When I was five years-old, my parents took me to the movie theater to see Annie, starring Aileen Quinn and Albert Finney. I fell in love with the movie and asked to see it more than once in the theater. After that, my sister and I would act out the movie all the time, singing all the songs too. I'd play Annie and she'd play the secondary roles like Molly, Grace Farrell, etc. I even dressed like her for Halloween, although I wish I had a more authentic looking dress instead of the plastic costume one from Osco (before it merged with Jewel).
That is why, when I saw a trailer for the 2014 version of Annie (coming to theaters this Christmas), I wanted to cry. If you haven't yet seen the trailer, watch at your own risk. Bear in mind that I am not the only one who thinks this is an atrocious remake.
I am not a fan of movie remakes. The only one I genuinely liked was Freaky Friday, starring Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis. (I didn't like the original version with Jodie Foster though.) Annie is just so iconic and such a huge part of my childhood. I can't even imagine my daughter seeing a modernized version that is nothing like the original! I'll gladly show her my Annie DVD anytime she wants to see it, but I will not subject her to any other version. Not even the one from 1999 that was more based on the stage production. (Just realized that Haley from Modern Family played Molly in that version!) That was decent but oh-so forgettable. Anyway, I just don't get why they can't show the original version again on the big screens. Why wouldn't it charm young girls the way classic Disney films still do. Sorry, but Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty did NOT need Facebook or musical hits like "Let it Go" in order to impress young girls. Even Ariel, Belle and Jasmine still continue to hold a spot in the hearts of all girls who want to be princesses. I digress though...
It's one thing to re-cast the entire movie (which can't really be helped since Aileen Quinn is in her 40s now and Albert Finney would be Granddaddy Warbucks nowadays). It's another to change the entire premise and a bunch of names. At this point, it's not really Annie anymore. It's a shell of a movie carrying the same title and music, but completely changed to impress little girls who probably don't know about a century prior to the 21st one. The one thing I do like is that Rose Byrne is playing Grace (at least she gets the same first name, don't know if this new one has a last name too). Based on previews alone, I can tell that she'll do the role a lot of justice. Quvenzhane Wallis is cute as Annie and she actually made me laugh a few times, but it's hard to watch her take Aileen's place in this iconic role. (I really can't imagine ANYONE else as Annie and have a hard time seeing it on stage, as a result.) A friend recently said that she was auto-tuned for when she sings. Jamie Foxx seems like a good fit for his role too. He's definitely more subdued than Albert Finney was though.
Having said that, here is what bothers me about the movie:
1. Cameron Diaz as Miss Hannigan. She comes off as bitter and ditzy, instead of a sultry lush. It makes me wonder how Jane Lynch played the role on Broadway and if she would have been better to cast in the movie version too.
2. The modernization. It's meant to take place in the 1930s. That's what the New Deal song is all about. Annie goes to the White House to meet FDR in the original version. The backdrop of the Great Depression is what makes Annie have even more of an impact. Not that there isn't a contrast between rich and poor nowadays, but the original movie was filmed in the early 1980s and having it take place 50 years prior didn't bother me, so why should something dated back to a different time in history have to bother girls watching it nowadays? Having it set in the 1930s enhanced the ambience of the original version.
3. That Jamie Foxx's character is named Benjamin Stacks. Why couldn't he still be Oliver Warbucks? Is that not a good enough name for someone who is running for mayor?
4. Two words: No Punjab. For that matter, I don't think Rooster will be in it either. Even if the new Miss Hannigan has a brother, he probably won't be as extreme as Tim Curry's version of Rooster. If there were to be a Rooster, he would have to be played by Sacha Baron Cohen.
5. Some songs will inevitably be left out or modernized way too much. I see this affecting one of my favorites, which is "You're Never Fully Dressed (Without a Smile)." No 21st century singer is going to want to talk about "Hobo Man" and "Dapper Dan."
6. It's not your mother's Annie. At least I'll be telling that to my kids. I think even my older son was confused while watching the trailer, given that he has seen the original version.
So, this Christmas (or Hanukkah), "Let's ALL go to the movies," but I'd suggest spending our $10 for a matinee (gasp!) on something more original.
1 comment:
I LOVED Annie as a kid. I listened to the soundtrack so much that I broke the tape. I watched the movie so much that I broke THAT tape. I saw the preview for the new Annie and was NOT happy. That's not Annie! Nope, nope, and nope!
However, my daughter might want to see the new one, and I'll take her, but I won't be pleased.
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