ELF

Playing a human raised by Santa’s elves at the North Pole, Will Ferrell throws himself as completely into his role as any great method actor. As Buddy, his childish wonder comes across as much in his face as in the ridiculous events of the plot, and Ferrell never hesitates to play things to the hilt without ever overdoing it.

‘Elf’ is a Christmas movie, and like pretty much every Christmas movie in existence, the story concerns a lack of Christmas spirit in the world and how to remedy the problem. Buddy grows up in Santa’s village and is an outcast in nearly every way. When he finds out that he is not an elf but an adopted human, Buddy travels to Manhattan to find his birth father, and it is these scenes – when Buddy’s elfish upbringing crashes headfirst into the modern world - that produce the most laughs. Buddy’s father has lost both the Christmas spirit and the true spirit of life, so… well, you get the rest.

James Caan plays the Ebenezer Scrooge character and brings not much more to the role than the fact that he is James Caan. Zooey Deschanel plays Buddy’s love interest but isn’t given much to do besides show off a pretty remarkable singing voice. Peter Dinklage makes the very most of a small part, and the rest of the cast generally blends into the woodwork. All of this is just fine, since ‘Elf’ is the Will Ferrell show and he knows it.

The beginning of ‘Elf’ plays as little more than set-up, and the final third loses most of its giddiness, but Will Ferrell and the script’s middle lift the film above the average holiday fare. Director John Favreau plays by the rules to a fault, but there’s a warmth of spirit in ‘Elf’ that can’t help but break through.

MAYBE SO (7/10)