2003 - Rated PG - 1 hr 37 min
Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Will Ferrell, Edward Asner, Bob Newhart, James Caan, Mary Steenburgen, Zooey Deschanel, Peter Dinklage
Smiling may be my favorite, but this movie comes close. It could so easily have been too much, but it's a perfect balance of real and fiction, belief and skepticism, with a side of maple syrup.
What makes this movie work, though, is Will Ferrell's utter committment to the role. He buys into it completely, which makes it easier for us to get lost in the story of Buddy the Elf and his journey to New York City. A half-assed performance wouldn't do the trick, and would have made the whole movie fall flat. Thankfully, he's so excellent at this kind of thing, you half expect to be able to talk to narwals.
So even though Christmas is over, I still took much joy in being able to watch this one again. Of all the elves in all the movies out there, Buddy is my favorite, hands down.
Speaking as somebody who doesn't really care for Will Farrell much of the time he is absolutely perfect in this.
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