Elf proves to be a surprisingly charming holiday movie that combines together drama and comedy together to form one of the greatest Christmas movies of all time. Revolving around everyone's favorite human-elf Buddy, the movie tells the inspiring story of Buddy as he embarks on an epic journey to finally discover who he truly is as a person. Upon making the greatest realization of his young, adult life, Buddy learns the unexpected truth of why he is different than all the other elves in the North Pole. Due to how he was an orphan that accidentally snuck into Santa Claus' sack during Christmas night, Buddy becomes the first human to ever step foot in the elves' legendary workshop. While there, Santa makes the bold decision to allow one of the elves to raise Buddy, especially because he has been unable to father a kid and has always wanted to be a father. In doing so, Buddy becomes immersed into the culture and lives of elves. Realizing that elves only have three main career paths, with the greatest prospect being a worker in Santa's workshop, Buddy attempts to fit in and be like all the other elves, trying to receive a coveted position in the workshop as well. However, in doing so, Buddy quickly begins to stand out, especially due to his enormous size. While all the other elves are smaller in nature, Buddy towers over them, which makes adapting to their style of life all the more difficult. As much as Buddy believes that there is this odd feeling of not fitting in, he still doesn't make much of it until finding out the shocking truth from his adopted father. As Buddy gains knowledge about his mysterious past, all the pieces of the puzzle click as Buddy learns why he has always felt different. In order to discover who he truly is, especially because he is struggling with his own self-identity, Buddy decides to travel to the prosperous land of New York City to find his biological father. Traveling in his elf uniform, which he goes everywhere with, Buddy does his best to meet Walter Hobbs, his father. However, Walter is actually a greedy businessman who only has financial incentive in mind when it comes to his morale compass. Cynical and harsh in his personality, Walter seems to be an impossible match to be Buddy's father, but after a DNA test proves such, Walter has no choice but to admit and face reality as Buddy's father. Walter makes the decision to begin the formations of a relationship with Buddy, but as he does such, Buddy's upbringing as an elf and natural curiosity results in extreme and unexpected chaos. With Walter Hobbs finally trying to give their relationship a chance, Buddy begins to spread holiday cheer throughout the city and teach everyone the true meaning of Christmas. 

 Elf is a true Christmas classic that has just about it all, including compelling and captivating characters that ooze with charisma. Buddy immediately becomes an instant fan-favorite, and with his ability to charm just about everyone, including a wide range of ages, the movie is able to form a charming protagonist that immerses viewers into a world in which the North Pole, elves, and Santa Claus are all quite prominent. In fact, this is why the movie is able to become such a uniquely inspiring Christmas movie. It's the movie's earnest passion to bring the lives and culture of elves and the North Pole to life, while also bringing them to typical civilization. This is brilliantly done by literally bringing Buddy to New York City, and in doing so, wonderful fantasy and grounded reality intertwine with one another. Honoring the nostalgia of all those favorite holiday and Christmas specials, the movie knows how to pull at the heart strings during the most wonderful time of the year and genuinely prove why December is the season of giving. 

 Elf has a superbly balanced tone that makes watching the film all the more enjoyable and thoroughly entertaining. Part comedy and part romance, the movie brings out the best in both worlds, often simultaneously. There is both the constant concept of Elf trying to build a relationship with his biological father and fall in love with a New Yorker that he meets, but the true heart of the film is Buddy trying to immerse himself into the culture and lifestyle of average human beings. Buddy does his best to try to fit in with everyone else, and as he does such, plenty of hilarious comedy emerges with very effective results. The whole nature of a childish elf living in a tough city like New York is just so naturally comical that the movie is capable of poking fun at itself throughout. This allows for there to be an incredible quantity of memorable scenes and terrific one-liners, most of which are too good to spoil. 

 Elf is a Christmas classic in every sense of the word, and there's no denying that this adventure is more than deserving of all of the praise it has received as one of the greatest Christmas stories to ever be written. Highlighted by a phenomenal performance from the always reliable Will Ferrell, the movie is able to form a truly inspiring protagonist that resonates with watchers throughout. With its balance of humor, emotion, drama, passion, romance, family and, most importantly, Christmas, the movie is able to strike a chord with viewers and bring back the raw joy of everyone's favorite holiday season. This is an absolute must-see in every sense, and not only would Buddy the elf agree, but Santa Claus himself probably would as well.