Elf

As time goes on, more Christmas films are considered classics of their genre or, depending on who you ask, staples of the season. One of these is Elf, a 2003 comedy directed by Jon Favreau and starring Will Ferrell. Back when I was only eleven, I saw the film during its original theatrical run and although I had enjoyed it, I never saw it again for one reason or another. Years later, I would see the film referenced more and more to the point where I thought I would give it another try, both to experience it with essentially fresh eyes and see if it was worthy of the praise others had given it. Twenty years after its initial release, I feel it’s safe to say that not only did it hold up pretty well on its own merits, it was actually better than I had remembered.

On Christmas Eve, a baby is unknowingly taken back to the North Pole from an orphanage. Santa’s elves, who name the baby Buddy, accept him into their community and he grows into adulthood wholeheartedly believing that he’s an elf. One day, however, Buddy (Will Ferrell) overhears that he’s a human and has an existential crisis. Papa Elf (Bob Newhart), Buddy’s father figure, tells him about his real parents, Walter Hobbs (James Caan) and Susan Wells, the latter of whom put him up for adoption prior to her death. Walter, who doesn’t know Buddy exists, now works at a children’s book publisher in New York City, but has landed on the Naughty List due to his selfishness. Santa (Ed Asner) suggests that Walter could be redeemed with some Christmas spirit, so Buddy travels to New York, ready to meet his real father. Unfortunately, Walter, who has started a family of his own, isn’t as enthusiastic to meet his long-lost son.

Though Elf at its core is a type of “fish out of water” story, the setup not only feels pretty original, but also rather well-executed. Starting off with the backstory for this film’s interpretation of Santa’s Christmas operation, as well as Buddy’s arrival at the North Pole, makes sense to help set up the basic elements of the setting and provide a baseline for Buddy’s character arc. Speaking of Buddy, his arc has a lot of heart and while his character doesn’t dramatically change by the end, you do get the sense that he goes through some development and grows wiser as a person.

Buddy (Will Ferrell) really stands out in New York.

The characters who really change, however, are the people that Buddy interacts with during his time in New York. There’s Jovie (Zooey Deschanel), an unenthusiastic worker at Gimbels who not only falls in love with Buddy, reciprocating his feelings, but also grows more confident in herself and more enthusiastic about the Christmas season. Buddy’s real family, particularly his stepmother Emily (Mary Steenburgen) and stepbrother Michael (Daniel Tay), are put off by Buddy’s eccentric behavior, but warm up to him as his actions change their lives for the better. Their change in attitude also later helps Buddy get through to his bitter and cynical father, who does regain his Christmas spirit, although his epiphany can feel abrupt based on his prior behavior. Watching Buddy affect minor characters, like those working in the mailroom at the publishing company Walter works at, is also very entertaining.

Elf’s strong writing comes backed with strong acting from the entire cast, especially from Will Ferrell, who shows that he can turn in a great, at times emotional, performance when he’s reined in. His performance as Buddy really helps with the film’s humor, which manages to hit a lot more than it misses and mostly goes beyond cheap gags. That said, there is some toilet humor, and a couple other gross events like Buddy chewing used street gum, that I felt it could have done without.

Much like the story, the visual effects hold up very well. The heavy use of practical and in-camera effects, including heavy use of forced perspective and some use of stop-motion during the first act, continue to impress, as I often found myself wondering how they convincingly pulled off a lot of shots. Whatever CG the film has is very minimal and although you can tell when a shot uses it, it still looks good now.

One notable example of forced perspective used in the film.

As an added bonus, the soundtrack, comprised of a very solid selection of Christmas songs, works not just in the context of the film, but also as a standalone Christmas album. Its one new contribution, a performance of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" by Leon Redbone and Zooey Deschanel, also does a good job showing off the latter’s singing ability.

While not completely perfect, Elf is an otherwise solid Christmas classic worth seeing at least once. It may even end up as a staple in your household during the holiday season.