Review of Annie (2014) by Sue B — 28 Jul 2015

You know what needed to be remade? Annie. But not just any remake. No, it needs to be a modernized, hip hop infused remake that focuses on materialism. Well, if that's exactly what you wanted, that is exactly what you got! The bad thing is, this is exactly what Annie didn't need.

The modernized take on Annie follows an orphan who has a chance meeting with a billionaire mayoral candidate, but that meaning changes both of their lives. This remake falls into the category of pointless.

The original and even the Broadway musical are more than enough, and the original can be considered a classic of sorts. Well, the film has been made, so its time to break it down. For starters, the acting is subpar.

The child actors are expectedly bad, most of the adults are given nothing to work with, and then there is Cameron Diaz. There is absolutely no excuse for how horrible she is. It's like she turned the dial up to 12 and kicked the dial until it broke.

Then again, she too just worked with what she was given. This is a poorly written film that bounces around all types of tones, with pacing that moves things quickly until the musical numbers kick in, which feel very out of place and bring things to a screeching halt.

Which brings us to the music...The film "modernized" the classic songs by changing the beats of the songs to a faster tempo hip hop beat. If it sounds pointless, its because it is. By the time the credits do roll, there isn't much that sticks in the mind except one insanely horrible performance.