"...A disarming holiday comedy....The sweet-natured outsider fantasy neither skimps on nor overplays its sentimentality..."
Variety "...ELF returns to the hip but warm-hearted spirit of SWINGERS....[With] sophisticated glee and a sense of innocent fun..."
Los Angeles Times "...Mr. Favreau's direction has a relaxed, swinging rhythm..."
New York Times "...The disarming comedic tone -- silly and novel in its lack of cynicism -- is driven by the fearless, cheerful unself-consciousness of Will Ferrell..."
Entertainment Weekly "...There's a devil of comedy in Ferrell, and he lets it out to play..."
Rolling Stone "...Ferrell and Favreau have engendered enough goodwill to allow for a finale that glows like winter coals. A gleeful, cracked fairytale..."
Total Film "Will Ferrell's man-child in tights is a surprisingly affecting figure."
Sight and Sound "This is one of those rare Christmas comedies that has a heart, a brain and a wicked sense of humor, and it charms the socks right off the mantelpiece."
Chicago Sun-Times
