Year: 2003
Runtime: 89 mins
Language: English
Director: Kevin Lima
Eloise, a spirited six‑year‑old who lives in New York’s Plaza Hotel, discovers that the owner’s daughter is about to marry a fiancé who plans to swindle the kind Rachel. When she realizes her own crush is Bill, the friendly kitchen worker, Eloise sets out to create a Christmas miracle and reunite the star‑crossed couple before the holidays arrive.
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The Plaza Hotel hums with festive energy as Christmas approaches, and at its heart stands Eloise Sofia Vassilieva, a bright, curious girl on a mission to uncover presents in the package room from her mother, who is traveling in Paris.
When no packages materialize, Eloise creates a deliberate little mess in her room and streaks into the lobby, weaving through a crowded check-in line and interrupting a conversation about upgrades between hotel manager Mr. Salomone Jeffrey Tambor and two patrons. She asks if there have been any parcels from Paris, and Mr. Salomone explains there haven’t been any, offering a brisk reminder that he is very busy. Undeterred, Eloise pushes further, volunteering help that isn’t really needed, and Mr. Salomone kindly but firmly nudges her aside as he navigates a hectic moment.
She pulls back, only to lock eyes on a suspicious patron lingering nearby. Believing this person might be a spy, Eloise’s instincts prompt her to keep watch, while Mr. Salomone quickly shifts the conversation to the imminent arrival of the hotel’s Christmas tree delivery, asking Eloise to report when it arrives. With a quick, decisive nod, she exits the scene, whispering to the “spy” that she will be on the lookout.
Beneath Eloise’s bustling mischief lies a more intimate drama: the upcoming marriage between Rachel Peabody Sara Topham, the hotel owner’s daughter, and a bachelor named Brooks Oliver Rick Roberts. The family hopes the union will stabilize the estate, yet the narrative begins to reveal threats to that plan. Eloise uncovers that Brooks is involved in something suspicious, while Rachel remembers a yearned-for romance with Bill Gavin Creel, a room service waiter and a close friend, from four years earlier. When Rachel’s father, Mr. Peabody, learns of his daughter’s attachment to Bill, he sends her away to university in an attempt to sever the relationship.
Eloise steps in to mend what is at stake. Through her interventions, Bill and Rachel’s bond is rekindled, and the family’s concerns begin to ease. Brooks’s alleged crime comes to light, and he is arrested for forgery, removing a key obstacle to Rachel’s happiness. In parallel, Mrs. Thornton the Poodle Lady Corinne Conley finds relief from eviction, earning a permanent stay at the Plaza, a resolution that reflects the hotel’s broader spirit of care and community. As the holiday spirit swells, Eloise’s mother Donna Feore arrives, and the film closes on a warm moment of celebration and reunion, with the Plaza once again at the center of a family’s joyful holiday.
Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 16:51
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