Elf (movie)
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Elf is a 2003 American comedy film written by David Berenbaum and directed by Jon Favreau. It was released in the US on November 7, 2003.
As Elf begins, an infant in an orphanage crawls into Santa's sack of toys one Christmas and is accidentally taken to the North Pole. Santa (played by Ed Asner) decides to allow the child, who he names "Buddy" after a label on his diaper, to be raised by an elf (played by Bob Newhart) who has no children of his own. As Buddy grows (played as an adult by Will Ferrell), he is raised as an elf; his immense stature and lack of toymaking skills pose awkward questions that his adopted father continually waves away. After a string of accidents in which his non-elfness becomes obvious, Papa Elf finally breaks the news to Buddy that he was adopted. Overwhelmed by the news, Buddy walks to New York City to find his biological father Walter (portrayed by James Caan), who is a cold-hearted children's book publishing executive.
Much of the film's comedy arises from Buddy's lack of knowledge about "normal" human behavior and the conflicts between his naïve, merry attitude and the hostile attitude of many New Yorkers. Many of the jaded people he meets no longer believe in Santa and believe Buddy is simply a colorful eccentric wearing yellow tights and singing carols. Although initially skeptical of Buddy's irrepressible nature, a young woman named Jovie (played by Zooey Deschanel) begins to fall in love with him.
The movie climaxes when Buddy meets Santa again in Central Park and helps fix his sleigh, which is powered by Christmas spirit.
Trivia
- The "amateur footage" of Buddy walking through Central Park is a spoof of the Patterson-Gimlin film, the most well-known alleged footage of Bigfoot.
- Director Jon Favreau appears as a doctor who performs a blood test to verify that Buddy is Walter's son.
- Screenwriter David Berenbaum makes a cameo appearance as a worker in Walter's office.
Selected cast and crew
- Will Ferrell - Buddy
- Ed Asner - Santa Claus
- Bob Newhart - Papa Elf
- James Caan - Walter
- Mary Steenburgen - Emily
- Zooey Deschanel - Jovie
- Daniel Tay - Michael
Directed by Jon Favreau; written by David Berenbaum; distributed by New Line Cinema.
External links
- Official site for the movie (http://www.elfmovie.com/)
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