Elf

Tonight I saw Elf, starring Will Ferrell and Zooey Deschanel.

The modern holiday classic is always a joy to watch, but I had never seen it on the big screen until tonight. Thank you, Edmonds Theater!

Buddy (Ferrell) is adopted at the North Pole and raised as an elf in Santa's workshop, though his human qualities don't always fit in with his peers. He begins a quest to develop a relationship with his father, Walter (James Caan), and heads to New York City to do so.

There, Buddy is basically a bull in a China shop. He dresses as an elf and disrupts every environment he enters with his childlike behavior and naiveté. Though his father thinks of him as a burden, his stepmother Emily (Mary Steenburgen) and his colleague Jovie (Deschanel) see past his oddball tendencies and realize the sweet spirit that lies beneath.

It's a hilarious character that could only be executed by Ferrell in this way; for underneath the slapstick is a whole lot of heart. That, coupled with his chemistry with Deschanel (who, thankfully for us, gets to share her beautiful voice for a bit in this film) makes for a surprisingly sentimental holiday comedy.

I won't ever tire of this Christmas treat.

~~~