Elf (2003) * *

Directed by:  Jon Favreau

Starring:  Will Ferrell, James Caan, Bob Newhart, Ed Asner, Jon Favreau, Mary Steenburgen, Zooey Deschanel

I laughed at times during Elf, but not enough.   The movie is a well-intended, but slipshod mixture of slapstick, gross-out humor, and even some Christmas spirit.    I first saw it when it was first released in 2003 and didn't find it much to my liking.   To see if I was just being a Scrooge or if the movie just didn't work for me like it does for others who watch it every Christmas, I gave it another shot with an open mind and an open heart.    Will Ferrell, as the "elf" who finally after thirty years realizes he is human and not a true Santa elf, attacks the role with zeal and a wide-eyed smile.   He is naive, innocent, and only wants the love of his biological father Walter (Caan), whom he travels to New York to find, and there isn't a lot where that came from.

Walter runs a publishing company and is facing unemployment due to a string of flops.    This is not the best time for Buddy (Ferrell) to wander into his office one day and tell him he's his biological son who has been living for thirty years at the North Pole.   You can forgive Walter for not wanting to embrace this idea, especially since he has just a few days to pitch his boss on his next big bestseller. 
So, Buddy is left to wander New York City and work at Gimbel's when he is mistaken for a staff member.    He already is wearing the elf costume, so why not pass the time?   Especially when the pretty, but spiritless Jovie (Deschanel) catches Buddy's eye.

A paternity test informs Walter that he is Buddy's father, and reluctantly moves him into his New York apartment with his wife (Steenburgen) and young son who is thrilled at having a much older brother, much to Walter's much more muted pleasure.    Caan is funny here because he plays Walter as a man who is one step away from blowing his stack, but never does.    It is a mastery of the slow, slow burn.   There is little suspense as to when and if Walter will finally embrace the son he never met, but you don't exactly watch Elf for the plot.   You watch for the laughs.

Some moments are amusing, while others don't go over as well.    Ferrell is a likable presence, while the supporting cast has some scenes to treasure also, but Elf overall doesn't deliver consistently.    You watch for long stretches awaiting the next laugh which may or may not come.   Your tastes may vary as to whether I'm correct or not.    I've admired Ferrell in other films.   He is a unique talent who can surprise you with his depth.    If I wrote this review in 2003, I would've given Elf one star. 
Fifteen years later, I give it two.   Who knows?   Maybe in another fifteen years, it will have warmed me enough to give it three stars.