Indiscriminating children looking for holiday cheer and merry moppet mischief will find themselves in the right place for Eloise at Christmastime, but older readers who cherish Kay Thompson's original book will want to check out immediately. Sofia Vassilieva reprises her role as precocious six-year-old Eloise, who has the run of New York's swanky Plaza Hotel while her globetrotting mother is away. Eloise absolutely loves Christmas, and if she can also play matchmaker for her favorite waiter, help save an elderly neighbor from eviction, expose a slick con man, and generally frustrate the Plaza's snotty event planner (a typecast Christine Baranski), then so much the better. The lone bright spot, Julie Andrews is practically perfect in every way as Eloise's beloved and exasperated Nanny (a far-frumpier babysitter than Mary Poppins). In the age of Dr. Phil, this Eloise seems a spoiled brat with no boundaries, and her good heart and positive intentions provide little compensation for her apparently rude and thoughtless behavior. Not a necessary purchase. (D. Liebenson)
Eloise at Christmastime
Walt Disney, 87 min., not rated, DVD: $24.98 December 27, 2004
Eloise at Christmastime
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