This festive family movie stars Will Ferrell. He plays Buddy who, as a kid, crawled into Santa's sack, ended up at the North Pole and was reared as an elf. Reaching adulthood, he sets off to find his real father, Walter but is dismissed as a nut. However, with the help of shop girl Jovie, he aims to win his father over and bring back the true spirit of Christmas to Manhattan.
Hardly a critical triumph upon its release, Elf proved to be a huge hit at the box office and increased Ferrell's stock in Hollywood as a leading man.
Ferrell is his usual likable self throughout and holds the movie together through some of the shakier moments. The supporting cast, while largely amusing are somewhat sidelined by the reliance on over-the-top set pieces and the heavy focus on Ferrell throughout.
Overall an enjoyable family Christmas movie that will appeal to kids but won't totally bore adults either.
Elf is a Film programme that first aired in 2003 and has been classified a PG certificate.
