Elf (PG)Will Ferrell, James Caan, Zooey Deschanel, Mary Steenburgen, Edward Asner

NO sooner has the Christmas muzak appeared in the supermarket aisles than the reels are turning for the first overtly Christmas picture.

It couldn't get much more Christmas than this - elves, Santa, presents, a Scrooge figure. Mix them together and there's potential for a truly gut-churning parade of oversweet, festive schmaltz.

Thankfully Elf keeps its tongue firmly in cheek and stays funny, subversive and charming.

As a baby, Buddy crawls into Santa's toy sack and gets taken to the North Pole, where he gets raised as an elf until it becomes obvious that Buddy (Ferrell) is human.

Finding out that his father, Walter (Caan), is alive, well, and a workahalic in New York, Buddy goes on a mission to find him. When he does, he discovers Walter is a misery guts who wouldn't give a rat's about Tiny Tim.

Buddy, still dressed as an Elf, takes it on himself to fill Walter with Christmas spirit, and to chase shopgirl Jovie (Zooey).

Many of the gags come from Buddy's outsider status both among the elves and, more poignantly, among the rat race, cynical New Yorkers.

Ferrell handles the family comedy well with his knowing delivery, and James Caan's tough guy roles in films like The Godfather trilogy help him stay believably cold.

Adults and children will chortle and - though the plot becomes dangerously sickly sweet towards the end - Elf pulls it off in time for Christmas.

Paul Platt

Mono rating:

seven out of ten