Elf (2003)

For the first time in ages, my family couldn't go to a theater together on Christmas. I wound up watching this DVD alone, partly from lack of interest by others. Given my low opinions of Will Ferrell and 2003 movies in general (gosh, I haven't even reviewed any of the latter in full here), I was only slightly interested myself. But it keeps getting positive references 15 years later, so I figured I owed myself a little education.

Santa Claus (Ed Asner) accidentally takes an infant stowaway from an orphanage back to the North Pole. The head elf (Bob Newhart) adopts him, calling him Buddy. Like Navin in The Jerk, Buddy has no idea he's adopted until told so in adulthood, despite not fitting in -- literally. When he learns that his unknowing biological father, Walter (James Caan), is a "naughty" New York exec, he makes a trek in the hope of making a loving connection. Of course, in many ways, he fits in even less among fellow humans, but his stepmother (Mary Steenburgen) encourages Walter to receive him in all his perceived lunacy after a DNA test confirms their relation.

To call it a fish-out-of-water story is an understatement. Ferrell goes full clown, with Buddy causing cringeworthy awkwardness 90+% of the time and realizing that he did something wrong about 20% of the time. Mostly, it takes the form of childish energy and naivete, as if to combine Elfo from Disenchantment with Roberto Benigni's Pinocchio. Is he making the slightest effort to blend in?

It's a little hard to buy the idea that elfish upbringing could account for Buddy's every faux pas. For one thing, the elves seem to work all the time, so where did he get all that playfulness? And there's absolutely nothing plot- or character-appropriate about his epic belch; the makers just threw that in to make the kids guffaw, tho Buddy's preteen half-brother (Daniel Tay) just rolls his eyes. At least the vulgarity of both bathroom and bedroom persuasions is less than in Hotel Transylvania.

Fortunately, while Buddy has trouble holding his own against elves, he is something of a changeling (not that kind). He can do several things that no normal human could do, including super-fast construction, distant travel on foot without supplies, and subsistence entirely on sweets. Only on occasion can others appreciate these talents, but his obsession with bringing joy does gradually make a space for him in the hearts of others.

One of those others is a Gimbels employee, Jovie (Zooey Deschanel). She wears an elf suit just for the paycheck, inevitably drawing Buddy's gaze. Initially, she doesn't espouse much more whimsy than Walter, but you know where this is going. Alas, one developmental scene involves a "Baby, It's Cold Outside" duet even more problematic than usual. I doubt many women in RL would take this much of a chance on Buddy.

Elf reminds me a bit of Enchanted, what with a cutesy idealist coming to NYC from a magical realm and finding love in a cynic. But unlike Giselle, Buddy doesn't really learn a lesson in moderation. We're supposed to believe that he's emotionally correct and should be teaching everyone else. All he learns is that despite his seeming failure to live as an elf or a human, Santa likes him best. Maybe it's something about compromise after all?

Speaking of Santa, he does come back in a big way for the third act. In fact, the major moral for the viewers amounts to "You should totally believe that Santa distributes all the presents instead of parents! And even brand-name products are all made by the same company of elves!" Well, OK, compared with the following year's The Polar Express, Elf exercises a little more...dare I say "nuance" for such a simple movie? The key to powering Santa's sleigh is "Christmas spirit," which evidently has nothing to do with Jesus but means a little more than belief in Santa. I mean, some characters actually know he exists but don't like him enough to boost the sleigh; even singing about him helps significantly.

BTW, I wasn't kidding about simplicity. From this flick, you'd think the world was divided not just into naughty and nice but into the North Pole and NYC. And forget about socioeconomic stratification. Nobody appears to have any problems bigger than whether they can expect gifts on Christmas.

Eh, I suppose that's part of the appeal. Elf lays on the sugar for people with Buddy's appetite. Maybe its popularity lies mostly with those who saw it as children, along with their nostalgic parents. Maybe some other people always crave maximum secular Christmas cheer around this time. Me, I could go for something less embarrassing.