Movies in Review: "Annie"

Soooooo...the long awaited Annie remake was released this weekend and kinda bombed at the box office...smh. There was so much hype around this movie that it probably killed a lot of the interest in this remake. I was hyped when news broke that Willow Smith would be starring as the new Annie, how ever by the time the movie went into production and marketing started for it, I was kinda over it. Not to mention, I wasn't that impressed by the trailer. I think I was the only person who wasn't as hype about Quvenzhane take on this role. My biggest motivation for going was that Will and Jada Smith had a hand in producing it.

I was hoping that I would have walked out of the theater with a more positive view of this remake, but....smh. The opening scene totally threw me off. I definitely forgot that this movie was a musical, so when the music started, my skin began to crawl, and it's not that I don't like musicals ~shrugs. The first 30 min were way too slow, Quvenzhane performance was way over the top that it killed the cuteness found in the original Annie. I wish they would have done a better job with the girls they cast in the orphanage, their performances were dry and so was the choreography for their musical performances...smh. I was expecting so much more in the musical performance area. Now let's talk about Cameron Diaz who tried to imitate Carol Burnett's character, but failed miserably. There was nothing funny or genuine about her. I heard Sandra Bullock was originally cast, but unfortunately declined, and that's too bad. I did enjoy the performances from the rest of the cast, especially the minor characters like the Child Service Counselor, and the store shop owner. The scenes that involved the rest of the cast made for a more entertaining movie. Jamie Foxx was enjoyable and funny as Will Stacks.

This movie failed in so many areas for me, but this is just my adult view point. I do think the kids will find some enjoyment in it. However if you don't have kids, I wouldn't bother, just wait for it to be released on TV...C-