Buy it... if you could find merit in 1950's era whistling and singing over light orchestral rhythms and John Debney's usual, consistently thematic output.

Avoid it... if you believe (somewhat accurately), on the other hand, that if you've heard one light, fluffy Debney comedy score, you've heard them all.

Debney

Elf: (John Debney) The silly Will Ferrell comedy Elf is a personality-driven urban fantasy film with plenty of fluff to go around. The story of the human toddler who accidentally ended up in Santa's bag of toys and was adopted by elves at the North Pole doesn't sound like a sure winner, but Elf debuted strongly at the start of the 2003 holiday movie season. As the manchild raised by elves (better to be a manchild raised elves than be a manchild raised by Michael Jackson, is it not?) is re-integrated into urban society, the film follows the comedy of his acclimation until its heartwarming, feel-good conclusion. It was the kind of physical humor entry that relied partly on Ferrell's loyal fanbase, and outside of that group of viewers, Elf didn't offer many attractions. It is a project perfectly constructed for composer John Debney, who seemed to find himself involved in countless dumb projects such as this throughout the early 2000's, thus allowing him to fine tune his comedy skills to a level of predictable quality that overachieves in many contexts. The composer's music for Snow Dogs the previous year was the most recent adventurous activity for Debney in snowy climates, and his music for the setting is always complete with appropriate holiday percussion. Like Bruce Almighty earlier in 2003, Debney's music for Elf runs the risk of anonymity due to his own knack for maintaining pleasant but faceless consistency. There are probably a few cues in Elf that Debney collectors will be unable to re-trace to origins in a previous Debney effort. In the end, the only truly distinguishing aspect of Elf is the conscious effort by the composer to spruce it up with a saturating holiday spirit. At times, this Christmas jubilance seems overplayed, but given that Elf is a ridiculous comedy, the flamboyant style of Debney's work is arguably appropriate. This music was clearly not meant to compete with John Williams' Home Alone, the modern standard for holiday film music, and yet Elf has a free-flowing spirit that may make it better for lighter moods. To comprehend Debney's approach to Elf, all you have to do is imagine any of the plethora of strong, but rather non-descript Debney scores for romantic comedies over his entire career.

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The sound of such streamlined Debney comedy works is the base for this score as well, with a decent, though not particularly overwhelming theme for the manchild Buddy utilized very consistently throughout the score. It's tender without being overtly obnoxious, though you won't likely recall it after the conclusion of the film. More enjoyable than Buddy's theme is the whistling theme for the elf colony itself. The film begins with three cues featuring performances of this theme, all with sleigh bells ringing, tambourines slapping, and a business-like snare keeping a steady pace for the "whistle while you work" inspired theme. Chimes, bells, and a chorus are joined by a noble trumpet for the proceedings, and with the cute demeanor and diverse instrumentation of this whistling theme, you almost wish the whole film had been located in the North Pole. Even an uncredited accordion is used throughout the score, and while that's not really a holiday instrument, it likely serves its purpose for the film's later, brewing romance. An enhanced role for a sole tuba is also notable. As Debney had done in his previous few scores, a light choir was added to a medium-sized orchestral ensemble for an extra dose of usual movie-going magic. Traditional Christmas carols are found only in two cues; first, a few bars of Jingle Bells opens the score and then, in a medley of traditional tunes in "Christmas Medley," you hear jazzy, retro variations on several mainstays. The score's attractiveness is slowed considerably by several prancing comedy rhythms that poke around and frolic during moments of cuteness on screen. The intense action cues, comprising "The Frozen Battlefield" and "Showdown in the Park," could very well be from Debney's Sudden Death or The Tuxedo, but they refrain from electronic accompaniment and break up the often monotonous, light comedy rhythms. The few moments of suspense are generally unconvincing. With only a short, 30-minute commercial album available for Elf, you'll keep coming back to the strangely addictive, 1950's era whistling and singing elf theme existing at the start of the product. The score unfortunately fizzles out without much fanfare at its end. Overall, it's a slightly more dazzling take on Debney's usual output in the comedy genre, and would certainly be a decent find on the used-CD market, but don't hold your breath for an overwhelmingly unique experience. ***   Amazon.com Price Hunt: CD or Download

Bias Check:

For John Debney reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.23 (in 49 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.01 (in 42,775 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.