good back-story, and good acting

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

The main character of Elf is the hilarious Will Ferrell who plays the part of an elf that has traveled down to New York City, from the North Pole to find his dad. The movie portrays Buddy the Elf (Ferrell), rummaging through the large city in hopes of finding his father while still dressed as an elf. This movie is funny because of his different encounters with the citizens of New York. Everyone finds Buddy as a joke, including his own father, because of his childish behavior and remarks, because he is a full grown man. Examples of this behavior are brought out by his elf outfit that he wears every day and how he constantly talks to almost everyone about personally knowing Santa. This is a great movie for all different age groups and not only a movie that should be watched during the Christmas season.

This needs to be in your Christmas watch list. It has wonderful nods to classics, some FX, a feral raccoon, a squirrelly Ferrell, outstanding eye candy, delightful tunes AND Bob Newhart - that means great comedy, btw. If this show doesn't make you laugh, you need a stickectomy. And if you don't know where to find said stick, just ask someone. Everybody around you surely knows where it's lodged. This is watchable every year. You will laugh every time you see it or Carol Kane will jingle your bells with her foot.

the fact that Will Farrell's character is told at the North Pole that when he goes to civilization, if he sees gum on the ground or anywhere, don't eat it because it's not free candy; it's dirty. And then everybody cracks up, going "Eeewww!" when he picks all the gum wads off the subway railing and eats them. Wasn't he just told minutes ago to not do that?

Like most people around the holidays, I'm usually up for a watching (or re-watching) of the great holiday classics ("Wonderful Life", "Home Alone", etc.). For whatever reason, however, it took me until 2016 to actually sit down and watch "Elf" all the way through. While maybe not jumping up to the top of my "all-time Christmas list", I did find Elf to be an enjoyable romp.For a basic plot summary, this movie tells the story of Buddy (Ferrell), a human boy raised in the North Pole due to a mix-up with Santa Claus (Ed Asner). For most of his life, Buddy believes he is an actual elf, until realizing his shortcomings in that community. As such, he decides to strike out for the "human world" in order to find his real father (James Caan). Along the way, Buddy (as a result of his endearing cheerfulness) brings a bit of Christmas spirit to all those around him that are in dire need of it, including a young retail worker named Jovie (Zooey Deschanel).To me, "Elf" is primarily a success because of the iconic character that Ferrell creates. The script/plot itself is about as irrelevant and corny as they come, but Ferrell's quirky energy steals every single scene. Quotes like "You sit on a throne of lies", "Bye buddy, hope you find your Dad!", and "Buddy the Elf, what's your favorite color?" will forever be burned into my memory! I don't think there is an actor out there who could have played Buddy as perfectly as Ferrell.Simply put, I'm glad I finally sat down and watched "Elf" from beginning to end. I don't know if it will get watched religiously every Christmas in my home (time will tell on that one...but maybe it will grow on me even more!), but I can tell you that I will be quoting it going forward!