ANNIE (Theatrical Release USA 2014)

Ben Meyers’ rating: 2.2|5.0 Stars ìì

Annie—the remake—lacks the emotional connect factor, the power, of the original 1982 Annie film. Let this one go and get the 1982 version. The musical talent displayed in the original film is completely lacking in this remake. It looks like Quvenzhané Wallis (Annie) can’t dance or sing, so why was she cast in a musical? Cameron Diaz weakly plays the amoral Miss Hannigan. Compare her performance with Carol Burnett’s bring-the-house-down performance of Miss Hannigan in the original movie.  Rose Byrne does a fair job of acting the character Grace, but pales in comparison with Anne Reinking’s rendition of Grace. The ‘hard-knock-life’ girls appear as if they never had a hard-knock on any single day of their lives. They all appear well-fed and cared for. The story lacks contrast as Annie moves from the foster home to the Stacks’ home. It’s difficult to see what Annie really ‘gained’ in the move. There seems to be a focus on materialism more than on kindness and love. The music, which should have carried the film, lacks sequence, feeling, and emotional impact.

Film,Movie Review

Storyline

Orphan Annie hopes for a better life and gets an opportunity to make that a reality.

Additional Thanks

This film rates as Poor Work for Director Will Gluck. Thank you to Executive Producers Celia D. Costas and Alicia Emmrich for making the film possible. Additional characters/cast include: Will Stacks (Jamie Foxx),  Guy (Bobby Cannavale), Nash (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), and Lou (David Zayas).

Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?

No. This is a watch only if desirous of comparing the 1982 with its 2014 remake. The 1982 version gives more entertainment value, more heart than its remake.

Movie Critique Available Here:

Ben Meyers