Shockingly good!

Rating: 8/10 (9 November 2003)

So a few weeks ago my 20-something-year-old male friend mentioned how much he wanted to see this new movie Elf that was coming out and starring Will Ferrell.
Immediately I cringe inwardly, but nod my head and mention that I vaguely recall seeing something about that film on TV somewhere. Wasn't James Caan in it too? Hmm. Maybe it could be good. Heh.. maybe.
A little over a week later and this said friend is giving me a call. We decide to make plans for Friday, but why go out to eat again? After a few seconds of mentally listing the pros and cons of it, I just say it. I say, "Didn't Elf come out today? Why don't we go see it since I know you want to." A few hours later as we walk into the theatre, I'm praying that this movie will at the very least have more entertainment value than From Justin to Kelly. See? Not much in the expectations department.
Okay, so to get to the point of all this.. GO SEE THIS MOVIE. It's slightly childish, slightly unbelievable, and very, very funny. I fell in love with it, and I cannot wait to be able to add it to my collection of DVDs so that I can pull it out every year around Christmas and get myself in the mood to start buying strands upon strands of Christmas lights.
Will Ferrell is right at home as he prances across the screen in tights, picks used gum off railings in New York City, bounces across beds in department stores, and naively assumes midgets are elves. This film pays homage to other Christmas classics, it miraculously has a decent plot to it that, while cheesy, is cheesy in a very good way.
In all honesty, I'm kind of hoping at least one of my other 20-something-year-old friends is interested in seeing this movie. Because I wouldn't mind seeing it again.