Comedy, Drama, Family
Overview
Annie is a young, happy foster kid who's also tough enough to make her way on the streets of New York in 2014. Originally left by her parents as a baby with the promise that they'd be back for her someday, it's been a hard knock life ever since with her mean foster mom Miss Hannigan. But everything's about to change when the hard-nosed tycoon and New York mayoral candidate Will Stacks - advised by his brilliant VP, Grace and his shrewd and scheming campaign advisor, Guy - makes a thinly-veiled campaign move and takes her in. Stacks believes he's her guardian angel, but Annie's self-assured nature and bright, sun-will-come-out-tomorrow outlook on life just might mean it's the other way around.
Crew
Director: Will Gluck
Writers: Aline Brosh McKenna, Thomas Meehan
Movie Facts
Status: Released
Runtime: 119
Budget: $65,000,000
Revenue: $133,821,816
Language: en
Production Companies
Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE), Overbrook Entertainment
User Reviews
Popcorn, M&Ms and large drink... roll the film A classic story from theatre, film and the comics. The cute red-headed orphan with the red dress. We have seen the films of Annie, but this one has some obvious changes. Will the story and music work in this modern version?
Kid's Korner rating: 1.5 stars Parent's Rating: 1 star
Annie is the re-telling of the classic musical about an orphan who is given the opportunity to experience the world of one of the wealthiest men in the city. Quvenzhané Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild) plays Annie, a street-smart, foster kid in New York City. As a baby, she was left by her parents with the promise that they'd be back for her someday. The years pass by and her parents do not come to get Annie. She is moved from one foster care facility to another and is currently under the care of Miss Hannigan (Cameron Diaz). Through the inevitable twists and turns of the busy streets of New York City, she runs into the hard-nosed tycoon and New York mayoral candidate Will Stacks (Jamie Foxx). Based on the advice of his company vice president, Grace (Rose Byrne) and his less-than-wise campaign manager, Guy (Bobby Cannavale), Stacks takes on the fostering responsibilities of Annie for the sake of growing public opinion. Their relationship grows beyond a political move to a deeper familial connection.
From the beginning of Will Gluck's retelling of the classic orphan tale, he seems to have an underlying disdain for the original story. It should be explained that this is not a modern spin on a classic story, but a politically correct re-telling of Annie. Gluck manages to eliminate the heart of what made the original story endearing. Usually the music can make up for poor acting, but the modern spin on the familiar tunes did not translate well. Even with the quality of actors, the acting felt robotic and the chemistry between the characters felt manufactured and unbelievable. To go through all of the challenges of this film would take too long. The Kid's Korner recommendation is to go see Paddington or rent the original Annie instead.
Dad asked the question on the ride home, 'What did we think of the film?' We really tried to find something good about the film, but there was not much we liked about the film. The girls love a good musical, but this was not a good musical. The original has 'cheesy' by today's standards, but it was much better than this film.
Reel Dialogue: What are the bigger questions to consider from this film? 1. What does the Bible say about orphans? (John 14:18, James 1:27) 2. Why is family important? (Nehemiah 4:14, Ephesians 5:25)
Kid's Korner are shorter reviews written by Russell Matthews's kids perspective and based on a five star rating system @ Russelling Reviews #russellingreviews
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