Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely Divine, December 12, 2004
Eloise, she is such fun. And I wish that I could live in the Plaza and share her adventures, and be her 'Mostly Companion.' Eloise played by Sophia Vassilieva was a perfect choice and was absolutely divine. And of course Julie Andrews!!! She is wonderful!
Everyone, in this film, is just so wonderful, that you feel that you are there! Everything is realistic, but make believe at the same time! Eloise, the clever, bratty, fun, loveable, sweet, and so caring is just the character that little girls love!
This movie is about 4 really main characters: Eloise (of course), Bill (the waiter) Nanny (Nanny), and Rachel, (The Plaza owners daughter). Eloise becomes involved in matchmaking. When Rachel returns from college with her fiance, Eloise and her become friends. And she finds out that Rachel loved the plaza when she was her age. She also finds out that her and Bill are old sweethearts and still secretly in love, against the will of her father who wants her to marry someone of importance.
And Brooks, her fiance is in his opinion perfect. But Eloise discovers Brookes secret, and contrives plots to get him out of the way and to put Bill in his place. Whether it's being kidnapped, spying, or helping the awful Mrs. Thornton have a Merry Christmas, Kevin Lima makes Eloise shine in the true spirit of the holidays!
Merry Christmas!
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Eloise is such fun!!, December 7, 2004
Eloise is a six-year-old girl. While her mom travels the world, Eloise (Sofia Vassilieva) spends most of her time in New York City's Plaza Hotel, where she lives with her "mostly companion", rawther British Nanny (Julie Andrews). Eloise has quite the reputation at the Plaza; all of the employees know her routine daily adventures of curiousity and mischief.
Eloise at Christmastime is the second Wonderful World of Disney television movie adapted from Kay Thompson's popular line of picture books. Filmed directly after Eloise at the Plaza, this 2003 film retains director Kevin Lima and all of the relevant cast of its predecessor.
It's Christmastime in New York City, and Eloise anticipates her mother's return home. Meanwhile, in her ritual explorations, Eloise discovers a different return: the daughter (Sara Topham) of Plaza owner Mr. Peabody (Victor Young) has come home to be married on Christmas Eve to Brooks Oliver (Rick Roberts), a Harvard-educated young man that Eloise has her suspicions about.
Eloise's journeys around the Plaza also uncover that the crabby Mrs. Thornton's days at the Plaza may be numbered, though not as she first assumes. And the precocious girl later learns that her best friend and regular room service provider Bill (Gavin Creel), still has feelings for his ex-girlfriend, the soon-to-be-wed Rachel Peabody who he hasn't seen in years.
The film is comfortable in exploring the Plaza with the same pace and perspective of its rambunctious young matchmaker protagonist. It's never in any hurry to bring you the upbeat conclusion you seem to anticipate, instead choosing to bask in the drama and fun of Eloise's experiences.
From the title, you can imagine that Christmas figures largely in the film, and it does. We see Eloise going shopping around Manhattan (her ease contrasts with Nanny's struggle to find the perfect gift for Sir Wilkes), adding to her growing list of things she'd like to get, and inadvertently and repeatedly thwarting Nanny's efforts to decorate their suite. But Christmas is one element and not the entire film, so we're not simply getting the same character-transformation tale that's been played out in countless other holiday TV movies.
The central story actually seems better developed and more compelling than the screenplay for Eloise at the Plaza did. Whereas that one split its interest more evenly between its royalty and romance subplots, this film primarily focuses on the potential between Bill and Rachel, and Eloise's efforts to put them together. The setting of Christmas adds a layer of depth, but never dominates.
All in all, Christmastime succeeds as much as and even more than Plaza, again making good use of Eloise's infectious spirit and this time for a more engaging story. Julie Andrews and the remarkable Sofia Vassilieva have winning chemistry, and their characters' relationship adds a bit of resonance to make the rest of this jovial comedy echo a little more poignantly. Even if it's a tiny bit formulaic, Eloise at Christmastime compares favorably with a good amount of the theatrical live action fare that Walt Disney Pictures have put out in recent years.
You will simply love this movie, its one to have in your collection!
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This movie is my most absolute FAVORITE, FAVORITE, FAVORITE!!!, November 26, 2005
I grew up reading the Eloise books and always loved them. We read those stories over and over and thought that Eloise and all of her antics were hillarious to the point that my sister and I wanted to BE Eloise. However, when my sister purchased this movie for my 3 year old daughter I was a little concerned. Though I love the Eloise stories, I didn't necessarily think that Eloise was the best role model for my impressionable young daughter. However, to my very happy surprise, Disney has managed to present an adorable, sweet, caring version of the little girl from the books, while still staying true to so many of her little quirks and mischief that make her so lovable and entertaining.
This movie is very well acted all around, especially by the Eloise and Nanny (Julie Andrews) characters, both of whom have a warmth and sweetness not evident in the book that only adds to movie version and makes it much more appropriate for kids. Purists of the book that are looking for pure sass and troublemaking in Eloise may thinik the movie too soft, but it is a perfect interpretation for family viewing.
This is a great movie that can be enjoyed not only at Christmas, but throughout the year!
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