Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...
I should be seeing Will Farrell later today, and if everything works out, I’ll have a really groovy set report for you sometime later in the week. For now, here are two reviews for Will’s next film to hit theaters, the family film ELF:
I was lucky enough to catch ELF, starring Will Ferrell and directed by Jon Favreau. Ferrell plays a human raised by elves at the North Pole who sets out to New York City to find his real father. This is, of course, set for a Christmas-y release and should do really well. Ferrell is sweet and very funny without relying too much on the obvious gags of being raised in a magical world. The casting is the great coup of the movie, with Bob Newhart playing Ferrell's adopted elf dad, James Caan in a sleazy role as his real dad, and great turns by Mary Steenburgen, Andy Richter, and Ed Asner as Santa Claus. But not to be ignored is hopefully the person who will find her place with her role in this movie - Zooey Deschanel. She's adorable, she sings, and she downplays Will's strange behavior and makes it completely believable that she could fall for this sweet oaf. I was really delightfully surprised by how well the movie came off, Favreau really gave some interest and kookiness to what could have been a very bland Christmas movie. The climax resonates less than it should because the film gave more time to Ferrell and his funniness than his developing relationship with his human family, but these are things that can be easily worked out. The imagining of the elf way of life is wonderful, with aspects revealed throughout the movie rather than played for easy laughs right at the beginning - though not a hugely subtle film, it has more subtlety than most of these movies do! This is definitely one to check out, as I'm sure it will only get better by release time. Favreau was tucked into the audience and got a bit of applause as he ducked out after, the crowd seemed very pleased with the film.
I wasn’t sure what I thought of Zooey Deschanel at first, but after her work in ALL THE REAL GIRLS this year, and after seeing how she does with increasingly larger roles, I think she’s pretty great, and I’m glad to hear that she’s got real chemistry with Will. She wasn’t onset when I visited Vancouver earlier this year to watch them filming, so I had no idea she was even in the movie.
Anyway, here’s an occasional contributor, back after a long silence, with his take on the film:
So, it's Ford Fairlane here again. You might remember me from the Gigli review you ran last year. Well, I went to the screening in Pasadena last night of Elf, starring Will Ferrell and Sonny Corleone, and directed by Jon 'Mikey' Favreau.
I think that many like you had a lot of apprehension about this movie in a lot of ways. Because I, like many of you, loved Old School. Loved it. Over the 4th of July weekend, I heard about a billion Frank the Tank references, from 'We're going streaking through the quad' to 'You're my boy, Blue.' It moved Will Ferrell from SNL guy doing well in the movies to that Eddie Murphy stratosphere in the 80's, when everything he touched for awhile turned to gold. However, the first time I saw a trailer for this was before Finding Nemo, and I kept asking myself "Is this a kids movie? Is Favreau going from 'Made' (which I also loved) to a kids film? Is that possible? The dialogue from Swingers and Made is filled with fuck this and fuck that and motherfucker this, and well, you get the point. And can Ferrell do a kids movie?? Maybe it's a big lure from those fuckers that make trailers to get kids to go, and then it's fuck this and fuck that. And nowhere on the Internet could I find the rating of the film.
Well, this is going to sound lame, and I know a bunch of you cocksmokers out there are going to write back in your minion-esque little fucking talkbacks that I'm a plant, but I'm not. I do work in the biz, but not for anyone even remotely attached to this film.
But the film is pretty awesome. MINOR SPOILERS. Ferrell is a human, who as a baby sneaks into Santa's bag when Santa visits the orphanage. Upon returning to the North Pole, Santa and the elves discover that the baby is in the bag, and they raise him in the North Pole. We learn that elves work much faster at all Christmasy things, and that poor Ferrell as a grown human (who is gigantic compared to the rest of the elves) can't keep up. Ferrell is depressed because he thinks he is a bad elf, and so Santa and Papa Elf (Bob Newhart) decide to tell him of his past, and send him to NYC to find his Dad, who is on the naughty list, because he neglects his family, and works too much.
There are small problems with the film. The opening in the North Pole takes awhile, and you start thinking that this film is never going to take off, and that it is simply a kids film. The only scene really enjoyable is watching Ferrell testing the Jack in the Boxes, and his utter look of fear near the end of the song as he cranks the box. But once Ferrell gets to NYC, the film is Ferrell at his best. Ferrell seems to pull of slapstick physical comedy better than anyone these days, and this film is no different. The story is pretty much standard for one of these former SNL comedies. Ferrell finds Dad, Dad rejects Ferrell, Ferrell falls in love, the family falls in love with Ferrell, and eventually Dad comes around and loves Ferrell as well. It's very much a What About Bob type thing, but a hundred thousand times better (countdown until the first asshole in the talkback zone writes that What About Bob is the greatest film ever made, and that person can eat a dick)
The truly amazing thing is that if memory serves, there isn't a single swear in the film. No damn. No hell. Nothing. But I, and the audience, were laughing our asses off at Ferrell, (and the sight of him in that elf suit alone will make you piss yourself) as he explains his affinity for syrup, gets drunk in his fathers mailroom, sings in the girls locker room (which confessedly, when did Macy's get a locker room. It's a fucking department store, not a gym).
I'm guessing that this film is going to make assloads of cash, because the entire crowd I saw this with was in their 20's-30's, and they were going nuts. And kids can see the film as well, because there is nothing truly offensive. Even when Will Ferrell busts out full frontal for Mary Steenburgen, who plays his Mom, we see everything leading up to it, and then Ferrell's face and her face. Not even ass. I'm guessing this movie is going to pull a PG. Hopefully, that won't keep most from seeing it.
Favreau was at the screening as well, as I think he was staying around for a focus group or something. I was in one of those when I saw the screening of Signs, and Shyamalan was there for that. He seemed pretty cool, and I even saw him signing autographs for people. Truth be told, I want to see him team up again with Vince Vaughn, and do a balls out R rated flick again, but Elf was still great.
In the tradition of the greatest of all film critics, Mr. Joe Bob Briggs, I will break this film down for you. No breasts. No dead bodies. Elf Fu. Syrup Fu. Christmas Tree Fu. Gratuitous James Caan. Gratuitous Jon Favreau cameo as a upset Dr. Blood test Fu. Rock n Roll Detective nominations for Amy Sedaris, as the quirky secretary with the greatest smile in the world. Nominations also for Mary Steenburgen for asking Will Ferrell "Do you like sugar" "Is there sugar in syrup" "Yes there, is" "Then YESSSSSSSS!!!!" Jack in the Box Fu. Gratuitous singing in the shower scene. Lego Fu. Etch a Sketch Fu. Rock n Roll Detective nominations for Will Ferrell for entering the coffee shop, and saying "Great job, everybody" (you'll get this when you see it), and especially for Jon Favreau, for pulling off a hilarious comedy without using a single curse word.
Ford says check it out.
Thanks, guys.
"Moriarty" out.
