Elf

Woody the elf (Will Ferrell), 6'3" tall and the 'only baritone in the elf choir', lives happily at the North Pole, making toys in the workshop and helping Papa Elf mend Santa's sleigh. One day though, Woody discovers the reason why he is so much taller than Papa Elf and all his friends and why he is so much slower at toy-making – he is in fact a human. Armed with the advice never to eat yellow snow or to mistake disregarded chewing gum for candy, Woody hitches a lift on a passing iceberg and heads to the 'magical land called New York City' to find his real father, Walter (James Caan).

Once there, however, he realises why Walter is on Santa's Naughty List – he is a hard-talking publisher who has little time for his family and refuses to accept that gaily-apparelled Woody is his son. Woody sets out to win the love of both his father and cynical shopworker Jovie (Zooey Deschanel), and reinvigorate the city with Christmas spirit, the power of which allows Santa's sleigh to fly.

Although easy to dismiss as yet another Christmas film, Elf defies the conventions of the genre and establishes itself as a truly funny yuletide tale. Ferrell, who is usually aligned with brasher comedies, such as Blades of Glory, and the director, Jon Favreau, whose recent credits include Iron Man, are both working outside of their usual spheres, and this perhaps is why they succeed in creating a fresh and inventive Christmas film. The comedy is sweet but never saccharine, and the reality of New York combines with the brilliantly imagined North Pole to create a memorable film. The simplicity of the story allows Will Ferrell to shine as the enthusiastic yet unworldly Woody, whose charm and happiness win over everyone he meets. His optimism and naivety allow genuinely laugh-out-loud moments, not least his first encounter with an escalator, but Favreau adroitly balances the visual humour of seeing a man adorned in yellow stockings with more tender moments, depicting Woody's desperation to be accepted by his father.

The end result is a worthy addition to the Christmas canon, and one which will instill the spirit of Christmas in even the most cynical Scrooge!

Kathryn Chase