Elf

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2:13

Elf

PG

2003

1h 37m

Kids & Family

Holiday

Comedy

Fantasy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

85%

Tomatometer

204 Reviews

79%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

Buddy (Will Ferrell) was accidentally transported to the North Pole as a toddler and raised to adulthood among Santa's elves. Unable to shake the feeling that he doesn't fit in, the adult Buddy travels to New York, in full elf uniform, in search of his real father. As it happens, this is Walter Hobbs (James Caan), a cynical businessman. After a DNA test proves this, Walter reluctantly attempts to start a relationship with the childlike Buddy with increasingly chaotic results.

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Critics Consensus

A movie full of Yuletide cheer, Elf is a spirited, good-natured family comedy, and it benefits greatly from Will Ferrell's funny and charming performance as one of Santa's biggest helpers.

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Radheyan Simonpillai

CBC Radio

Dec 11, 2023

Elf's hopeful and uplifting response to post-9/11 cynicism is gentle, right up to a climax where the world is huddled around their television sets watching news reports trying to figure out what's that thing that crashed in New York City.

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Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

Dec 1, 2023

4/5

It’s not just the lines, written by David Berenbaum, that work... It’s Ferrell’s bullish commitment to the concept that holds the Jon Favreau-directed film together.

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Neil Norman

London Evening Standard

Dec 14, 2014

While his plotting may leave a little to be desired, Favreau directs with speed, humour and efficiency.

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

Jan 17, 2026

Director Jon Favreau may not have comic grace, but his direction is both sweet and funny. He never lets Ferrell play the victim... while Ferrell (in his first leading role) peppers every scene with manic outbursts and joyous exclamations.

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Alan French

Sunshine State Cineplex

Dec 15, 2025

9/10

For as much fun as Ferrell is having in every frame, director Jon Favreau builds a beautiful world around him. The two seemingly called in every favor to fill out the cast, and the wildly deep ensemble helps give the movie some extra heft.

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Justin Brown

Medium Popcorn

Dec 10, 2025

2/5

This is one of those films that tries really hard to be family friendly but there's some real darkness here. Additionally, I found a lot of Buddy's behavior really annoying.

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sara

Dec 28, 2025

This movie was not showing at the time that Fandango had advertised and the time I purchased tickets for. . We sat through nearly an hour of previews as we were directed to theater 6, and it ended up being Avatar. Big let down for my kids who were very excited to see Elf on the theater for the first time. Not sure we will use Fandango again.

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Todd

Dec 24, 2025

Awesome Christmas movie! Big screen magic!

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Chris

Dec 13, 2025

Got to watch with my cute girlfriend 🌝

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Jules

Dec 9, 2025

The best feel good holiday movie for the whole family!!

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Deb M

Nov 30, 2025

Love this movie but was awesome to see it again on the big screen!

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David P

Dec 23, 2024

Best Christmas Movie Ever!

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Jon Favreau

Director

Will Ferrell

Buddy

James Caan

Walter

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Santa

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Synopsis

Buddy (Will Ferrell) was accidentally transported to the North Pole as a toddler and raised to adulthood among Santa's elves. Unable to shake the feeling that he doesn't fit in, the adult Buddy travels to New York, in full elf uniform, in search of his real father. As it happens, this is Walter Hobbs (James Caan), a cynical businessman. After a DNA test proves this, Walter reluctantly attempts to start a relationship with the childlike Buddy with increasingly chaotic results.

Director: Jon Favreau
Producer: Jon Berg, Todd Komarnicki, Shauna Robertson
Screenwriter: David Berenbaum
Distributor: New Line Cinema
Production Co: Shawn Danielle Production Services, Mosaic Media Group, Guy Walks into a Bar Productions, Gold/Miller Productions
Rating: PG (Some Mild Rude Humor|Language)
Genre: Kids & Family, Holiday, Comedy, Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 7, 2003, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 11, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $177.1M
Runtime: 1h 37m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby SR, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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