Elf

Starring: Will Ferrell, James Caan, Bob Newhart, Zooey Deschanel and…

Elf

Starring: Will Ferrell, James Caan, Bob Newhart, Zooey Deschanel and Edward Asner

Directed by Jon Favreau

Christmas movies tend to be filled with cliches, and “Elf” is no different. However, that does not stop it from being a hilarious take on the Christmas spirit. It’s a funny and heartwarming film that sets the mood for the upcoming holiday season.

Buddy (Will Ferrell) is a 6-foot-3-inch elf – well, he’s not exactly an elf; as Buddy puts it, he’s a “human raised by elves.” The story starts 30 years prior, when Santa Claus (Ed Asner) stops by an orphanage to drop off presents and baby Buddy crawls into Santa’s bag.

Upon arrival to the North Pole, Santa finds out that he has returned with his tiny stowaway, and Santa and the elves decide to raise him as their own. Buddy is adopted by Papa Elf (Bob Newhart) and is raised like any elfin child – learning how to make toys and learning the Code of the Elves, which includes the all important rule, “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.”

Buddy is later told that he is not really an elf, he’s a human, and he sets out on his journey to find his real father, who doesn’t even know he exists. Buddy’s father, Walter, (James Caan) is the head of a department in charge of making children’s books for a publishing company. Walter is so wrapped up in work and making money that he doesn’t find time for his other son, Michael (Daniel Tay), let alone Buddy.

Buddy finds that he doesn’t fit in anywhere when he messes things up over and over, and the only people that really see the good in Buddy are Michael and Jovie, (Zooey Deschanel) a beautiful woman whom Buddy falls in love with and who works as a department store elf.

Buddy has to help save Christmas when Santa’s sleigh loses its carbine engine and doesn’t have enough fuel in the Clauseometer, which measures Christmas spirit, and he crashes in Central Park. They then have to work to get the people of New York to believe in Santa again, and they use the most important Code of the Elves, as Jovie leads a large group of people in singing “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.”

Will Ferrell is great as an innocent and humble man who is just trying to do what he thinks is right for Christmas spirit. James Caan also plays his role as the father very well. All of the characters were believable and the script – although filled with cliches, like any Christmas movie – is hilarious.

Jon Favreau, of “Swingers” and “Made” fame, does a good job in giving the North Pole a nostalgic and over-the-top feel, much like the claymation sets from Rudolph animated features. The elves’ costumes look great and are also reminiscent of those old, clay flicks.

With its comedy and touching warmth, “Elf” is a great movie for the whole family, with some jokes that only the adults will get, as well as a new installment in the Christmas movie genre that’s definitely worth watching.