I was initially hesitant when I heard that a new version of Annie was going to be in theaters in time for Christmas 2014, and with the release of the first trailer, I’m still somewhat hesitant.
Whether or not you’re already familiar with the musical and earlier filmic adaptations, the trailer lays everything out for you – Annie (the plucky Quvenzhané Wallis) is “adopted” by billionaire Benjamin Stacks (Jamie Foxx) to drum up positive news coverage, as Stacks in planning on running for New York Ciy Mayor. The bitter and cynical welfare queen Ms. Hannigan (Cameron Diaz), Annie’s foster mother, isn’t too keen on the thought of Annie’s adoption, but Grace (Rose Byrne), Stacks’s assistant, thinks it’s a good idea.
And I think it’s a middle-of-the-road idea. On one hand, the songs are classic, and modernizing the setting could work for the film, what with the economic rollercoaster in recent years. However, the shmaltzy “seen it once, seen it a million times” nature of the musical, along with the autotuning, changing Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks to Benjamin Stacks, and casting Cameron Diaz as Ms. Hannigan (there’s no way to top Carol Burnett or Kathy Bates as Hannigan in prior adaptations), leaves a tart taste in my mouth. Still, though, I am looking forward to seeing Quvenzhané Wallis on the big screen once again, but I doubt that her role as Annie will outshine her debut as Hushpuppy in Beasts of the Southern Wild.
Annie, directed and co-written by Will Gluck (and Aline Brosh McKenna and Emma Thompson), is set to come out on December 19, just in time for Christmas. David Zayas, Bobby Canavale, and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje round out the cast.
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