neumu [ cinematronic ]




	Elf
	Jon Favreau Will Ferrell, James Caan, Zooey Deschanel, Edward Asner, Bob Newhart, Mary Steenburgen, Amy Sedaris, Faizon Love 2003		The answer to the burning question "Can ex-'Saturday Night Live' everylunk Will Ferrell carry a film by himself?" is here: Almost. "Elf," an occasionally frantic Christmastime comedy directed by Jon Favreau ("Swingers"), provides some funny moments before going soppy. Most of the yucks are courtesy of ungainly manchild Ferrell in the role of Buddy, a human who, as a tot, crawled into Santa's sack on Christmas Eve while St. Nick (Ed Asner) was scarfing cookies 'n' milk. Ending up at the North Pole, the baby is adopted by a kindly elf (Bob Newhart). Buddy swiftly grows to tower over his tiny comrades. An adult with none of the toy-making skills of Santa's Workshop crew, the incompetent, well-meaning Buddy heads for New York City to find his real father. Of course, everywhere the fish-out-of-water goes, he's an inane anomaly. Buddy's daddy, a calculating publishing executive, wants nothing to do with his long-lost son. Dad is played by blustery James Caan, and the contrast with Ferrell's sweet goof is well milked. Buddy also gets a love interest, a cute girl (Zooey Deschanel) working as one of Santa's elves in a department store. Groan if you think someone's gonna teach his papa and the rest of New York the true meaning of Christmas.