With the holiday season approaching, filmmakers are full of warm fuzzies in the hopes of touching a few wallets with that holiday spirit. Meanwhile, the world is wondering what former Saturday Night Live castmember Will Ferrell will make funnier with his presence. Luckily, the planets were in the right alignment and Elf was born.
The story revolves around a 30-year old man-child spreading Christmas cheer to a world that has lost ability to believe and bringing a family closer together. Ernest Saves Christmas, anyone? Yes, it's been done.
No worries, though, kids. Ferrell has never been one to disappoint. The beginning of the movie sets up a story you can all relate to: Mom gets pregnant, doesn't tell dad, gives the baby up for adoption, dies, and then the infant, in the care of nuns, crawls into Santa's bag on Christmas Eve and is raised as an elf by Bob Newhart. Who hasn't become an orphan and Bob Newhart's kid all in one year? No response needed there.
Despite the stretching in the believability of the story -- he is a six-foot elf -- and the sappy ending, the comedy never stops. From lots of maple syrup on spaghetti to giving away the identity of a department store Santa, Ferrell keeps a completely straight face. He became just as much an elf as he used to be the characters he played on SNL. It's good family fun, and lots of warm fuzzies will be spread. Just a little bit of advice: don't cry at the end, because your family will make fun of you.
