Review Detail

Elf was not a "go to" movie for me and although it has been around for years I never saw it until last year, when my twin granddaughters convinced me to watch it with them....and it wasn't even Christmas!  What a sweet, innocent, happy movie it is!  The story is about "Buddy", played perfectly by Will Ferrel,  who, when in an orphanage, was accidently transferred to the North Pole and raised by Santa's Elves.  Buddy realizes that he really doesn't fit in among the elves so he travels to New York City, in his Elf clothes, to find his biological father, a business man, Walter Hobbs, played by James Caan.  Walter has a family and, after learning that Buddy is actually his son, he tries to have some sort of relationship with him, but Buddy is innocent and child-like and building this relationship isn't easy for the busy, cynical  Walter.  Many funny, heart-warming incidents with a wonderful cast, Bob Newhart as Papa Elf, who raised Buddy, Ed Asner as Santa Claus, and the wonderful cast goes on and on.  Love this movie and am glad it is coming into the Christmas season so that I have another excuse to watch it again with my girls.  What a pleasant surprise.  A holiday gift for the entire family!