Brand New Christmas Staple

Rating: 8/10 (6 January 2004)

"Elf" from actor/director Jon Favreau is a delightful holiday movie which benefits greatly from a strong comedic performance from Will Ferrell in his first solo lead role.
An orphaned baby on Christmas Eve crawls into Santa's sack without his knowledge and is taken to the North Pole. When discovered it is decided that the toddler will stay and be raised as an elf but as the years pass he realizes that he is different from everyone else and sets out to find his biological father who works as a children's book publisher in New York. And then as they say the fun begins.
The humor is not aimed squarely at children which makes it the perfect family comedy and not at any moment does Favreau play down to a younger audience.
Ferrell is the perfect choice for the title role. He's not over the top like Jim Carrey or smug like Mike Myers. He brings a childlike innocence to the movie but never delves into the juvenile.
The production design in the North Pole sequences are quite schizophrenic with differing styles but somehow it all gels together due to familiarity. Familiarity is the key to this movie. It's a completely new story but with characters, settings and situations you know from years of watching Christmas movies and holiday specials.
My bet is that "Elf" will also become a Christmas staple much like "It's A Wonderful Life" and "Home Alone". You'll look forward to seeing it again and again in the future at year's end.