Will Ferrell does it again.

Rating: 6/10 (3 October 2003)

Jon Favreau has directed a cute and quirky Christmas movie that will leave both children and parents satisfied. A script that could have easily been thought of as too dark and absurd (the absurd moments in the film are one of its many strengths) is pulled together by a man who continues to amaze me in every film he's in: Will Ferrell. Will Ferrell brings an edge of naivete to the character that is so charming and hilarious it makes it incredibly easy to sit through a film about Santa's attempt to regain the Christmas spirit. In the movie Ferrell plays Buddy, a human who grows up to believe that he is actually and overgrown Christmas Elf and eventually finds out that he is adopted. Buddy sets out on a journey to the wonderful land of New York City to meet his biological father played by James Caan. Injected with many weird and quirky moments (including a cast of claymation animals a la "Rudolf The Red-Nosed Reindeer" and a group of villains ominously know as "The Central Park Rangers") everyone puts in a good amount of charisma. Zooey Deschanel is quite memorable as the love interest with the sultry singing voice and Edward Asner is pitch perfect as a realistically jolly Santa Claus (Faison Love also puts in good performance as the Gimbel's Department store manager). Not a classic by any stretch of the mind Buddy is a great film to take the kids to see. Though I saw this film in a test screening in October I definitely felt the Holiday spirit. Yes, the movie has its syrupy sweet "Good Lord this is corny!" moments, but the off the wall bits of comedy balance the storyline out as a whole.Favreau and Ferrell are fully aware of what moments are sterotyped genre dreck and seem to ham it up.
Buddy is worth seeing for Ferrell's performance alone, mixed with both Favreau's sense of humor and direction its stands out amongst the sea of the standard Disneyfied X-mas tales.