Elf (2003)

After discovering he is a human, a man raised as an elf at the North Pole decides to travel to New York City to locate his real father.

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 | christmas | father son relationship | santa claus | christmas movie | 

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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

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

The found footage of Buddy the Elf on the news is a spoof of the worlds most famous Bigfoot/Sasquatch video from 1967 - right down to how Buddy is walking and how he looks back at the camera.

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Goofs

When Santa moves the sleigh while Buddy is putting on the turbine engine to get away from the Central Park Rangers, Buddy flails, making it obvious that he is lying down on a softer padding than the floor.

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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 The Jay Leno Show: Episode #1.53 (2009)

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Soundtracks

Santa Claus is Comin' to Town
(1934)
Written by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie
Sung by Zooey Deschanel, Mary Steenburgen, Daniel Tay, James Caan, and Chorus

User Reviews

A star is born in this laugh-out-loud holiday comedy...

Charming Christmas confection--about a boy raised by elves in the North Pole who grows up and journeys to N.Y.C. in search of his biological father--puts a clever spin on even the most familiar gags, successfully walking a fine line between absurdist comedy and holiday schmaltz. Will Ferrell looks like a string-bean in yellow tights and, with his mass of curly hair peeking out from underneath his elf's hat, he could easily be used as a walking punchline. Fortunately, director Jon Favreau's handling of "Elf" is incredibly nimble, treating Ferrell and his naive character Buddy with the utmost respect; you can laugh at all the silly pranks without ever feeling guilty. Favreau's work is smooth, and he's assembled an incredible supporting cast of character actors to back his star, though some may find the climactic moments (involving Edward Asner as Santa Claus) a bit too literal--and the movie is certainly funnier before we get to this point. Still, the special effects are kept to a minimum in order to let the people shine...and that's not only refreshing, it's heart-warming. *** from ****