Who would have thought that Will Ferrell, most notable for his hyper-spastic cheerleader character in "Saturday Night Live," could carry a Christmas flick playing an elf? Though the premise sounds simple and silly, audiences fell in love with Elf because of its underlying message of the importance of simply believing, and the silly gags that tap into our own childlike behavior.

Elf begins with an orphan baby who accidentally climbs into Santa’s (Ed Asner) sack and wakes to find himself in the North Pole surrounded by elves. The baby is given the name Buddy (Will Ferrell) and he eventually overhears that he’s really not an elf but a human, which begins his trek to find his real father in the Big Apple.

Like a kid in a candy store, Buddy finds joy in most everything new he discovers in NYC, which includes the beautiful, yet loveably sarcastic Jovie (Zooey Deschanel). Buddy finds his father (James Caan), who turns out to be on Santa’s "naughty list," yet Buddy uses his innocent, wacky ways to win him over.

Buddy is soon called upon to fix Santa’s sleigh – and, therefore, save Christmas – and with the help of girlfriend Jovie, fuels the sleigh with Christmas spirit with a rousing sing-along of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town."

Directed by Jon Favreau (Swingers), Elf is filled with goofy, loveable scenes and laughs mostly due to Ferrell’s wide-eyed, over-enthusiastic portrayal of Buddy. He plays him with true childlike behavior and mannerisms, sometimes making funny by a simple facial expression. Other notable cast members include Bob Newhart and his dry humor as Papa Elf and James Caan as the cold-hearted father who eventually, through Buddy’s guidance, finds love for his family.

Elf comes as a double DVD disc (both full and wide screen) and includes commentaries by Ferrell and director Favreau, entertaining deleted and alternate scenes, a fun and games section, the secret elevator o’ fun and even Elf karaoke. To experience non-stop laughs mixed with the wonder and joy of Christmas, Elf will start your holiday season off with a hearty ho-ho-ho.

DVD Grade: A-