with an African American lead actress.The 11 year old Quvenzhane Wallis was just as spunky and memorable as Aileen Quinn was when she played in the 1982 version. Cameron Diaz is not Carol Burnett, so those who compare the two are not being fair to Cameron. Instead, I was surprisingly impressed by Ms. Diaz. She embodied the original role, while making it her own.Every actress/actor, song choice, story line, etc. gave fans of the original a taste of the old, while presenting the timeless Rags to Riches story of Annie to a new generation.I truly enjoyed this film. I am thankful for the negative reviews, because my expectations going into the theater were so low. I wasn't the only person who enjoyed the film. The sold out theater, burst into clapping immediately after the show was over. I heard one woman say "It was like seeing a movie and being at a play at the same time". She could not have described the moment any better.Great Movie!

beginning to end. THAT is the reason this movie was redone. Whoever watches it needs to go into it ready and excited about seeing the new Annie or else you will have a problem with it.Regarding the plot--Ahhh...the movie is so sweet. It tugged on my heartstrings just like the original. It's not a brand new plot, just a modernized one. Only downside for me was that Wallis didn't have the same strong vocals as Quinn the previous Annie . Wallis's acting was spot on though. This 2014 version also didn't sing "Tomorrow" to death like the first one, but I happened to like the repetitiveness of the song in the original version. This one focused more on Jay Z's version of "Hard Knocks Life". Given the modern feel, that worked. Overall, I thought it was absolutely beautiful.I feel like I should thank Will and Jada Smith for having the vision to do this movie, despite all the "Annie should be white with red hair and freckles" backlash and recent Sony issues. The casting was perfect. Jamie Foxx stole the show. He's handsome, can sing, and he's funny. Cameron Diaz was perfect too and laugh-out-loud-funny as Ms. Hannigan. Rose Byrne as Grace fit well, and it was good to see the actors I will always know as Adebisi Oz and Sgt. Angel Batista Dexter . I loved the diverse cast.What made me happiest, above seeing a modern version of a classic I loved, is that my 7 year old daughter and I were able to enjoy this one together. Not only do I get to sing "Tomorrow" with her, but she got to see a child that looked like her on the big screen in a positive role. My generation didn't have that.

be a performer and is now miserable for having to take care of the girls. The girls lament not being adopted "Maybe" .Hannigan wakes the girls up early on Saturday to make them clean their house as an inspector from Social Services is set to arrive "It's The Hard Knock Life" . The inspector visits, and Hannigan flirts with him. After he leaves, the girls notice that he dropped a document containing their records. Annie takes it and seizes the opportunity to seek out her real parents. Annie stops by Lou's a convenience store run by her friend to do some work to get the money needed to get the documents.Will Stacks Jamie Foxx , a cell phone mogul and owner of "Stacks Mobile" is running for mayor. He is supported by his adviser Guy Bobby Cannavale , his assistant Grace Rose Byrne , and bodyguard Nash Adewale Akinnouye-Agbaje . Will is a germaphobe and not very popular with voters compared to the current favorite Harold Gray Peter Van Wagner . Will goes to feed the homeless and tries to eat the mashed potatoes to show how much he cares, only for him to spit it out in the face of a homeless man.Annie is unable to learn anything about her parents since she's not in the system. She walks home depressed "Tomorrow" . She sees two boys annoying a dog. Annie runs, yelling at them to stop. Will saves Annie from being hit by a vehicle.A video of Will's heroic act hits the web, and he moves up several points. Guy suggests to him that he find Annie and use her to make himself look good for the public. Will sends Grace to get Annie.Will offers Annie his place for a temporary stay. She knows there's a catch, and he admits the plan. She jokes that he could be president if she moved in. The adults get somebody to approve the temporary guardianship for Will. Annie then takes a tour around the place and is impressed with everything "I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here" .Will sets the plan in motion by allowing Annie out to do whatever she wants. They adopt the dog from the streets to Will's dismay , and Annie names it Sandy. He later takes Annie and the foster girls to the premiere of a movie called MoonQuake Lake'. The girls are taken back to the foster home, and Hannigan orders them to take back all the nice things they got. She once again bemoans her current position in life "Little Girls" . Gray gets endorsed by Michael J. Fox, leading Will to get a bit desperate. He decides to take Annie on a ride over the city in his chopper "The City's Yours" .Annie joins Will, Grace and Guy at the Guggenheim Museum for a Stacks Mobile event called "A Night at The Museum". Will invites Annie up on stage for the people to see her in her red dress. She sings "Opportunity", and the orchestra joins in. After the performance, Guy tells Annie to read a speech that he wrote. Annie is quiet and leaves the stage upset. Will and Grace run after her, and Annie admits that she doesn't know how to read. Will says he will get her a tutor.Guy devises a plan to get fake parents for Annie to get her off Will's hands. Guy teams up with Hannigan to set their scheme in motion "Easy Street" , because, if Will looks heroic and reunites Annie with her parents, Guy gets a nice reward. Hannigan later auditions a bunch of actors to play the part, but is not pleased with any of them.Don't Listen To Negative Comments And Ignore Unjust Critics!.See This Movie. I am absolutely certain you will love it.

comeback. Rose Byrne was also great. But Jamie Fox who was good, but in some scenes I thought his performance was like he was in different movie. But other than that an entertaining film, a good update to a classic musical.

corny and sweet, surely that's what we expect from Annie? So if you don't like that kind of film don't go to see Annie! We thought it was great and all my daughters friends have loved it equally.

flat out hysterical! Honestly, I was sitting in the theater thinking of the number of people I would text to check this movie out. I was surprised and completely satisfied with this Annie, her socially connected story and her platform.

filming date of the movie, there were a lot of references that never did make sense to me growing up. The new movie, set in modern New York City, was relatable for today's kids criticize all you want, but there are NOT ENOUGH positive non-Disney human characters out there, no matter how much people call it pandering . The script had its share of small flaws, and no one can ever outdo Burnett and Finney, but Wallis was adorable and very likable in the lead role... her personality was believable and not over the top, and oh yeah, she's black, though I don't think my niece noticed.

in its entirety with my seven year old daughter, what i came away with was a BIG smile on my face and such an upbeat and inspirational feeling that still has me gushing today. My daughter can't stop talking about this movie either.There was definitely an upbeat kinda VIBE throughout this entire movie that never quite leaves your side and should somehow be cast as an extra it's that good. It's also gone through a much needed makeover and is suddenly very up to date and modern which is a lot of fun to see happen The acting, i thought, was pretty spot on - keeping in mind that these characters are supposed to have a bit of animation to them it IS a children's musical for crying out loud .• Jamie Foxx once again shows his flexibility and endless talent in his role as Willie Stacks. The man can do it all.• Quvenzhané is absolutely perfect for this movie and i might actually be more grateful that little Willow Smith 'backed out' of the lead of this movie opening the door for 'Q' than any thing else cause i can't see anyone else nailing this role down as perfectly as she did.• Cameron Diaz, i thought, was a lot of fun and i even enjoyed her singing - not going to win any awards any time soon, but the moments she had were again, spot on for what the moment called for and that's important to understand for a movie like this .• Rose Byrne was ... 'proper' :- .• Bobby Cannavale reminded me very much of a modern day John Larroquette - the kind of guy that just knows how to be the perfect, lovable D-Bag... you almost feel bad for loving him the way you do - but you still do.The music, another major highlight to this movie, was also nicely done and scores a big assist to singer/songwriter Sia who did wonders for this movie. With some new songs added see 'Opportunity' and 'Smiles' to name a couple and a few changes to the originals, the soundtrack is already on my daughters Christmas list. Don't discount this as this helps change the entire tone of the movie.All in all, i thought this movie was a perfect storm. It had a lot of intangibles working seamlessly together. I gave this movie a nine because it was a lot of fun, it was very upbeat and inspirational, had good music, a good message, and a lot of cute laughs.Normally i would highly suggest seeing this movie if you had kids, especially any little girls - but - I think even as an adult without kids, this movie can still find a way to creep into your heart and make you love it just the same.Recommended!

going to hate the re-write, but I loved the modern changes they made to make it relevant to a whole new generation. It wasn't perfect and there were a few changes I would've made to dial down the cheese factor a little, but the way the reviews were written it sounded like the worst movie ever: bad singing, bad writing, bad re- writes of the songs, bad acting. Was there something political behind all those awful reviews??? I've sat through a lot more mundane kids' movies through the years with my children that didn't get ripped apart like this movie. I thought the casting was perfect, the singing sounded authentic, the chemistry between the cast was apparent, and the songs were just as catchy as I remember it. At the end, I even had a "little pollen" in my eyes, and the audience clapped during the final number. I haven't been in a movie where that has happened in a long time. This movie is for kids and the kid in all of us!