ELF [2003]

I normally steer clear of Will Ferrell films but I have a big ol' soft spot for director Jon Favreau's refreshing Christmas comedy Elf.
Ferrell plays a hopelessly optimistic man, raised by Santa's elves, who finds himself searching for his roots in the cynical world of New York City.  It follows some pretty clichéd plot-points and you know exactly where it's headed within the first 5 minutes but due to Ferrell and the rest of the cast you can't help but find your heart warming up to it's simplicity.  As safe as it is for the kids, it thankfully supplies enough laughs for the whole family to enjoy, with a few faces gramps will recognize as well.

4 Cotten-Headed Ninny Muggins out of 5

BACK TO THE FUTURE PART III [1990]

My favorite of the three as I am a sucker for western settings and some of the missing charm of Part 2 returns, particularly in this one's Biff character. While he is still homicidal, he does it with the doofus sensibility that Part 2 lacked. And the western setting gives more room for both time travel consequences and time travel jokes which is good. Some of the rationalizations for the time machine itself are a bit convenient, but the plot wouldn't exist without them, so I'll let it slide. There is a visible formula showing, but the writers must have at least been partly aware of it as they make jokes about the series itself at times. New setting, solid formula and a nice pithy maxim at the end.

4½ A scientist who can't make his own gas out of 5

Nutted by IMPUDENT URINAL

CLIFFORD [1994]

Clifford is a delightfully twisted, yet harmless, little comedy starring Martin Short as a demented 10 year old boy bent on visiting a dinosaur amusement park and he puts his uncle (Charles Grodin) through hell to get him there.
It may not be a classic comedy that anybody will remember but it packs enough laugh out loud moments, courtesy of Short's amusingly deranged performance, to guarantee a fun weeknight in.
All in all, it's really kinda mostly odd and not for everybody, unless you too are a little bit off your rocker.

3 The Richard Kinds out of 5