Elf

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// Don't change any javascript below this line. var eBayRedirectURL = "http://adfarm.mediaplex.com/ad/ck/" + eBayMP_partner + "?loc="; function redirectEnter(form,url){ var eBayURL = url; for (var i=0;i<form.elements.length;i++){ var e = form.elements[i]; if ((e.type != "image") && (e.type != "button") && (e.type != "submit")){ if(i==0){ eBayURL += "?" + e.name + "=" + e.value; } else{ eBayURL += "&" + e.name + "=" + e.value; } } } var temp = eBayRedirectURL + escape(eBayURL); document.location = temp; } </script> <table width="468" border="2" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" bordercolor="#3A3AF3" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"> <tr> <td> <img src="http://img-snv.mediaplex.com/ads/711/1751/ebay_logo_468x60border_searchpull.gif" width="165" height="58" align="left" hspace="20"> <table border=0 cellpadding=1 cellspacing=0> <FORM action="http://service.bfast.com/bfast/click?bfmid=37920209&siteid=37746411&bfpage=350x50_search_border" onSubmit="redirectEnter(this,'http://service.bfast.com/bfast/click?bfmid=37920209&siteid=37746411&bfpage=350x50_search_border'); 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A comedy. Rated PG (for some mild rude humor and language). New Line Cinema. Running time:  90 minutes. </div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="592" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 23 WIDTH="588"><div> Elf a small holiday treat</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> I realized I was having fun about twenty minutes into Jon Favreau's directorial debut "Elf." Lumbering Will Ferrell, decked out in full-on Christmas elf attire, roaming the streets of Manhattan, marveling at revolving doors, elevator floors, street corner Santas and "the world's best cup of coffee," adds a silly heart to his usual brand of goofiness and the combination is infectious.  </div> <bR> <div> Framed like a fairy tale set in the North Pole, "Elf" begins as Santa returns home with an unexpected stowaway in his bag of treasures - an orphaned baby.  Though a human being is an anomaly in the elf world, they raise him as one of their own, until one day the grown up Buddy (Will Ferrell) goes searching for the father he never knew - a cynical big city book publisher named Walter (James Caan). Married to a soft-spoken wife (Mary Steenburgen), he is also father to an eight-year-old stepson, who doesn't believe in Santa and pretty much embodies the holiday spirit of New York City. When Buddy gets a decorating job at Gimble's, alongside depressed Christmas help Jovie (Zooey Deschanel), the movie delights in Buddy's overwrought and letter-perfect protective love for all things Christmas.</div> <bR> <div> "Elf" is at its best when it just lets Farrell run with the ball, and only when it tries to settle down into its obligatory meaning of Christmas, Gary Marshall-esque territory, does Farrell feel a bit shoehorned.  When the film tries for sentiment, it falls down - not fatally, but the descent is pointed and obvious.  Thankfully, the character types - including Caan's hard-boiled businessman on the "naughty list" - aren't that broadly drawn.  We saw this type of material fall to pieces this year in "Dickie Roberts, Former Child Star," but "Elf" has an appealing balance of goofiness and heart that make it a decent and entertaining family film.  </div> <bR> <div> There's also an excellent supporting cast on hand that includes Bob Newhart as Buddy's Elf father, Ed Asner as St. Nick himself, hip jokester Amy Sedaris as a beleaguered office assistant, and an absolutely deadly piece of comedy by diminutive Peter Dinklage as a pompous, best-selling author with a Napoleon complex.  </div> <bR> <div> Though the special effects and sentimental clichés get a little out of hand near the film's climax, first time director and actor Jon Favreau shows a clever wit and storybook sweetness in handling the fairy-tale North Pole sequences, as well as the cozy Manhattan at Christmas milieu.  He even manages some very funny satirical swipes at hotshot writers, aggressive news anchors and overzealous New York cops.  </div> <bR> <div> Whether you appreciate "Elf" comes down to how you feel about Ferrell's sweetly funny performance.  He has an overriding niceness and generosity of spirit that's nothing profound but tickles you for its 90 minute running time.  </div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="591" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="587"><div> Lee Shoquist © 2003</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="587"><div> <A HREF="mailto:info@reelmoviecritic.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:info@reelmoviecritic.com"><U><U>lee@reelmoviecritic.com</U></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>