Annie (2014)

 This December, we have two films that have more connections to one another than you think. Those films are “Annie” and “Into the Woods.” The connections between these two films is as follows: they're both films based on Broadway musicals, they're both coming out December of 2014, they each have a film adaptation directed by Rob Marshall and Disney, and they both involved Bernadette Peters at one point or another.

The original musical “Annie,” was based on the “Little Orphan Annie” comics by Harold Gray. It tells the story of an orphan girl, living under the care of the mean and grouchy Miss Hannigan. When she is taking under the care of a rich wealthy man, Oliver Warbucks, they soon become more fond of one another, making Mr. Warbucks a more compassionate man than he was before.

This new film however, I had severe doubt about, because of three reasons:

#1: The film is a modern day, hip-hop, auto-tuned revamp of the musical, which is a style of music I'm not into. Auto-tune, especially, is something that I cannot stand, because it tries to make something that's already fine on its own sound less credible. It's just like dub-step, I just don't get the appeal of it.

#2: Cameron Diaz was in the cast as Miss Hannigan. As of late, Cameron Diaz has really been losing so much respect from me. These past years, she's always been doing bad film after bad film. Hell, this year alone she's had two films released earlier this year, “The Other Woman” and “Sex Tape,” and they were both terrible. So the chances of her being good in this movie were growing slimmer and slimmer.

#3: I never liked “Annie” to begin with. “Annie” has always been one of my least favorite musicals with unlikable songs, annoying characters, and very slow pacing. The 1982 film adaptation was much like that, only it was done much worse. In fact, the only good thing about that version were the villains played by Carol Bernette, Tim Curry, and Bernadette Peters. Everything else in the film was garbage, and deserves it's Razzie award and nominations.

Needless to say, I thought the new film was going to suck, especially since this film was getting some very harsh reception. So after viewing it, I can definitely see why it's hated so.

Like I said, most of the songs are either ones that suck, like “It's the Hard Knock Life,” “Maybe,” and “Easy Street,” or they're done auto-tuned, like “I Don't Need Anything But You,” and the songs written for the movie like “The City is Yours” and “Who Am I?” Surprisingly enough, the only songs that get auto-tuned are the ones that have Jamie Foxx singing. Jamie Foxx is already a great singer, so what's the point? Not only that, but with the way they incorporated the songs into the film was really distracting. Every time someone started to go into song, it's as if the film is reminding you that it's a musical. It wouldn't be so bad if the film didn't have the songs spread apart so far, but here it gets annoying.

I also didn't really care about Bobby Cannavale's character. It's just the stock greedy jerk, who you could have had anybody play, and it wouldn't have made a difference. What also bugged me the most were the fake parents, who appear near the end. Like I said, the only thing I liked about the original was Tim Curry and Bernadette Peters, who played the fake parents. They also were Miss Hannigan's brother and sister-in-law, and the reason they did it was because they were con-artists. Not only that, but it was Tim Curry and Bernadette Peters, who made it enjoyable, and you decide to replace them with that chick from “Death Proof” and the cop from “The Cape?” Really?

Aside from all of that, what was good about the movie? Well, right off the bat, Quvenzhane Wallis as Annie was actually pretty good. Unlike Aileen Quinn in the original film, Wallis actually knows how to act in a movie, and she's actually not that bad as a singer, when she performs “Tomorrow” and “Opportunity,” which are two of the only good songs in the movie. She's positive, she's a smart talker, and you do feel sympathetic for her in her dire moments. Originally, Will Smith, who produced the film along with his wife and Jay-Z, wanted his daughter, Willow, to play the role of Annie. However, after Quvenzhane Wallis was nominated for the Best Actress Oscar for “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” Wallis was cast later that June. This was a good choice, because I'm really starting to get tired of Smith forcing his kids on us, because it never turns out good.

Jamie Foxx also does a good job in the film, playing Will Stacks. Despite his songs not turning out so good, he does give a likable performance, and he has some pretty good delivery with the jokes they do with him. The one major thing I love about this film that surpasses any other incarnation of “Annie,” is the relationship between the two main characters. Wallis and Foxx have brilliantly chemistry together, working out their negatives and helping them improve upon it, with Annie helping Stacks work on being together with other people more often, and Foxx helping Annie with her reading problem. I'm one of the few people who doesn't mind the use of cliches and predictability, as long as I'm invested enough in the characters that it doesn't bother me. This is one of those films that does it for me.

Rose Byrne plays Grace Farrell, Stacks' assistant and secretary, and she too gives a good performance. Her scenes with either of the two are enjoyable, ranging from funny to very touching, especially when she waits with Annie at the corner of a shop her parents left her by. Byrne is a great comedic performer, and the song “I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here” shows that she too is a good singer. While her romance with Jamie Foxx was a bit short, I never thought it was underdeveloped. She has worked under Stacks for quite a while, so you could guess that they've had affection for one another for a while, but that he's been mostly focusing on work than anything. But you know what was the most surprising thing about this film? I LIKED CAMERON DIAZ! Yes, I actually thought she did a good job in this. Granted, she's no Carol Burnett, but she's good nonetheless. She has good comedic timing in the film, more so than what they show us in the trailer. I liked how they joke about her character almost being apart of “Hootie and the Blowfish,” but that made me laugh at how ridiculous that sounded. Not to mention, her rendition of “Little Girls” wasn't too bad actually. While I would have liked to see more done with it, aside from her going around her apartment, I didn't mind with what they did in it.

It's really interesting, because this film feels like a reverse “Annie,” where we originally had a terrible movie with good villains, and then have a good movie with mediocre villains. And yes, you heard me right, I do like this movie. For me, this is one of those cases where Hollywood does a remake right, turning a terrible film into a good one. Yeah, the villains weren't as good as before, but it's the main focus with Annie and Stacks that saves it. I loved seeing these two interact with one another, and giving themselves something that the other didn't have. I'll never forget the touching moment they have before they say their goodbyes, which was the best acted part of the movie. There's no music, there are no tears, it's just the atmosphere between them.

This film was directed by Will Gluck, who is best known for directing “Easy A” and “Friends With Benefits.” He is a good director, and he has proven to have good comedic work, and it's nice to know that he's flexible of doing any kind of comedy, whether it'd be raunchy or family oriented. Is it his best film? No, far from it. Like I said, the parts where the songs are put in are too separate from each other, some of which I don't like, and the villains aren't as good as the original. But with the great chemistry between Wallis, Foxx, Byrne, and the acting from supporting characters like the orphans, the body guard, the social security agent, and the corner-store clerk overshadow those moments.

Overall, “Annie” is a film that I found surprisingly enjoyable. It's charming, it's got some good moments, and the acting is pretty good. It's not a perfect film, but it's no where near terrible. And at least it's a better film Broadway film than shit like “Mamma Mia." If you're a fan of “Annie,” I don't know if you would like it or not. Go in open minded, and see what you think.

Rating: 7/10