It’s difficult to decide whether New Line’s ad campaign for Jon Favreau’s Elf will help or hurt the film’s commercial prospects. On the one hand, by focusing primarily on the slapstick antics of star Will Ferrell, the trailers avoid giving away all of the best gags (a crime that’s committed by far too many previews these days). At the same time, however, the pratfall-heavy ads obscure what a clever, witty movie this actually is. I can easily picture a large number of moviegoers (particularly those over the age of 18) writing the film off as yet another sophomoric vehicle for an ex-“Saturday Night Live” star. That’s a shame because, as improbable as it sounds, Elf is one of the year’s best comedies, right up there with Finding Nemo, A Mighty Wind and School of Rock. Like those films, this is a comedy that respects the audience’s intelligence—although it’s not above going for a cheap laugh every now and then.



Elf opens one snowy Christmas Eve in a New York orphanage. As the children slumber, a familiar figure drops from the chimney and steals over to the Christmas tree. While his back is turned, a baby escapes its crib, climbs unnoticed into his open sack, and remains hidden until the sleigh touches down again in the North Pole. Rather than return the child to the human world, Santa (Edward Asner) decides to let him grow up in his workshop, under the watchful eye of one of his most trusted elves (Bob Newhart). Thirty years pass and Buddy (as he’s now been named) grows up into a happy, well-adjusted man-elf. Unfortunately, one thing still sets him apart: his size. After a particularly trying day, Papa Elf is forced to tell his adopted son the truth about where he came from. Far from being emotionally shattered by this news, Buddy is filled with the urge to find his real parents. So, armed with some helpful advice from Santa and a photo of his mother and father, he sets off for Manhattan. Naturally, things don’t go smoothly at first; his mother is dead and his workaholic father (James Caan) refuses to see him. But Buddy’s childlike enthusiasm eventually beats down his old man’s defenses. It also attracts the attention of a pretty young woman (Zooey Deschanel) who, appropriately enough, works as a department store elf.



With a premise this thin, there are hundreds of ways Elf could have gone wrong. Had Favreau and screenwriter David Berenbaum adopted a sneering attitude to their material or if Ferrell were allowed to go completely over the top, the result would have been almost impossible to sit through. Fortunately, the filmmakers and the star manage to hit upon the proper mixture of humor and sentiment in virtually every scene. Just as School of Rock was a Jack Black movie for people who don’t like Jack Black, so is Elf a Will Ferrell comedy for those viewers who normally can’t stand the sight of him. Ferrell’s willingness to do absolutely anything to get a laugh (especially if it involves doffing his pants) has always been his greatest strength—and his greatest weakness—as a comedian. Too many times on “SNL” he would ruin sketches by turning in such a shrill, exaggerated performance that you quickly lost any interest in his character. This role allows him to retain his natural exuberance without alienating the audience; Buddy is such a sweet, good-natured person, his eccentricities prove endearing rather than annoying. It helps that Ferrell is surrounded by a stellar supporting ensemble, from old pros Asner, Newhart and a perfectly cast Caan, to younger talent like Andy Richter and Deschanel, who manages to flesh out the normally thankless love-interest role.



As strong as this cast is, a great deal of the film’s success is due to Berenbaum’s imaginative script and Favreau’s confident direction. This is only the actor’s second effort behind the camera, but he displays deft comic timing and a keen eye for location shooting. While all of the interiors were shot in Vancouver, Favreau peppers the movie with plenty of exterior scenes shot on the streets of Manhattan. At a time when so many movies use a stand-in city for New York, a little of the real thing goes a long way.



Families and teenagers will obviously flock to Elf in droves, but there’s a wider audience out there who would enjoy it as well. You know who you are—consider yourselves coaxed.