Annie

I'm in my early 40's so i'm one of the ones that actually remembers the original Annie and honestly, i can't exactly say that i was the biggest fan of the original. Maybe it's just me, but i thought it was 'ok' at best.

We first saw the trailer for this movie over the summer and at first i was thinking, "really?...Annie?"... but the more the trailer played, the more i was able to actually feel that there was a very different VIBE to this movie than the original, so yes - i was sold and wanted to see this based on the trailer.

After actually seeing the movie in its entirety with my seven year old daughter, what i came away with was a BIG smile on my face and such an upbeat and inspirational feeling that still has me gushing today. My daughter can't stop talking about this movie either.

There was definitely an upbeat kinda VIBE throughout this entire movie that never quite leaves your side and should somehow be cast as an extra it's that good. It's also gone through a much needed makeover and is suddenly very up to date and modern (which is a lot of fun to see happen) The acting, i thought, was pretty spot on - keeping in mind that these characters are supposed to have a bit of animation to them (it IS a children's musical for crying out loud).

• Jamie Foxx once again shows his flexibility and endless talent in his role as Willie Stacks. The man can do it all.

• Quvenzhané is absolutely perfect for this movie and i might actually be more grateful that little Willow Smith 'backed out' of the lead of this movie opening the door for 'Q' than any thing else cause i can't see anyone else nailing this role down as perfectly as she did.

• Cameron Diaz, i thought, was a lot of fun and i even enjoyed her singing - not going to win any awards any time soon, but the moments she had were again, spot on for what the moment called for (and that's important to understand for a movie like this).

• Rose Byrne was ... 'proper' :-).

• Bobby Cannavale reminded me very much of a modern day John Larroquette - the kind of guy that just knows how to be the perfect, lovable D-Bag... you almost feel bad for loving him the way you do - but you still do.

The music, another major highlight to this movie, was also nicely done and scores a big assist to singer/songwriter Sia who did wonders for this movie. With some new songs added (see 'Opportunity' and 'Smiles' to name a couple) and a few changes to the originals, the soundtrack is already on my daughters Christmas list. Don't discount this as this helps change the entire tone of the movie.

All in all, i thought this movie was a perfect storm. It had a lot of intangibles working seamlessly together. I gave this movie a nine because it was a lot of fun, it was very upbeat and inspirational, had good music, a good message, and a lot of cute laughs.

Normally i would highly suggest seeing this movie if you had kids, especially any little girls - but - I think even as an adult without kids, this movie can still find a way to creep into your heart and make you love it just the same.

Recommended!

"Annie" is a modern day retelling of the acclaimed Broadway Musical and 1982 musical film based on the show, which was based on the 1924 Comic Strip "Little Orphan Annie" which in the original show and movie, takes part during the Great Depression, telling the story of Orphan Annie - a pre-teenage hoping for a return of her parents, who disappeared after they left her on the steps of of an orphanage as a baby. In this version, which again takes place in the modern day, it is revealed in the early part of the film that Annie, played by Quvenzhané Wallis (Academy Award Nominee for the "Beasts of Southern Wild") was left as a baby at a restaurant by her parents, and is now a foster kid, under the care of Miss Hannigan, played by Cameron Diaz. The Billionaire character "Daddy Warbucks" of the classic story, has been replaced by the character of "Will Stacks", played by Jamie Foxx (Academy Award winner for "Ray"), who is also a Billionaire from his cell phone business, and is running for Mayor of New York City. So – leading up to this film, the predicted expectations were of gloom and doom, presumably I think because this version does not take place in the original time line, and because some people's now negative views (not mine) towards Actor/Rapper Will Smith, who co-produced the film with among others, his wife, Actress Jada Pinkett Smith, and Rapper and Business Mogel Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, whose sampled one of the Musical's more populars songs "It's a Hard Knocked Life" in his hit song "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)". So what did I think – While I admit – the movie does became a mess to a great deal, it is not a total mess, and could have been a lot worse. A lot of songs that many of us love are there and performed well by the cast, some with variations, some of which are understandably, and some which may have probably weren't necessary. There are some new songs as well, including the very touching "Who am I?" - sung by Diaz, Foxx and Wallis's characters in the later part of the film. Some of the modern day jokes, just some of the humor in general works well, and some falls flat. Kids should like this version of "Annie" just fine. Adults - I think most who are fans of the original are going to be annoyed by it. I myself am I fan of the Broadway show and 1982 Movie. While I obviously didn't love this version myself, again, While it does become a mess to a great deal,it's not a complete one. My rating is for the music, and some of the humor – 2 ½ out of 4 Stars (The ½ star is for the previously mentioned new song "Who am I?").

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.

-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!

Annie is an age old story of an orphan struggling to survive and is magically swept off her feet by a reluctant grouch who suddenly gets a warm heart and yadda yadda yadda. Yes, an updated version of Annie sounded awesome and yes, some of us had hope for it. And HELL NO is this what Annie should have become. This is perhaps one of the most ridiculous, over produced, annoyingly unoriginal remakes in recent years. With a cast like this film, starring Jamie Foxx, Quvenzhane Wallis, Cameron Diaz and Rose Byrne, this should have been a very competent film but it is so bogged down with a ridiculous hip-hop shroud of the musical numbers and poorly executed dance numbers that it is hard to take this seriously. The biggest culprit is Will Gluck, the man directs this with absolutely no flavor. It isn't hard to make the story of Annie heart warming, not in the very least. It is one of the best told stories along with being one of the best musicals of all time. Even if you were asleep at the wheel for most of the production, you could still get something out of it. Gluck fails to do pretty much everything when it comes to direction. It is lazy and unoriginal. To be frank, the only reason why I'm giving this a 3 instead of a 10 is Wallis' performance. She was truly awesome as Annie and it is a shame that the film wasn't even a fraction as good as her performance. Overall, this is a film that will more than likely have you pounding your fist against your head for the entire duration of the film...oh yeah, it is THAT bad.