Elf (2003)

After inadvertently wreaking havoc on the elf community due to his ungainly size, a man raised as an elf at the North Pole is sent to the U.S. in search of his true identity.

Director:

Jon Favreau

Writer:

David Berenbaum

Stars:

Will Ferrell, James Caan, Bob Newhart

2 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Will Ferrell	...	Buddy
James Caan	...	Walter
Bob Newhart	...	Papa Elf
Edward Asner	...	Santa
Mary Steenburgen	...	Emily
Zooey Deschanel	...	Jovie
Daniel Tay	...	Michael
Faizon Love	...	Gimbel's Manager
Peter Dinklage	...	Miles Finch
Amy Sedaris	...	Deb
Michael Lerner	...	Fulton
Andy Richter	...	Morris
Kyle Gass	...	Eugene
Artie Lange	...	Gimbel's Santa
Leon Redbone	...	Leon the Snowman (voice)

Storyline

Buddy was a baby in an orphanage who stowed away in Santa's sack and ended up at the North Pole. Later, as an adult human who happened to be raised by elves, Santa allows him to go to New York City to find his birth father, Walter Hobbs. Hobbs, on Santa's naughty list for being a heartless jerk, had no idea that Buddy was even born. Buddy, meanwhile, experiences the delights of New York City (and human culture) as only an elf can. When Walter's relationship with Buddy interferes with his job, he is forced to reevaluate his priorities.

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Plot Keywords:

elf | santa claus | christmas | christmas spirit | snowball | 

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Taglines:

This holiday, discover your inner elf.

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some mild rude humor and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 November 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Elf, el duende

Filming Locations:

55 Central Park West, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$33,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$31,113,501, 9 November 2003, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$173,398,518

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$47,044,933

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Line Cinema,Guy Walks into a Bar Productions,Gold/Miller Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Buddy (Will Ferrell) goes to Gimbel's to ask Jovie (Zooey Deschanel) out on a date, the song playing over the loudspeaker is "Christmas Island" sung by Leon Redbone. Redbone also provided the voice of Leon the snowman at the North Pole.

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Goofs

During the boardroom meeting with Miles Finch, a chair repeatedly moves between shots.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Papa Elf: Oh, hello. You're, uh, you're probably here about the story.
[the pages flip to show Papa Elf talking to the camera]
Papa Elf: Elves love to tell stories. I-I'll bet you didn't know that about elves. There's, uh, probably a lot of things you didn't know about elves. Another, another interesting, uh, elfism, uh, there are only three jobs available to an elf. The first is making shoes at night while, you know, while the old cobbler sleeps.
[...]

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Crazy Credits

Near the end of the credits, the original score from the film plays over in the background, and then the last one thing showing was the title of the film.

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Connections

Referenced in Blackcatloner Reviews: Old Fashioned (2016)

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Soundtracks

Whoomp! There It Is
(1993)
Written by Stephen Gibson and Cecil Glenn
Performed by Tag Team
Courtesy of DM Records, Inc.

User Reviews

Great, Clean Christmas movie!

It was so nice to be able to sit down and watch a movie featuring an SNL actor without having to mute or fast forward any crude parts. Granted, this may not be Will Farrell's most amazing performance, but if you want a new Christmas movie to watch this season, I highly recommend Elf. I talked to a few people who thought the movie was stupid, but that was because they were expecting Will Farrell's character to be a duplicate of his SNL performances. So, to fully enjoy this movie, watch it without any expectations and remember that it's okay to have a childlike sense of humor--nobody's too cool for a great Christmas movie. I love most all the movies from Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider, Will Farrell, Jim Carrey, Chris Farley, Chevy Chase, and David Spade, but most of them aren't appropriate for viewers of all ages. Elf is a movie you can throw in the VCR and not have to worry about what the kids hear or see on it. Thanks, Will, for putting out a hilarious movie that the whole family can watch!