WORDS Evans Bailey
Who are we? Why are we like how we are? Is it something engrained in our essence since birth, or do we learn to be ourselves over the course of our upbringing? Can we change who we are? Those questions and a little bit of Christmas cheer are the subject of this month’s film.
“Oh no,” you might say, “I’m not sitting though another one of those movies in black and white with subtitles. I’ve had enough of your artsy-fartsy stuff Capri Theatre, thankyouverymuch.” Well there’s nothing to worry about here, because we are talking about 2003’s Elf, a film so fluffy and light it makes cotton candy look like a Wendy’s Baconator.
Buddy the elf (Will Ferrell) is an orphaned human raised amongst Santa’s elves at the North Pole. He is a true elf through and through, from the goofy shoes and hat, to the strict diet of candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup. One day, Buddy learns of his true origins, a magical place named New York City, and his real dad, a ball-busting children’s book publisher played by James Caan. His foundations rocked, Buddy sets off in hilarious fashion for the big city to see if he can get pops off the naughty list.
Buddy finds work at, where else, a department store and in its North Pole Christmas display. While moonlighting as a fake elf, he meets his romantic interest Jovie (a pre-TV Zooey Deschanel), who’s a little burned out on the whole Christmas-thing. Buddy’s elf antics create havoc at work and some serious upheaval in Caan’s professional and personal life. Buddy tries to warm over his grumpy dad’s heart, and even manages to almost put in a “regular” day’s work (complete with “work clothes”), but its mostly all for naught until the end. The plot meanders a bit, but thanks to Santa’s late arrival, Buddy’s elf skills, and some (almost cheesy) Christmas spirit with an assist from a singing Jovie, Elf has a charming ending that ends up falling firmly on the side of nurture and human’s ability to change their cold, Christmas-hating hearts.
Elf is stupid fun, but it is most definitely fun. Ferrell and a great supporting cast (Kyle Gass from Tenacious D, Ed Asner, Amy Sedaris, Peter Dinklage (“he’s an angry elf”), Mary Steenburgen, Bob Newhart, Andy Richter) are clearly having a lot of fun with the material, and director John Favreu’s (Iron Man, Made) light touch keeps the film from losing too much steam in its muddled middle. Immensely quotable (“Not now arctic puffin!”), Elf is a modern Christmas classic that even a ball-busting children’s book publisher can enjoy.