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Elf is a 2003 American Christmas film, directed by Jon Favreau and starring Will Ferrell.

Plot[]

A kid from an orphanage crawls into Santa's sack on Christmas Eve and is accidentally transported back to the North Pole. The elves call the infant Buddy after the brand mark ("Little Buddy Diapers") on his diaper when he is found at the workshop, and Papa Elf adopts and raises him. Buddy grows up thinking he is an elf and is welcomed by the elf clan, but his human stature prevents him from keeping up with the other elves, and he is demoted to the critical task of toy checking. Buddy also discovers that he is a human, and Papa Elf reveals that Buddy was born to Walter Hobbs and Susan Wells and adopted. Susan died afterwards, and Walter, who now serves as a children's book publisher in New York City's Empire State Building, is ignorant of Buddy's life. Santa informs Buddy that Walter is on the naughty list because of his arrogant and evil conduct, but that Buddy will help him redeem himself.

Buddy rushes to New York and meets Walter at work, but even after mentioning Susan Wells, Walter misinterprets him as a dysfunctional Christmas-gram messenger and kicks him out. Buddy goes to a nearby Gimbels department store after being inspired by a cynical joke from a security officer, where the boss mistakes him for an employee. He encounters Jovie, an unenthusiastic employee with whom he is immediately smitten, at the store's the North Pole. Buddy ecstatically decorates The North Pole overnight after learning that Santa will be at the shop the next day. As Buddy discovers that the Gimbels Santa is not the true Santa, he unmasks him, causing a stir in the shop, resulting in Buddy's arrest.

Walter reluctantly bails Buddy out and brings him to the doctor for a DNA examination, which establishes Buddy's identity as his long-lost son. The doctor persuades Walter to take Buddy home to visit his stepmother Emily and half-brother Michael, hoping that if he is confronted with the truth, he can abandon the "whole elf thing" and resume his life as a normal adult. Buddy's odd behaviour irritates Walter and Michael, but Emily keeps on caring for him until he "recovers." Michael finally warms up to Buddy when Buddy protects him in a snowball battle against a group of bullies, and Michael invites Buddy to invite Jovie out for a date, which she agrees. The two fell in love on their date.

Walter's corporation, on the other hand, is in trouble after their most recent book fails to sell. Walter's manager, Fulton Greenway, gives him a strict deadline of Christmas Eve to finish a new novel. Walter and his staff win a meeting with best-selling children's author Miles Finch out of necessity. Buddy interrupts the conference to brag about his renewed affection, mistaking Finch for an elf despite his dwarfism. Buddy accidentally insults Finch and annoys him to the point that he loses his cool. Finch, enraged and humiliated, hits Buddy and runs away from Walter. Walter angrily snaps at Buddy for disrupting the meeting as Finch marches out of the conference room, harshly disowning him. Buddy, heartbroken, scribbles an apology letter for Walter, Emily, and Michael on an Etch A Sketch and wanders the streets, lamenting his inability to fit in.

After discovering Finch's journal full of suggestions on Christmas Eve, Walter and his colleagues scramble to come up with a novel to pitch. Michael, who found Buddy's message, returns and tells Walter that Buddy has gone while Walter prepares to pitch the book to Greenway that evening. Walter quits his work and leaves with Michael to meet Buddy after realising he was mistaken and having to pick between his job and his family.

Buddy is walking down the streets when he sees Santa's sleigh fall in Central Park, which draws a huge audience. Buddy locates Santa, who informs Buddy that the sleigh has damaged its motor and is unable to travel without it due to a shortage of Christmas spirit. Buddy locates the generator and rejoins Walter and Michael. Walter embraces Buddy as his son after apologising to him. Buddy then brings them to see Santa, who impresses Michael by telling him just what he wanted for Christmas. Michael reads Santa's list in front of assembled television news cameras outside the park, proving that Santa Claus is genuine. As Buddy attempts to reattach the engine, the Central Park Rangers, who have a grudge against Santa for putting them on the naughty list, pursue the sleigh. For the first time in years, Jovie joins the audience and others viewing on television in singing "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" to help lift enough Christmas cheer to totally fuel the sleigh without the motor for the first time in years.

Buddy had become a children's author by the following Christmas, when he published his first book about his life, which became a bestseller and allowed Walter to start his own publishing business. Buddy has even married Jovie and brought their baby girl Susie to see Papa Elf.

Reception[]

The film has an approval rating of 84%, based on 194 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 7.05/10. 'A movie full of Yuletide cheer, Elf is a spirited, good-natured family comedy, and it benefits greatly from Will Ferrell's funny and charming performance as one of Santa's biggest helpers,' says the website's critical consensus.

Christmas songs in this film[]

  • Sleigh Bells
  • It's Cold Outside
  • The Nutcracker
  • Santa Claus is Coming to Town
  • We can build a Snowman
  • Jingle Bells

Trivia[]

  • Will Ferrell ate candy, syrup, and pop tarts in spaghetti noodles on the scene when Buddy did that.
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