comedy by any actor (Ferrell) in recent memory, nor that he got me to buy into the notion of a 30ish man—in green tights—who is sincerely in awe of his dad in spite of his ugly soul.

The Hype: This film was lauded long before it was released, and one critic went so far as to call it a new holiday classic. Millions of dollars worth of marketing set this film up for major success or dismal failure with no middle ground in between. Ferrell has done his share of comedies since leaving Saturday Night Live—a program that has lost all bite and relies on heavy-handed, unfunny bark now—but could he actually carry a mega-project alone? And, in fact, how would actor-turned-director Jon Favreau fare in his first big-budget film?

Strengths: One of the assets of Elf is that Ferrell is central but not necessarily the smart guy. Just about everyone else, even his boss at the department store, has more savvy. But there’s no question that Buddy has the deepest conscience and biggest heart, and when Jovie sees through the green tights (not literally) and examines the goodness of this overgrown elf, there’s but one conclusion: we all are more than willing to suspend our sense of reality to believe that even the most jaded of us have a little bit of Buddy in us, yearning for that connection to our roots, to do what is right—all the time. And to do it with the same kind of hilarity and joy that Buddy exudes; it’s no coincidence that some of the funniest scenes involve Buddy and his kid half-brother.

Weaknesses: A too-good-to-be-true ending is not exactly a weakness in a story about an elf from the North Pole. But that’s as close as it gets in terms of holes in the direction, story and acting.

Best Scene: There are a multitude of physical comedy scenes, as well as a few surprisingly effective—and tender—moments of dialogue. Perhaps my favorite comedic scene happens when Buddy stays overnight in the store, doing his decoration routine—as all hard-working elves do, of course—before finally stopping to rest in the wee hours of morning. He hears a heavenly voice from afar. Mesmerized, Buddy follows the voice until he realizes it is Jovie singing in the shower room. He sits nearby, singing the duet with her—and yes, Ferrell’s notable voice strikes a fine melody. Their voices are actually terrific together, until Jovie realizes she is not alone. It’s a telling sign that she is at first scared out of her wits, then not quite so petrified when she realizes it is only Buddy. Still, she screams at him to get out. As his hands cover his eyes, he obeys immediately, running straight ahead. Instead of the doorway, however, Buddy slams headfirst into a locker. It has to be seen—and it’s a quick scene—to be appreciated.

Summary: With Elf, Ferrell finally gets to play a character with a little more breadth. Without Ferrell, this is a movie that could easily have been forgotten, of course. It is a vehicle for holiday entertainment, and it entertains fully.

Discretionary notes: No profanity, no violence, no sex. The only issue may be for parents of children under 10. There is one scene where the kids learn, through Buddy’s revelation, that department store Santa “is a fraud!” If you want your kids to have zero doubt about department store Santa, pass on this film. The redeeming factor for parents, though, is that the “real” Santa is there, in flesh and blood, at the beginning and end of the story. That might work out better, in fact, than anything else.