Rent this instead of hitting the theaters

There aren't many Christmas movies where the syrupy-sweet cheer doesn't make you want to run to the dentist, but "Elf" is a film that not only makes it work, it thrives on it.\nPart of this film's colossal success is due to the fact that Will Ferrell plays every role with the utmost earnestness. Little throw-away jokes that fit his characters become the staple of Ferrell's comic genius.\nIn this traditional Christmas movie, Buddy (Ferrell) is a human raised by elves who decides to journey to New York to meet his real father (James Caan), a bitter executive. Fast-paced society confuses Buddy, and Ferrell embodies him with infectious child-like charm. My only complaint about the actual plot of the movie is the insistence to prove Santa is real, which garners groans from most over 11 watching the film.\nThe DVD is packed with special features spanning two discs. The first disc just offers the "InfiniFILM" version, which is like VH1's "Pop-Up Video," but with deleted scenes and director commentary. I despise this format, and Elf's version further cemented that hatred.\nYet, the other disc offers special features that are actually worth checking out (and not just because you are too lazy to get up and change the DVD). You can have a snowball fight, sing-a-long, read-a-long, race down a mountain, fix Santa's sleigh and follow Ferrell on a day on the set. Hey, I'm 20 years old and I enjoyed these features. Hours of featurettes on the making of the movie fill the disc too, but it's nothing to scream over. Deleted scenes provide extra laughs including ice-hockey Ferrell body checking some elves.\nSince every Christmas movie that has hit theaters this year ("Surviving Christmas," "Christmas with the Kranks," "The Polar Express") have all been worse than a root canal and 24 hours of "The Christmas Story" gets really old, you might want to consider picking up this DVD. That way you won't have to talk to your family during the holidays.