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Elf Movie Review

“I’m a cotton-headed ninny muggins!” - Buddy Hobbs
Elf is a 2003 holiday comedy film directed by Jon Favreau, and starring Will Ferrell as a human named Buddy, who was raised by Christmas elves.  When Buddy finds out that he is not an elf, but a human, he travels to New York City to find his real father, (James Caan) who happens to be on the naughty list.  
After rewatching this classic film with my family on Christmas Eve, I was reminded of just how magical this movie really is.  This is a great family movie, and it’s easy to see why so many people love to watch it every year around Christmas time. To start off, Will Ferrell’s acting in this film is very impressive.  He reminds me of a new age Robin Williams. The enthusiasm and silliness that he brings to the role of Buddy really shows his passion towards not only this film, but also acting in general. James Caan, Peter Dinklage, Mary Steenburgen and Zooey Deschanel also shine bright.  
The music is instantly recognizable, and the story is brilliantly inventive, and funny.  The dialogue is great, and is very quotable. The direction is really good here, and the set pieces are really pretty looking.  The camerawork also looks nice, and the special effects are surprisingly impressive too.
As for setbacks, this is not really a film you can think too hard about, because if you do, you will notice that there are some little things that don’t make sense, and there are some continuity errors. As a film critic, I have to examine films very closely, and while that is something I am very passionate about, and something that I love to do, in a film such as Elf, once you notice these errors, it sort of takes away a little bit of the fun.  I do still think that this is a fantastic movie though, and definitely one worth checking out. Elf is definitely a very enjoyable movie, and if you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favor and watch it. You’ll most likely find yourself coming back to this film every year like so many families already have.
Rating: PG

Grade: A-

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