Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

Judging by the cover, "Elf" looked like superficial, stupid fluff. And sure enough, as soon as I watched it, the movie met my expectations.

The usually more comedic Will Ferrell, an orphan who becomes the elf named Buddy, does a terrible... or perhaps a great job creating a Mister Roger's version of the North Pole.

Even Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer faced more degrading taunts and stress than Elf's fake-y Xmas candy-coated land.

Buddy faces an identity crisis when he discovers, while surrounded by elf midgets the size of dolls, that he's different... and really human. So he travels to New York City in search of his dad.

Dad turns out to be a scrooge, and so Buddy spends the entire time trying to convince him that he's his son and that Santa exists.

The story gets muddled between Will Ferrell's struggle with identity and reunion with the human family and society, and his scrooge father's transformation that's supposed to generate Xmas spirit to power Santa's sleigh.

Clearly, this is a dumb film that uses holiday and lights for an excuse to create a meaningless movie. "A Christmas Carol" is far better a storyline and another variation of it would have been preferable to this garbage called "Elf." Tim Allen's "Santa Clause" or "Escape Clause" were far better!

Elf never leaves his dad alone. While staying at his dad's house, Buddy tears apart furniture and hacks down a tree from Central Park all in the name of Xmas. Stupid is as stupid does. what is regarded as pure logic in the part of Buddy's father is mistaken for scrooge-like qualities. Only when pa, defying all reason, sings for an imaginary flying sleigh will the insanity end.

Will Ferrell was funnier as a psycho fashion designer in "Zoolander" instead of an empty-headed, sugar-gorging elf. And surely, the entire film is sugar-coated for Xmas where they literally encourage kids to dine on syrupy spaghetti and candy morning, noon, and night. How this could be a positive message is not known, but beware all diabetics because the sweetness in this film can be poison to the soul!



Recommended: No

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: None of the Above
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up Ages 8