Elf (2003)

Somewhere in Manhattan, a children’s book publisher has no time for kids, including his own, and Elf never explains how James Caan kept that job. Doesn’t matter. Will Ferrell walks through the city in yellow tights and a green suit, treats a revolving door like a carnival ride, and commits so hard you forget you’re watching a grown man do a bit. Breakfast is spaghetti buried under syrup and candy. The stop-motion North Pole, narwhal included, looks like a lost holiday special from your grandma’s TV. Bob Newhart tells the story like a sleepy uncle. The finale is where it wobbles, when a busted sleigh and a squad of Central Park rangers drag the comedy into ordinary holiday movie territory, and Zooey Deschanel’s Jovie mostly exists to sing on cue. It cost a reported $33M and made $232.9 million worldwide. A 7.7 because Ferrell’s total sincerity is the special effect. $80.29 says you answer the phone this week by asking the caller’s favorite color, and they hang up.

What works: Will Ferrell’s fully committed Buddy, the handmade stop-motion North Pole, and a fish-out-of-water first hour packed with sight gags.

What doesn’t: The finale goes soft and generic, and Jovie is written as a pretty voice rather than a character with her own story.

Who it’s for: Families who want a Christmas movie the grown-ups will laugh at too, and anyone who puts syrup on things that don’t need it.