(a good-natured and truly funny movie, is a far cry from "It's a Wonderful Life." But it's a cute, fun-filled romp that's a rarity: People without children will feel comfortable seeing it, and families with kids
will enjoy it, too.

Will Ferrell plays Buddy, a little kid who is adopted by an elf (BobNewhart) when baby Buddy crawls out of Santa's sack. Ferrell gives the starry-eyed innocent the perfect pitch. The guy is so huge, towering over nearly every other creature at the North Pole, that he just doesn't seem to fit in anywhere. The thing is, Buddy doesn't realize that he's a human until he hears a couple of other elves talking about his plight.

When Buddy's "dad" tells him the truth, everyone at the North Pole wishes Buddy well, including Santa (Ed Asner). And Buddy takes off to New York City to find his biological father.

Buddy isn't exactly greeted with open arms. He does indeed find his father (James Caan), who is a workaholic, no-nonsense book publisher. But even after he is thrown out of his dad's office, Buddy remains determined to become part of his dad's life.

He ends up at a department store, where he meets a pretty girl, Jovie (Zooey Deschanel), who isn't sure what to make of this child-like goof who seems be harmless.

The first half hour of the film is just plain brilliant. You'll chuckle at Bob Newhart's narration, enjoy watching Buddy as he lives and works around people and furniture one-third his size, and crack up at characters that are nods to those Christmas specials from the 1960s -- the Rankin-Bass productions such as "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." (My favorite few seconds -- and I usually hate scatological humor -- occurs during a workshop scene that's worth the price of admission in itself.)
The movie becomes diluted once Buddy reaches New York, because it relies too heavily on the "fish-out-of-water" formula. Still, Ferrell is funny in scenes that contain subtle nods to still other movies, such as "Rain Man" and "It's a Wonderful Life." And Asner appears to be having the time of his
life.

"Elf" is a sweet warm-up to the holiday season.

Running time: 90 minutes.

Rated: PG for cartoonish violence.

Stars: Will Ferrell, James Caan, Zooey Deschanel, Ed Asner, Bob Newhart, Mary Steenburgen and Daniel Tay .
Director: Jon Favreau.
Screenwriter: David Berenbaum.