I laughed, I cried ...

Rating: 8/10 (13 December 2003)

As an absolute non-fan of Will Ferrell's comedy, I was dragged kicking and screaming to this movie, so my enjoyment of it came as a huge surprise. Turns out it's more of an adult movie than a child-pleaser, and some good jokes were lost on my 11-yr-old daughter (though she loved the World's Longest Burp). There were some very funny bits, but my greatest delight came from James Caan as the straight man in this script -- after I saw him a completely phoned-in goon in "Mickey Blue Eyes" a few years ago, I never wanted to see him again, but he was terrific in "Elf". Peter Dinklage is dynamite as a very full-of-himself bestselling author. And Will Ferrell was cast so perfectly that I thoroughly enjoyed him, too. Yes, it's schmaltzy, but hey -- it's Christmas; the timing is perfect. 8/10