Perhaps it was low expectations and the sugary beverage I
drank in the theater but I found Will Gluck’s glossy modernized film remake of
the famous Broadway musical “Annie” to be perfectly decent. I realize that
doesn’t sound like high praise, and it’s not but things could have been a lot worse. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised--Gluck's picture is sweet and uplifiting and boasts a great cast.
Like I said, this is a modern remake, something that Gluck
and co screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna really want you to know. Smart phones,
Twitter, Instagram, “selfies,” sleek computer controlled homes and the like are
paraded front and center in just about every scene. Sometimes this can be kind
of annoying and heavy handed, like Gluck and co. are trying really hard to
shove this modern stuff down your throat. At times you want to yell, “OK we get
it. This is the present.” That being said however, subtle jabs at the modern
commercial film industry—an extending sequence lampooning young adult franchise movies for example—provide
some of the best, most amusing moments in the entire movie, and provinding humor for the adult members of the audience. This is a family movie afterall all.
However the greatest strength “Annie” yields is the casting.
As the titular optimistic orphan—excuse me, I mean “foster child”; I told you
this was a modern remake-- eleven-year-old
Oscar nominee Quvenzhane Wallis (“Beasts of the Southern Wild”) does a fantastic
job, making the character sweet and likable and proving yet again that she has
the acting chops to carry an entire movie. The two adult leads, Jamie Foxx as
jaded billionaire Will who initially uses Annie to boost his run for mayor of
New York City and Rose Byrne as Will’s Vice President Grace, deliver amusing performances. Performances that are funny in a spontaneous way and rarely feel
forced. The only one that does feel forced is Cameron Diaz as the mean foster
mother Hannigan. I get that she’s supposed to be nasty but her portrayal is
over-the-top and cartoon-y to the point where she just isn’t funny. And yet,
thanks to the strength and authenticity of the other lead players, I was even able
to tolerate this weak link. On top of that, the three manage to increase the
quality of the more mushy, cliché sequences throughout the picture. In other
words, there was never a moment where I groaned or rolled my eyes with displeasure.
Other than that, there’s not a whole lot else to say.
Thankfully the movie doesn’t resort to easy gross out gags and physical humor,
a crutch many recent PG family movies tend to lean on. The musical numbers look
and sound somewhat overproduced—especially in regards to the vocals—but they’re well placed, so you don’t feel overwhelmed by one musical number after
another and none overstay their welcome. As someone who doesn't care much for musicals, I found this particularly appealing.
“Annie” is by no means a great movie. At two hours it feels
too long, especially for family fare. It’s certainly predictable; we all know
that Annie’s upbeat attitude is going to mend Will’s cynical heart and those
who hold the original 1982 movie or show in a high regard most likely won’t
care for it. But, as someone who hasn’t seen any incarnations of the story and
didn’t have have a lot of enthusiasm for the movie going in, I found it to be
delightful. And I caught myself laughing throughout, sometimes very
hard. I’ll never watch it again but it’s not a bad way for a family to spend an
afternoon. Not a bad way at all.
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