"The sun will come out tomorrow..."
Annie (Oscar-nominated Quevenzhane Wallis) is a foster kid living in Harlem under the care of the cruel alcoholic Colleen Hannigan (Cameron Diaz). She and four other girls dream of one day being a part of a real family. One day, Annie is rescued in a near hit-and-run by William Stacks (Jamie Foxx), a self-made mogul who has his sights on the NYC mayoral election. Realizing Annie may be the key to a possible win in the election, Stacks decides to house Annie for a while.
The strongest thing the movie carries is its music. The soundtrack, overall, is great. Despite what I at first thought would be a disastrous choice, pop artist Sia really does a great job with the new songs. I think "Opportunity" is definitely something the Oscars should consider for a Best Original Song nomination, as it is truly a song that sticks in your head and works as a spotlight number for Wallis. "Who Am I" is also a solid number that I have found myself listening to a few times also.
Like any musical soundtrack, not everything works. For the most part, the revamped handful of tunes from the original Annie soundtrack are nicely done. "Tomorrow" and "Its the Hard Knock Life" are very good, and the the new versions of "Little Girls", "I Think I'm Gonna Like it Here" and "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile" are surprisingly catchy (though the second could use a little less auto-tuning). On the downside, "Easy Street" is too over-the-top, and "I Don't Need Anything But You" is out of place (it's in the middle of the original musical, here it appears at the very end).
For the most part also, the actors are likeable. Wallis got a Golden Globe nod for her role here, and she does nail the part well. She brings the perky, adorable and interesting characteristics of the character to the screen. And, she can sing pretty good also (though its tough to tell if some of her bigger numbers are auto-tuned). Foxx does a good job portraying Stacks, with some convincing emotion and sincerity, especially towards the end. For their part, Wallis and Foxx have nice chemistry and one of the best scenes of the movie has Annie cook her own food for Stacks.
Rose Byrne does good with what she's given to work with. I know many people have rained on Diaz's parade thinking she was horribly miscast. But, honestly, I didn't think she did a bad job. The character of Mrs. Hannigan is an overly-dramatic and hard-to-like one. And, for her credit, Diaz works hard to portray those characteristics, and it does pay off. She may not be Carol Burnett or Kathy Bates, but she isn't a turkey either. However, Diaz can't really sing that well (her rendition of "Little Girls" is better than any other singing she tries to do in the movie). In fact, however, I think Bobby Cannavale may actually be the weakest link here. His villain is a little too cheesy and too annoying to really be memorable.
On the downside, though this is a primary problem of the Annie musical in general, some emotional topics here are just too lightly-handled and sugar-coated. We know the foster children are abused and Annie's longing for a family is real, but the emotional oomph is lacking in general from the characters in this environment. The closest we get is the "Who Am I?" number to any emotional turmoil from the circumstances.
The one somewhat of a turn-off scene of the whole movie is the scene with the 2014 version of "Easy Street". It's kinda cheesy, the singing isn't great, and any choreography seen is a little edgy for a PG-rated movie. Plus, it all plays out as (at least hinting to) as somewhat of a romantic fantasy for Hannigan, which makes it perhaps a little more weird. I honestly would have loved a more classy version of that song, rather than something that screams "Vegas show". A few of the musical number scenes aren't very well-choreographed or shot (if they have any choreography to begin with).
I was interested in the Annie remake since it was announced. I like the stage show for its sense of optimism, its music, and its interesting characters. I saw the 1982 movie and 2000 TV movie also when I was younger. So, how does this one compare?
Musicals are becoming relevant again (thanks to Frozen, the return of The Muppets and Broadway adaptations on screen of Les Miserables and Into the Woods), and are getting progressively more and more fun to watch. Plus, I always love a good movie soundtrack. And, for all its' worth, this Annie does carry a strong soundtrack with it.
However, the movie surrounding all the songs, falls short of justifying all that impressive musical effort. The actors are likable (Wallis definitely does good work here), but like the Broadway musical, the handling of some of the musical's themes (translated into the modern age) are too light, silly, and low on emotional oomph. In comparison, some of the original 1982 movie and the musical's Great Depression era's sweetness, wit and whimsicality have been traded for way too much usage of social media and futuristic technology here. And it can make the movie feel just a tad obnoxious at times.
Still though, should I look past those fairly minor problems, the overall result mostly works. This modern, re-imagined Annie still carries its moments of charm and fun. There's some very funny moments and clever pop-culture references (including an interesting celebrity cameo-filled scene from a faux movie premiere). Some of the original musical's heart is still intact (we get some of the chemistry between Annie and Warbucks...ahem, Stacks. And there's a very appreciative scene between Annie and her dog, Sandy [though, in the musical, the dog disappears until the end]). And the movie does carry strong lessons on the importance of kindness and optimism in dire circumstances, as well as how love and kindness can change people for the better.
Basically, this Annie is entertaining, fun, and likable. But its' not quite anything special.
Score: 7.5/10
Content Problems Families Should Be Aware Of:
Language: Some scattered mild-to-moderate exclamations. "D---" and "a--" are used once apiece (the former by a child), while "what the h---?" is interjected twice. "Son of a...." is started but not finished, and someone explains the meaning of "Hard Knock Life" to being "it means our life sucks". Children and adults carelessly use "oh my g--" a dozen times.
Adult Content: Unaware of her being Annie's foster caretaker, Stacks mislabels Mrs. Hannigan as a prostitute ("I'm not looking for temporary companionship!"). But Hannigan does act kinda sly sometimes, hurling a few unnecessary innuendos at a couple of other men. She also dresses immodestly, including one distasteful outfit that is low-cut, somewhat back-baring and has a high slit. A couple of kisses.
Violence: Kids throw rocks at Sandy. Annie is nearly run over by a car.
Alcohol/Drugs: Mrs. Hannigan is an alcoholic and is occasionally seen drooping and slurring around. The kids make fun of her issues. We do spot a few alcohol bottles from time-to-time. Hannigan and another guy drink at a bar and become inebriated during a number. A stray comment labels ambien as a reason for why a character sleeps good.
Other: The whole scheme towards the end of the movie involves some deception. Annie acts disrespectful to Stacks in the beginning. Stacks spits out food a few times. One brief dog-related bathroom gag.
