Eloise at Christmastime
Well, as my first exposure to the wonder that is Eloise this time last year, I really came to this with my tongue not only in my cheek but practically threatening to poke a hole in the darn thing, lol. I wound up loving it. And last week I saw at the Plaza and I loved it even more. Second viewing of Christmastime … and I swear this might be my favourite Christmas movie ever. It’s absolutely full of everything I think Christmas should be, highlighted by the scene of Christmas morning itself, Eloise waking Nanny with the trumpet then starting the whole place singing “The Twelve Days of Christmas” in an hilarious contrast to the usual “clear the elevator” scene. It just leaves me absolutely beaming, completely excited about Christmas, even if I’m overexcited about it to begin with, I can’t compare with Eloise. I can only strive my best to be more like her 
22nd December, 2006:
... because after over 36 hours without sleep, sometimes the brain can’t take anymore.
But seriously, within about 2 minutes of this movie you’ll know how you’re gonna take it. You can’t be too hard on a movie that warns you in advance. Personally, it told me I was gonna love it. Sofia Vassilieva as Eloise (10 playing 6) is ridiculously natural and completely irresistable, particularly in her random turns to the camera (“Afterall! I’m only six! For Lord’s sake!”); there’s Julie Andrews, Jeffrey Tambor and Christine Baranski in the background … as long as you’re not expecting cinematic innovation of the highest calibre, this is, to use one of my menu options this Christmas, the cinematic equivalent of cheese and pickled onion on a stick. When you glimpse it, if you want it, you’ve got to have it. I wanna be Eloise! Oh, and cute songs too!
Julie Andrews doesn’t succeed entirely slumming it in Cockney but she definitely has a way with children that I doubt anyone else could match. But it’s really all about Eloise, she wouldn’t have it any other way, and some may think that’s a terrible thing and that she’s an awful role model etc, etc, but I don’t care; this is one of those rare movies where I don’t even care about the plot. I couldn’t tell you. She lives in a hotel. It’s fun. It’s, y’know … for kids. And I love it. Any movie that makes me laugh the way I laugh when my cousin Fiona is around is good in my book. So, again, again! claps several times