Enjoyable, But More For Adults Than Children

Rating: 7/10 (13 December 2012)

I saw it last night at a Christmas party and found it enjoyable. But despite its Christmas theme, it was really intended to entertain adults rather than children.
There was no profanity, graphic violence, and sexuality was limited to seeing the head and shoulders of a woman in the shower. But much of the humor would fly against most children's' heads. The basic story is about a human baby in an orphanage who crawled into Santa Claus's toy sack and ends up at the North Pole, being raised by an elf there. Buddy, as he is named, does not fit in as he is a giant compared to the elves, and Santa allows him to go to New York City to meet his biological father-who happens to be on Santa's naughty list for being too devoted to his career to pay attention to his family. Buddy meets his father, who disbelieves him at first, and he goes to the Gimbel's department store where he is mistaken as an employee and is put to work. Buddy inadvertently causes trouble there, and when he reunites with his father who finally discovers that Buddy was the son he never knew existed, he inadvertently brings trouble to his new family too.
The movie is based on the "fish out of water" trope, and Buddy is naive but not necessarily stupid. The ending is happy if predictable, and it works as adult Christmas entertainment. The actors work well in their respective parts too and Ed Asner makes a surprisingly effective Santa. Recommended, but really for the grown-ups.