Eloise Speaks Her Mind and Runs Wild in Eloise at the Plaza

As an ardent fan of LOST, the first character who springs to mind when I hear the name “Eloise” is Eloise Hawking, one of the most unsettling maternal figures television has ever seared into my brain. However, the name has had a prominent place in children’s literature for decades. While I somehow have never read the Eloise books by Kay Thompson, I recently watched the 2003 made-for-TV adaptation Eloise at the Plaza, so if I get tired of having an austere British matron materialize at the mention of “Eloise,” I have a rambunctious six-year-old American to fall back on.

Sofia Vassilieva stars as Eloise, the free-spirited blonde girl who lives in the Plaza Hotel with her faithful caretaker Nanny (Julie Andrews). Eloise is a whirling dervish, and Vassilieva keeps her in perpetual motion. It’s exhausting to watch her dash here and there, zooming up and down hallways, incessantly ringing the bell at the front desk, stirring up mischief on the elevator. She has a very short attention span, and it’s never long before she’s off on some new project. As tiring as her movements are, that’s nothing compared to her tongue. The girl can talk a blue streak, and she has no mental filter. “I always say what’s in my head,” she explains early on. “It’s so much easier that way.”

Her strategy is often exasperating to those around her, and her uppity affectations – particularly the way she pronounces “rather,” one of her favorite words – grate a bit. Nonetheless, her frank manner inspires many of those in her acquaintance, and perhaps the strongest theme running through the movie is the trouble that can ensue where open and honest communication is absent.

Molly (Stephanie Mills), a sweet high school senior, is afraid to tell her overbearing, high society mother (Eve Crawford) that she wants to travel instead of going to college and date not an aristocrat but a man who shares her passions. Eloise’s harried French tutor, Philip (Jonas Chernik), is too insecure to let slip that he would like to be that guy. Leon (Kintaro Akiyama), a polite, sheltered nine-year-old who spends a whirlwind day getting a taste of Eloise’s lifestyle, shrinks from confessing to his distant father (Dennis Akiyama), recently widowed, that he wants to leave boarding school and return home. Uptight hotel manager Mr. Salomone (Jeffrey Tambor) is so focused on vainly trying to keep Eloise unaware of the big event and the special guest that have the hotel in an uproar that he can scarcely make the preparations. And Eloise’s own beloved Nanny is too timid to tell the distinguished Sir Wilkes (Kenneth Welsh), another longtime guest, how much she likes him.

Eloise simply can’t fathom this lack of forthrightness, but she hopes to make up for it with a little finagling. She may be a bit of a hooligan at times, but she has a generous heart, and one of her passions is “fixing things that are broken.” In this movie, things get more broken before they get fixed, and there should be slapstick enough to satisfy the youngest viewers, who will likely find the thought of having free reign to wander through a posh hotel quite appealing. Adding to the confusion are Eloise’s pug and turtle, who have a knack for turning up at inopportune moments. While the chaos is a bit much at times, quiet scenes bring balance; the heart-to-heart between Eloise and the pensive Leon as they share a carriage ride through Central Park is simply lovely.

The movie, directed by Kevin Lima, makes liberal use of Hilary Knight’s illustrations, both incorporating them into the film and meticulously recreating them in live-action form. I highly recommend the making-of documentary in the special features, especially if you have little familiarity with the books. It’s fascinating to see the close kinship between the two art forms, and it made me appreciate the movie all the more. The plaza is a gorgeous piece of architecture, full of splendor and a touch of whimsy, and our glimpse of New York City at large is magical.

While I confess Vassilieva wears on me a bit, she has the perfect energy for the role, and there’s an undeniable charm to her as well. Still, it’s the much quieter Akiyama who really wins me over. I was surprised to see that this was his second and final film role; for me, he is the heart of the movie. It’s also a treat to see Andrews portraying what she describes in the documentary as “the anti-Mary Poppins.” That isn’t to say that she’s incompetent; she’s just about the only person who has any control over Eloise at all. But she is frazzled and unkempt, with a lowbrow accent and a fondness for boxing and booze. She is certainly not “practically perfect in every way,” but she is practically perfect for her young charge. Tambor is hilariously overwrought, Daniels and Chernik are adorable together and Welsh and the elder Akiyama exude dignified kindness. On the whole, it’s a top-notch cast.

Eloise at the Plaza is a fun romp for kids, while adults can marvel at the care taken to recreate a beloved children’s book for the screen. The movie may also serve as encouragement for those who, like so many of us, have trouble being as communicative as Eloise. The expressive and the withdrawn alike will have someone with whom to identify here, and those on either end of the spectrum should not find it too difficult to get swept away in the fun of the Plaza Hotel.

Torontonians Find Joy in a Depression-Era Christmas in Booky and the Secret Santa

This week, while browsing Netflix, I came upon the Booky series of TV movies based upon the books by Bernice Thurman Hunter. I watched the last one first, then proceeded to Booky and the Secret Santa, which came out in 2007. The children in this G-rated slice of historical fiction directed by Peter Moss are noticeably a bit younger, but they look mostly the same, and whatever characters are in both movies are portrayed by the same actors. This movie is set in December, and I presume it’s supposed to be about nine months before Booky’s Crush.

While times are lean in Booky’s Crush, the sense of monetary crisis is even more acute in Booky and the Secret Santa. Toronto is teetering on the brink of Depression, and Thomas Thomson (Stuart Hughes), a hardworking harness maker, is out of a job as the company employing him switches over to using motorized vehicles. That’s bad news for the whole family, especially his daughter Booky (Rachel Marcus), whose best friend Laura Westover (Emilia McCarthy) is the daughter of a woman one character describes as a “social-climbing nobody.” Uppity Mrs. Westover (Nahanni Johnstone) doesn’t want her daughter hanging around with a girl whose family is practically impoverished. All Booky wants is the freedom to enjoy her friend’s company and enough money to make a nice Christmas like those to which she is accustomed.

I found the class dynamics at play in this movie interesting, and I love the Christmassy setting. It often seems to be the case that remarkable things occur around Christmas, and that’s what Booky is hoping will happen here. Unlike her practical teenage sister Willa (Sarah White) and angsty older brother Arthur (Dylan Everett), Booky has not yet entirely let go of the possibility that Santa Claus could exist. She doesn’t believe in him with the fervor displayed by her little brother Jakey (Noah Ryan Scott), who is desperate for a red trike, but she still thinks he might be out there somewhere. In fact, he might be living among her friends and neighbors, and they don’t even know it.

The most dynamic side character this time around is Mrs. Westover, who comes across as incredibly shallow and persnickety. One of the chief questions of the movie is whether she is capable of genuine friendship or whether every friendly gesture she makes is merely a means to an end. Silent sparks fly when she and Booky’s mother Francie, a spunky woman played by Megan Follows of Anne of Green Gables fame, are in the same room. Through the adults, we see the struggles that typified the late 1920s and early 1930s, while the children, particularly Booky and Laura, demonstrate the joy and hope that the season can bring even in the darkest times.

Johnstone is exquisitely annoying in her role, but the best addition to the cast this time around is Kenneth Welsh as Mr. Eaton, the kindly owner of one of Canada’s most prominent retailers. He and Booky, whom he affectionately calls “Little Bluebird” because of her vibrant winter coat, forge a friendship after she gets a job distributing nut samples outside her aunt’s store. He is a regular customer, and he finds her cheerful and inquisitive nature a delight. Booky, inspired in part by a comic book about a detective with a dual identity, begins to wonder if her elderly friend with the twinkle in his eye could actually be Santa. And if he is, might he be able to help the Thomsons have a merry Christmas after all? Walsh is wonderful in the role, especially whenever he lets loose with a rumbly laugh that sounds suspiciously like a “Ho ho ho,” and he and Marcus have quite a sweet rapport.

While the time period matters in Booky’s Crush, I would say that it’s even more significant in this movie, which shows more broadly the effects of the economic downturn as well as the creative ways that people dealt with it. Some of the Christmassy aspects of the film are most endearing. My favorite seasonal moment comes when a neighbor girl comes by, pulled on a makeshift sleigh hitched up to several children tied together and sporting twig-antlers on their heads. It just goes to show that you don’t need a lot of money or fancy gadgets to have a good time.

While I loved Booky’s Crush, I think I enjoyed Booky and the Secret Santa even more. Although one would be most inclined to watch it near Christmas, this story of friendship and optimism makes for great viewing any time of year.