Elf (2003) reviews

The Fuzzy Mushroom take on Elf

By Fuzzy Mushroom · Updated 12 November 2026 · The Pros 75 · The Punters 74 · Spore Score 75 · How we write our takes

Critics and audiences agree

Elf is one of the few modern Christmas comedies that critics and audiences rate almost exactly the same. The Pros give it 75, The Punters 74, and the Spore Score is 75, with a crystal clear tag. A gap of just 1 points is about as close as the two camps get. More than twenty years on, it has settled in as a festive favourite that people return to every December.

What it is

Jon Favreau directed this 2003 comedy, written by David Berenbaum. Will Ferrell plays Buddy, a human baby who crawls into Santa's sack at an orphanage and is raised by elves at the North Pole. Fully grown and far too big for elf life, he learns the truth and travels to New York to find his real father, Walter Hobbs (James Caan), a grumpy children's book publisher on Santa's naughty list. Zooey Deschanel plays Jovie, a department store worker, Bob Newhart plays Papa Elf, Mary Steenburgen plays Walter's wife, and Ed Asner plays Santa.

What it does well

Ferrell commits completely to Buddy's innocence. The joke is never that Buddy is stupid, but that he is sincere in a city that has forgotten how to be, and that gives the film real warmth under the slapstick. Favreau uses old-fashioned tricks, including forced perspective and stop-motion animals in the North Pole scenes, which make the film look like the Rankin-Bass Christmas specials it loves. The supporting cast plays it straight, which makes Buddy funnier.

Where it falls short

The final act, with Santa's sleigh stranded in Central Park and the city singing it back into the sky, swaps the sharp comedy for standard festive sentiment. Some of the jokes rely on Ferrell's energy more than the script.

Who it is for

Pretty much everyone. It is a PG-rated family film that adults genuinely enjoy, which is why it has become a regular Christmas watch in so many homes. It later became a Broadway musical.

The Fuzzy Mushroom verdict

Worth a watch, with a Spore Score of 75. Sweet, silly and surprisingly well made, Elf has earned its place on the Christmas watchlist, and on this one The Pros and The Punters see eye to eye.