#1
Posted: 11/29/14 at 10:38am
I can't believe I liked this movie. I still don't understand why it was "necessary" to remake it, but damnit, I think it works (for the most part). I'll start with what I think didn't work. First up is the music. There's just not enough of it here. When a musical doesn't have any songs for 20 or so minutes and then someone breaks into song again it always seems odd. There's really only a handful of songs sung "live" by the cast in the film with the remainder of the songs prerecorded and used over montages and other scenes. This film really could have benefited from adding back in the additional music that was cut. But what music is in the film is good and for the most part everyone sounds in good voice.
Secondly, this films Hannigan is pretty awful. I do have to say I think it's not all Cameron Diaz's fault here, she was completely miscast. She's too "nice" of an actress to play this weird kind of mean. It's just not believable, but that's pretty much all the screenplays fault, not hers. It's just a ridiculously underused, underwritten character here.
But the rest of the cast is actually pretty wonderful. Wallis as Annie is just delighful. She comes across as a REAL KID with none of those annoying child actor-isms that so many of them have. She sounds great and is as charming an Annie as I think anyone could ever want. Foxx as Stacks is equally great in a role that could very easily be overacted and hammy. But honestly, to me, the standout is Rose Byrne. She's just so damn wonderful and gorgeous and sweet and rainbows and unicorns and every Lisa Frank adjective you can think of. I want her to adopt ME.
Look, this ANNIE is different. We all know it's not the ANNIE we all know and love and that really bothered me before I saw this. And I know there will be a lot of people who will be bothered by that even after they see this new one. But for an updated take on the material, the final product, to me, is charming, funny and just really delightful. And yeah, I even cried at the end.
Secondly, this films Hannigan is pretty awful. I do have to say I think it's not all Cameron Diaz's fault here, she was completely miscast. She's too "nice" of an actress to play this weird kind of mean. It's just not believable, but that's pretty much all the screenplays fault, not hers. It's just a ridiculously underused, underwritten character here.
But the rest of the cast is actually pretty wonderful. Wallis as Annie is just delighful. She comes across as a REAL KID with none of those annoying child actor-isms that so many of them have. She sounds great and is as charming an Annie as I think anyone could ever want. Foxx as Stacks is equally great in a role that could very easily be overacted and hammy. But honestly, to me, the standout is Rose Byrne. She's just so damn wonderful and gorgeous and sweet and rainbows and unicorns and every Lisa Frank adjective you can think of. I want her to adopt ME.
Look, this ANNIE is different. We all know it's not the ANNIE we all know and love and that really bothered me before I saw this. And I know there will be a lot of people who will be bothered by that even after they see this new one. But for an updated take on the material, the final product, to me, is charming, funny and just really delightful. And yeah, I even cried at the end.
