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A great holiday comedy, destined to be a minor classic. Better than JINGLE ALL THE WAY but not quite as good as A CHRISTMAS STORY, this razzle-dazzle fantasy by actor-director Jon Favreau tells the off-center tale of a human, played by a rather fey Will Ferrell, raised by Santa's elves, who at age 30 goes off in search of his father, a New York City book publisher played by a weary-looking James Caan. Much hilarity ensues, as the merry Ferrell teaches the frumpy Caan the true meaning of Christmas. Some delightful touches such as a bunch of Rankin-Bass-type North Pole creatures including a Burl Ives-ish snowman played by Leon Redbone and an adorable penguin with both eyes on one side of its head. Lots of attention to detail (for instance, note Caan's apartment after Ferrell has transformed it, including the dozens of Christmas cookies on the kitchen counter). Some hysterically funny moments, such as Caan coming upon Ferrell sleeping in Gimbel's (yes, Gimbel's!) window and Ferrell running full-tilt into a steel locker after surprising Reese Witherspoon-lookalike Zooey Deschanel in the shower. This is the film that makes Ferrell a bona fide star, by the way. It owes nothing to SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, thank God, being wholly original in thought and content and character. In the end, ELF goes on a bit long, it falters whenever Ferrell is offscreen, and the ending is a bit too much...but what the heck. By the way, the movie is just this side of being a musical, which will surprise and delight many moviegoers. The soundtrack is simply magnificent, filled with memorable holiday tunes including a nice duet of "Baby It's Cold Outside" featuring Ferrell and Deschanel.
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