“Annie”, or an umpteenth remake produced by Hollywood. To me, this third remake on screen is a waste (the first one was directed by John Huston in 1982 and the second remake was directed by Rob Marshall in 1999). It’s a total fail. Sometimes you need to show your hand right away instead of beating around the bush , because when you watch a movie and the only thing you want to do is closing your eyes and covering your ears, it means that there is a problem.
I didn’t really have a bad prejudice against this film before watching it. As a remake from a Broadway musical by Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin, “Annie” seemed rather good on paper and was a promise for a good time. But this good time lasted… well, about two minutes during opening credits. After this, it was not successful.
I usually like musicals but the problem with “Annie”, is that the musical aspect wasn’t developped enough. There was sometimes when you forget that the characters are here for a purpose: to sing. And when they sing, well… it actually hurts yourears. Well, let’s be honest, Jamie Foxx who plays Will Stacks, a aspiring businessman on his way to New York City Hall, sings well, there’s no argument here; and Quvenzhané Wallis, who plays Annie, has a nice voice, but Cameron Diaz… In addition to having a nasal voice and thus unbearable to listen to when she sings, her performance was totally exaggerated and all you want her to do is to stop immediately! To stop talking, stop singing, stop moving, to stay put in a corner & let you forget about her. Basically, she deserves her Razzie Award this year…
The sound editing is not good either. The studio recording is too obvious which is really disturbing. You have the feeling you’re watching a movie and listening to a music that is not from the movie but from a radio near by.
The more you watch the film, the more you think you’re watching a horrible TV movie dripping good feelings t or worse, one of the famous High School Musical episode where everyone sings, dances and smiles while the situation is supposed to be dramatic. I mean, what is so cheerful in a little ten-year-old girl’s life who was abandoned by her parents and left to live with a horrible foster mom which only interest is to get money from social services.
Anyway, I may not like this film because I think it is only meant to entertain children and has a lack of depth.
The father-daughter relationship, that is supposed to move the audience, is not used at all. Also, an important fact of life that should not still occur in the 21th century, is barely mentionned that is to say 30 seconds in a two hours running time movie.
Produced by Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith and despite the involvement of Emma Thompson in the screenwriting, “Annie” is a proof that it may be time to stop making remakes and reboots and start to create movies a little more original.
