Here's What The Worst Critic Reviews Said About Elf
There's no doubt that "Elf" is one of the most beloved Christmas films ever. Every year, families gather around and watch Will Ferrell's classic performance as Buddy the Elf, a human raised at the North Pole alongside real elves. Buddy eventually sets out to find his real father after some encouragement from his adoptive elf dad (Bob Newhart).
Upon arriving in New York City, Buddy experiences some culture shock, to put it mildly; he's baffled yet thrilled by revolving doors, his diet isn't quite normal, and he really believes storefronts when they claim to sell the "best cup of coffee" in the city. When he does find his father — Walter Hobbs (James Caan), a strict man who works in children's publishing — the two don't exactly get along, but eventually, Walter's wife Emily (Mary Steenburgen) and son Michael (Daniel Tay) convince him to accept Buddy as his kin.
Sounds adorable, right? It is, but when it was originally released in November 2003, some critics didn't exactly love the movie. In fact, a handful of critics had some pretty rough words about it. Though the movie boasts an 86% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes as of this writing, some critics, like Rick Groen at Globe and Mail, had misgivings: "It would be Scrooge-like to say mean things about the innocuous Elf, so I'll just point out that director Jon Favreau's film rarely reaches its full comic potential." Groen, at least, was somewhat gentle.
Some critics really, really disliked Elf when it first came out
Compared to Rick Groen's review, Stephen Hunter at The Washington Post was downright unkind, writing, "It's a clumsy, tedious ride that wears out its welcome as it wears out the seat of your pants and the circulation in your lower limbs." At the Denver Post, Michael Booth expressed a similar sentiment: "Leaves a sour taste in the mouth and a Grinch-like resolve to sue the manufacturer."
Mark Kermode, writing for The Observer, made a strong decision about the effort from Will Ferrell and director Jon Favreau: "The result is a turkey." At the Chicago Reader, critic J.R. Jones felt the same way, writing, "The film soon bogs down in fake hugs and a fakier climax involving Santa (Ed Asner) and his downed sled." Meanwhile, at MovieFreak.com, Sara Michelle Fetters was largely unimpressed, saying, "Well, the gloves are off this time around, for no matter how many different ways you look at it, former 'Saturday Night Live' funnyman Will Ferrell's Christmas comedy 'Elf' is a big lump of Yule tide coal."
A few critics were slightly gentler about Elf
That said, some critics went a little easier on "Elf," even if they still didn't quite like the movie. Clearly, their expectations were high; Ferrell was fresh off a handful of successful comedies as well as his "Saturday Night Live" stint, and critics like Scott Nash at Three Movie Buffs simply wanted "Elf" to be better: "Cute and funny in parts, 'Elf' should have been more."
Guylaine Cadorette at Hollywood.com praised the movie's general idea, but, like Nash, wanted the execution to be better: "While the idea behind Elf may be gleefully outlandish, unfortunately this holiday comedy fails to take full advantage of its own absurdity." Cynthia Fuchs at PopMatters agreed, saying even someone as talented as Ferrell couldn't quite make it work. "Such comedy is strained, to say the least; even Ferrell's usual hilarity — so fearless, so physical — is constrained by this overpowering sweetness theme," she wrote.
Over at The A.V. Club, Scott Tobias praised the film's cast, but felt even they weren't up to the task of making the film good: "The cast wrings laughs out of David Berenbaum's script as if it were a damp washcloth, but even they have trouble selling frenetic button-pushing as the Christmas spirit."
Still, Elf became a beloved Christmas classic
Sure, "Elf" got some negative reviews when it was originally released, as so many films do. Not every movie can be appreciated right out of the gate. Thankfully, though, it's become an indisputable part of the holiday canon — and it remains one of Will Ferrell's most popular performances.
"Elf" ultimately spawned a Broadway musical, an animated stop-motion television movie in the style of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," and it was even rumored that Ferrell and Jon Favreau would join forces for a sequel (though that possibility has been officially ruled out by both the comedy star and the director). Still, when it comes to Christmas movies, it's hard to imagine a world in which families don't settle down on their couches and watch Ferrell tell a mall Santa that he "sits on a throne of lies."
"Elf" is available to stream on both Hulu and Max this holiday season.