Annie

It is unfortunate so much money (65 million) and so much talent (Quvenzhane Wallis, Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz) did not equal a better movie. A musical should have great singers; this did not. Foxx, the orphans and Quvenzhane were fine, but they were not great. Consider Dreamgirls, Hairspray, Fiddler on the Roof and Oklahoma. Along with the actors singing in character, there were powerful voices. No one in Annie was a standout musically.

Rose Byrne did her job in Damages, but not so much in this movie. The remainder of the cast was competent; they had their occasional moments.

This rendition of Annie was okay. But, with a few cast changes and voice lessons, it could have been so much better.

Can't believe the negative reviews! This was fun, modern, funny and entertaining. Good for kids and adults and there's a great cast too. Don't let the reviews put you off.

'ANNIE': Two and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

Modern-day adaptation of the 1977 Broadway musical (of the same name), which was based on the 1924 comic strip 'Little Orphan Annie'. It stars Quvenzhane Wallis (of 'BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD' fame), as Annie, and Jamie Foxx, as billionaire Will Stacks (an update on the Daddy Warbucks character, from the comic and musical). It costars Rose Byrne, Cameron Diaz, Bobby Cannavale, David Zayas and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje. It was directed by Will Gluck (who also directed 'EASY A' and 'FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS') and written by Gluck and Aline Brosh McKenna. I don't think it's nearly as enjoyable as the 1982 film version (which I grew up on) but the music is still good (and there's three new songs).

The story, once again, centers on a ten-year-old orphan named Annie (Wallis). She lives at the home of a mean alcoholic, named Colleen Hannigan (Diaz), with four other foster children. Colleen is very abusive to the kids, constantly making them clean her apartment, and only takes care of them so she can collect money from the state. Annie dreams of being reunited with her parents, who promised they'd come back for her (long ago). She runs into New York City mayoral candidate Will Stacks (Foxx), while running home one day, and falls to the ground in the streets. Stacks saves her from being hit, by a truck, and the incident is caught on video. The video then goes viral and Stacks sees it as an excellent opportunity to save his failing campaign. An odd relationship develops between the two.

The film is filled with corny jokes, and bad acting, and it's even more cheesy than the 1982 movie (which I still love, for nostalgic reasons). The music is great, still though (especially my favorite: 'It's the Hard Knock Life'), and the movie does have a positive and upbeat message for kids (like it's source material). It's other saving grace is Quvenzhane Wallis, who has some really powerful scenes (towards the end of the film). She could have delivered another award worthy performance, if her part had been written a little better (she is nominated for a Golden Globe though, but doesn't quite deserve it). For those reasons the movie isn't horrible but the 1982 version is much better.

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-Annie is a modern adaptation of the Broadway Musical in which an orphan (foster child in this) who lives with the somewhat evil Mrs. Hannigan when, one day, she meets Mr. Warbucks (Will Stacks in this), a rich business man who takes Annie in and truly starts to learn what it is to have family.

-This adaptation of Annie is definitely a little ambitions, but I think they pulled it off well! I am a big fan of the 1994 film and I like this version about as much as that! -The story itself is different from the original somewhat, but the modern update called for some changes and I liked them.

-The pace was good, but there is a slow point in the film that is noticeable.

-The supporting characters, everyone but Annie, are a bit cheesy. And kinda goofy, but they are not too much over-the-top. There are a few elements like the characters that did feel geared towards younger audiences.

-The acting is good though. I noticed that both Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz both acted will in their over-the-top characters. I will say the true star was Annie though. I can't spell her name, but she outshined Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz in most of the scenes. Good work! -Now the music is pretty great! I liked the updated music and, although not every original song was in it, I really liked the new songs they added! -The film is also very funny! I laughed at most of the jokes made and them adding jokes poking fun at musicals was very smart.

-It is rated PG for some mild language. Nowhere near as bad as like Rango.

-So Annie has a few elements that feel younger or cheesy, but I thought it was very fun, entertaining, and I loved the music! I honestly would give it a good 7.5 and say that Annie is totally worth seeing in theaters!

All the critics out there need to go see this movie with a bunch of 8-13 year old kids. I feel bad for the cast of this film, because I think the reviews are going to stop people from going to see it; We almost didn't go see it, because the reviews were so bad. We talked our kids and their friends into seeing another movie, but then we were late, so we ended up going to see Annie. They all loved it-- boys and girls--and it was so sweet to see them bopping around to the music. It was special for me because this was the first musical I ever saw live in the theater. I was worried that I was going to hate the re-write, but I loved the modern changes they made to make it relevant to a whole new generation. It wasn't perfect and there were a few changes I would've made to dial down the cheese factor a little, but the way the reviews were written it sounded like the worst movie ever: bad singing, bad writing, bad re- writes of the songs, bad acting. Was there something political behind all those awful reviews??? I've sat through a lot more mundane kids' movies through the years with my children that didn't get ripped apart like this movie. I thought the casting was perfect, the singing sounded authentic, the chemistry between the cast was apparent, and the songs were just as catchy as I remember it. At the end, I even had a "little pollen" in my eyes, and the audience clapped during the final number. I haven't been in a movie where that has happened in a long time. This movie is for kids and the kid in all of us!