History Film / Elf

** Santa tells Buddy not to eat any gum off of the ground, but he never said anything about railings.

* GrossGumGag: Santa warns Buddy not to eat "gum from the ground" in New York City because "it isn't free candy." Later, when Buddy is walking around New York for the first time, [[BrickJoke he sees some gum stuck to a fence]] and, [[LiteralMinded as it wasn't from the ground]], grabs it and puts it in his mouth.

** Most likely why Buddy calls Miles Finch an elf the last time. "Call me an elf [[PuncuatedForEmphasis one. more. time.]]"

Ferrell stars as Buddy, a human who was raised by SantaClaus (Creator/EdAsner), Papa Elf (Creator/BobNewhart), and the rest of the elves at the North Pole after accidentally crawling into Santa's sack at the orphanage where he was left as a baby. Realizing that he's not competent as an elf and discovering his true lineage, he decides to head to [[BigApplesauce New York City]] to meet his deadbeat birth father Walter Hobbs (Creator/JamesCaan), an executive at a children's publishing firm. Walter initially doesn't believe Buddy is his son, but eventually brings him home to meet his wife Emily (Creator/MarySteenburgen) and their son Michael (Daniel Tay), who are won over by Buddy's innocent charm.

* SillyAnimalSound: The raccoon that attacks Buddy makes monkey sounds. Whereas the funny scene of Buddy burping really loudly for a long period of time (as provided by Creator/MauriceLaMarche) sounds a whole awful lot like a screaming camel.

* SingingTelegram: [[InvokedTrope Invoked]]. Buddy the Elf goes to the Empire State Building to meet his birth father, Walter Hobbs, who never knew Buddy was born to his late former girlfriend. Because Buddy is in his elf suit, Walter initially assumes Buddy is there to sing for him, calling it a "Christmas-gram."

* GeniusDitz: Buddy acts like a 7-year-old trapped in an adult's body, but while his being human makes it harder for him to keep up with elf builders, he certainly builds faster and better than any human (''you'' try making 85 Etch-A-Sketches in a day, let alone 1,000). He singlehandedly decorates an entire store for Santa's arrival in less than one night, complete with a Lego replica of New York City and ''Art/TheMonaLisa'' on an Etch-A-Sketch, to the point that Jovie's boss is afraid that someone is trying to steal his job.

* GrossGumGag: Santa warns Buddy not to eat gum on the street in New York City because "it isn't free candy." Later, when Buddy is walking around New York for the first time, [[BrickJoke he sees some gum stuck to a fence]] and, either forgetting or ignoring Santa's warning, grabs it and puts it in his mouth.

* InstantlyProvenWrong: Walter tells Emily that Buddy thinks he's a Christmas elf. She says she's sure he doesn't actually think that, only to open the door and find that Buddy has filled her apartment with Christmas decorations. {{Downplayed}} in that this doesn't actually prove that Buddy thinks he's a Christmas elf, but it does support Walter's claim.

* BlackKnight: "Oh no. It's the Central Park Rangers." Indeed, the Rangers, in their charge, resemble galloping [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings Ring Wraiths]].

* AnOddPlaceToSleep: Buddy sleeps in a storefront display. When he wakes up, he sees Walter and pounds on the glass, but Walter ignores him.

* CringeComedy: The scene where Buddy makes up a song on the fly to sing to Walter.

* NoisyNature: Buddy encounters a raccoon that chitters five times. When he tries to hug it, it attacks him and lets out a screech that sounds like a monkey. (This raccoon is not in the MagicalLand that he is from, so there's no reason it shouldn't behave like an ordinary raccoon.)

--->'''Elf:''' If he hasn't figured out that he a human by now, I don't think he ever will.

* WhatTheHellHero: Emily and Michael gives Walter one

* ParentalAbandonment: Buddy's birth mother Susan Wells put him up for adoption shortly after giving birth to him because she was not intending to have him.

* DudeNotFunny: Miles takes offense to Buddy calling him an elf. When threatening Buddy to stop doesn't work, Miles challenges him before beating him up.

* CordonBleughChef: Buddy's insistence on adding maple syrup to everything.
** He also adds candy and sweets to spaghetti.

* CowboyCop: The Central Park Rangers are implied to be this, with [[NoodleIncident offhanded mention]] of their "controversial" actions at a 1985 Music/SimonAndGarfunkel concert. They also apparently know Santa is real and have a personal vendetta against him for putting them on the naughty list (perhaps after what they did at the 1985 Simon and Garfunkel concert!)

* ChekhovsGun: Santa's sleigh being powered by "Christmas spirit" aka belief in Santa.

* BadToTheLastDrop: Buddy naively believes a GreasySpoon's claim to have "the world's best cup of coffee", despite it being anything but.
** Changed in the musical to "The World's Best Hotdog", with Jovie giving the putdown.

* AttentionDeficitOohShiny: When Buddy sees the buttons on an elevator light up, he thinks they look beautiful and he presses every button until it looks like a Christmas tree.

* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: Played with. Although he doesn't really fit in, the elves all treat Buddy warmly. When he dubs himself a "cotton-headed ninnymuggins", they immediately insist that he's not.

** Walter himself was right to repo the books from the nuns due to lack of payment. They were sold, not donated.
* He also harshly disowns Buddy after the failed meeting with Miles Finch. However, he isn't entirely without justification as Buddy bursted in the room just to tell him that he is in love with Jovie and distracted them. Not only that but he called Miles Finch an Elf pissing him off and then leaving. Buddy ignored Walter's statements to send out when they were busy.

* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment
** The four Elf food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup.

* SecretMessageWink: When Buddy expresses interest in asking Jove out, Michael tells him to just ask her, calling it a secret code girls have. Buddy asks Jove out in an unknowingly uneasy way and awkwardly winks at her, thinking he's passing on the "secret code" to her. She's visibly confused until Michael gestures at her to say yes.

** There is also ''his'' boss, Mr. Greenway, who is far worse as he makes Walter work on Christmas Eve and then chews him out in front of his son when he has to leave to look for his other son who's gone missing, making Walter look like a saint in general.* CowboyCop: The Central Park Rangers are implied to be this, with [[NoodleIncident offhanded mention]] of their "controversial" actions at a 1985 Music/SimonAndGarfunkel concert. They also apparently know Santa is real and have a personal vendetta against him for putting them on the naughty list (perhaps after what they did at the 1985 Simon and Garfunkel concert!)

* AdaptationExpansion: The musical version has a few elements not present in the original movie, including an entire scene where Buddy enters a Chinese restaurant to sulk after Walter tells him to get out of his life, where he finds a bunch of department store Santas complaining about their jobs, and how disrespectful and ill-behaved today's kids are.

* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: Averted, the elves all treat Buddy warmly, despite the fact that he doesn't really fit in. When he dubs himself a "cotton-headed ninnymuggins", they immediately insist that he's not.

* BigApplesauce: Buddy goes to NYC. The network that catches Buddy on camera is real.

* BrickJoke: One of the jack-in-the-boxes that Buddy had been in charge of testing makes a surprise reappearance late in the film.
** Buddy considers getting his dad red lingerie for Christmas. Not only does Walter receive the lingerie in a gift box a few scenes later, but he regifts it to his wife at the end.

* CassandraTruth: In an effort to get Santa's sleigh running by raising everyone's Christmas spirit, Michael takes Santa's book containing the Nice and Naughty list and goes on live television with reporter Charlotte Dennin, who doesn't believe him at all. Deciding to prove his point, Michael goes through the book and explains several of the citizens' identities and gifts that they desire for Christmas, including Charlotte's gift to have a Tiffany engagement ring and for her boyfriend to stop dragging his feet and commit, which inspired several citizens to raise their Christmas spirit and briefly power up the sleigh as promised. Unfortunately, these revelations left Charlotte very embarrassed that she orders her crew to turn off the cameras before leaving in anger, still refusing to believe Michael's truthful claims.

* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Walter Hobbs is the kind of guy to sell a shipment of children's books on an installment plan (to what's implied to be an orphanage or at least a poorly funded school) and then personally bring in the customer to demand she return them because of a missed payment. And knowingly approve a run of misprinted books (a misprint that was due to his negligence in the first place) rather than take a loss. And then there's ''his'' boss, Mr. Greenway, who is far worse as he makes Walter work on Christmas Eve and then chews him out in front of his son when he has to leave to look for his other son who's gone missing, making Walter look like a saint in general.
* CowboyCop: The Central Park Rangers are implied to be this, with [[NoodleIncident offhanded mention]] of their "controversial" actions at a 1985 Music/SimonAndGarfunkel concert. They also apparently know Santa is real and have a personal vendetta against him for putting them on the naughty list (perhaps after what they did at the 1985 Simon and Garfunkel concert!)

* [[DefrostingIceQueen Defrosting Ice King]]: Walter softens up considerably towards the end of the movie.

* DirtyCoward: When one of the bullies that ambushed Buddy and Michael in the snowball fight gets hit by a snowball from Buddy, he runs away literally sobbing. [[JustifiedTrope Granted]], getting hit in the face by a snowball would upset anybody.

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: The [[HorsemenOfTheApocalypse four, ominous-looking rangers on horseback]].

* GeniusDitz: Buddy acts like a 7-year-old trapped in an adult's body, but while his being human makes it harder for him to keep up with elf builders, he certainly builds faster and better than any human (''you'' try making 85 Etch-A-Sketches in a day, let alone 1,000). He singlehandedly decorates an entire store for Santa's arrival in less than one night, complete with a Lego replica of New York City and the ''Art/TheMonaLisa'' on an Etch-A-Sketch, to the point that Jovie's boss is afraid that someone is trying to steal his job.

* AMistakeIsBorn: Inverted, when one considers that Buddy was the result of a brief high school romance between Walter Hobbs and his high school sweetheart, Susan Wells; Susan became pregnant with the baby, never told Walter, and put the baby up for adoption after he was born. Even when Buddy sets out in search for Walter, and DNA tests confirm he's his son, Walter is at first unwilling to embrace Buddy or even acknowledge that he is indeed his son.

* NormalFishInATinyPond: Buddy thinks he's a defective elf at first, because he can't keep up with toy production or decoration. In New York, he makes over the mall Santa display in one night.

* SweetTooth: Buddy. Will Ferrell actually got a headache eating all of the sweets Buddy makes for himself.
--> '''Buddy:''' We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup.

* WhamLine

--> '''Walter:''' I don't care where you go. I don't care you're an elf. I don't care that you're ''nuts!'' [[SuddenlyShouting I DON"T CARE THAT YOU'RE MY SON!]] [[GetOut GET OUT OF MY LIFE!]] '''NOW!!!'''

-->'''Walter''': We'll figure this out.\\

* WhiteAndGreyMorality: Nobody in the film is inherently mean. Walter is a JerkWithAHeartOfGold (well, ''really'' deep down) and even Mr. Greenway and Jovie's manager at Gimbel's are just trying to do their jobs, albeit in abrasive ways. Miles Finch may be a {{Jerkass}} PrimaDonnaDirector, [[BunnyEarsLawyer but he has the talent to back it up]], mellows slightly once he gets down to business, and takes a tremendous amount of ([[InnocentlyInsensitive unintentional]]) insult from Buddy before hitting his limit. The closest things to antagonists are the Central Park Rangers, about whom the audience learns very little.