childlike Ferrell fun

Rating: 8/10 (30 November 2013)

Orphan Buddy (Will Ferrell) sneaks in Santa (Edward Asner)'s bag and ends up in the North Pole. Papa Elf (Bob Newhart) raises Buddy as an elf. His giantness causes all kinds of problems. Santa allows him to go to New York City to find his birth father Walter Hobbs (James Caan) who is actually on Santa's naughty list. He gets a job at a store and befriends fellow worker Jovie (Zooey Deschanel).
Childlike Will Ferrell is giving off so much joy and innocence. He is so silly that it is impossible to not laugh at his slapstick humor. He fully commits and that's what makes it so hilarious. The only minor difficulty lies with James Caan. His personality is way too intense for a wacky comedy. But it picks up whenever he reunites with sweetheart Zooey Deschanel. And he has good fun with his brother Michael. Jon Favreau has created a wacky comedy with a heart.