Movie Review: "Annie"

Hi there!

So, as previously mentioned I LOVE musical theatre, and one of my all-time favourites HAS to be Annie.

I remember watching the original as a young girl, the storyline was so captivating (I mean who wouldn't wanna be adopted by rich-person and get to live in a mansion and have everything your heart desired?!) and the music was equally as infectious, with classics such as "Tomorrow", "Maybe" & "It's a Hard Knock Life" to name a few.

And who can forget the adorable shaggy dog Sandy?! Your heart just melts when you think of his waggy tail :)

So, recently, a new more "modern" take on the story was released in cinemas and naturally I had to check this out (along with the rest of my family - it was a nice bonding session, even though my mother INSISTED on singing along at the top of her lungs in an attempt to mortify us all! haha).

There are some slight differences in the plot, for example Daddy Warbucks (played by Jamie Foxx) is no longer a millionaire, bachelor tycoon who lives in a a massive mansion and has an abundance of servants at his beck-and-call, but instead a millionaire, bachelor entrepeneur who owns one of the largest cell-phone networks in America and who lives in a smart-penthouse, i.e. a luxurious penthouse which is hooked up with the latest technology so that anything you need is at your fingertips. And this particular business man wants to be the next mayor of New York, so he is looking for something to get voters on his side.

When along comes Annie...except, not as we know her!

Another change in the plot is that Annie is no longer a scrappy, little white girl with freckles and red, curly hair but instead she is a scrappy, little black girl with dark, brown almost afro-like curls. She is still as feisty and lovable as ever, and boy can she SING!! :)

In a slight change of setting, Annie no longer hails from an orphanage but is a foster kid who lives with 4 other girls with Ms. Hannigan, who is just as despicable and unhinged as ever thanks to a brilliant performance by Cameron Diaz.

I'm not gonna go into any more details about the plot, in case you haven't seen the original (deprived childhood much?! lol jk but seriously, you NEED to sort this out if you haven't already!) but I will say that overall I was impressed with how they managed to adapt the plot to suit the 21st Century and for fellow fans you can rest assured that it remained as faithful to the original as possible. PHEW!

Now onto my favourite part...the MUSIC! 

The film tried to create an edgier take on the music, incorporating a more "urban" vibe by sampling tracks such as Jay-Z's "Hard Knock Life" (which as we all know samples the original number from the original film) as well as some original music sung by Jamie Foxx (who we all know has collaborated with artists such as Kanye West in the past - remember "Goldigger"?).

Some of the lyrcis have been adapted to fit the plot better as well. For example, in the children's rendition of "It's a Hard Knock Life", the original version goes "No one cares for you, a snitch, when you're in an orphanage...", however the new version goes "No one cares for you, a kid, when you're a home-stay kid..." - subtle differences but necessary for plot development I suppose!

Similarly, Diaz's rendition of "Little Girls" has almost been completely altered, in order to fit her new back story (SPOILER ALERT! She's a washed up singer, who likes to drown her sorrows as a result). They keep the original chorus in order to make the song recognisable, however the verses are completely new.

Finally, there are some new  songs to look forward to, e.g. "Opportunity", however sadly some of the original songs have been cut, including my personal favourite "We Got Annie" :( BOO!

All-in-all, if I had to choose between the two versions, I'd choose the original, but that could just be the nostalgia talking! ;)