Variety
"...A disarming holiday comedy....The sweet-natured outsider fantasy neither skimps on nor overplays its sentimentality..." 10/27/2003 p.30Los Angeles Times
"...ELF returns to the hip but warm-hearted spirit of SWINGERS....[With] sophisticated glee and a sense of innocent fun..." 11/07/2003 p.C1 New York Times
"...Mr. Favreau's direction has a relaxed, swinging rhythm..." 11/07/2003 p.E8 Entertainment Weekly
"...The disarming comedic tone -- silly and novel in its lack of cynicism -- is driven by the fearless, cheerful unself-consciousness of Will Ferrell..." 11/14/2003 p.94-5 Rolling Stone
"...There's a devil of comedy in Ferrell, and he lets it out to play..." 11/27/2003 p.103 Total Film
"...Ferrell and Favreau have engendered enough goodwill to allow for a finale that glows like winter coals. A gleeful, cracked fairytale..." 12/01/2003 p.103 Sight and Sound
"Will Ferrell's man-child in tights is a surprisingly affecting figure." 12/31/2003 p.42-3 Chicago Sun-Times
"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." 11/07/2003 p.37 | 
