“Well that was delightful. I’ve never been particularly attached to Annie, but of course I at least know some of the hard knock basics. Never having seen the stage version, I don’t have a direct comparison, but coming at it blind it did seem to translate very well to screen. It is very thin and overly sentimental, but then again, no one expected this to be a prestige picture.
In a totally revamped modernization, Quvenzhané Wallis took over as our titular orphan, err I mean foster child, with the big floppy hair and bigger (floppier?) heart. It was originally earmarked as a star vehicle for Willow Smith (whose famous parents produced this) but thankfully she outgrew the role before it could get off the ground. Wallis was wonderfully charismatic and engaging, and exactly the little girl you could instantly fall in love with.
However, as is usually the case, for me it was all about the supporting cast: Bobby Cannavale, Rose Byrne, David Zayas. Each of them scene stealers in their own right. I was torn on Cameron Diaz. She fully committed, but was a little too over the top. However, I couldn’t help feel that the 110% performance would have been extraordinary on stage. And then I started thinkin about how fantastic Jane Lynch must have been when she stepped into the role on Broadway.
This one is kinda getting panned, and I get it. But I was happy to watch, even if it did feel a little bit like an extra sugary sugar cookie. Just want you want for the holidays, yeah?
Annie – \m/ \m/ \m/ \n”