Will Power

Rating: Null/10 (7 November 2003)

It takes a pretty big pair of snowballs to release a Christmas movie this early in November. The studio has to have enough confidence in their film that it will last at least to Christmas, which is more than a month and a half away. After seeing "Elf", I understand why New Line was so confident. "Elf" is destined to become a Christmas classic. In the footsteps of Chevy Chase's Clark W.. Griswold III; and Bill Murray's Francis Xavier Cross, Will Ferrell's Buddy the Elf will be rerun for years to come on the Superstation for generations to enjoy. I was skeptical at first that he could pull it off. Where Eddie Murphy and Robin Williams have succeeded in making the leap to family films, others have failed. Ferrell seems at his best when he can be a little raunchy and unpredictable. His Frank the Tank in "Old School" was fantastic, but could he do the family thing? Absolutely. He has added another dimension to his acting, and this could prove to be a major turn in his career. Also adding new dimension is John Favreau. Favreau has made a career writng and directing films that are dialogue driven. "Made" is one of the funniest films of the last decade, so for him to take on "Elf" must have been a harrowing decision. He has eloquently captured the tone of what a good Christmas movie should be, and should be commended. "Elf" also features great camp performances (which I will not spoil) and James Caan delivers his best performance since "Bottle Rocket." A new Christmas classic is here, one that made this Grinch's heart grow large.