On first blush, Annie would not seem to interest me very much.  But I liked the preview, which promised energy and vitality; the performers, who are talented and likable; and an updated view of an old-fashioned source.  I am not much of a fan of the 1982 Annie, despite its talented cast, and until a few moments ago I was unaware of a 1999 TV-movie Annie, directed by Rob Marshall.  Nevertheless, I wanted to see the new one, so I did.

Annie (Quvenzhané Wallis) is an optimistic foster kid housed with four other girls under the roof of slovenly Miss Hannigan (a sadly miscast Cameron Diaz).  She is temporarily rescued from poverty to stay with NYC mayoral candidate Will Stacks (Jamie Foxx) and changes his life forever.  Wallis is a buoyant performer with a nice voice who fills the role quite nicely, though perhaps she could have shown a bit more emotion at times.  Jamie Foxx has fun with his role, though he doesn’t get to sing much.  Rose Byrne, as Stacks’ right-hand woman is fine, and Bobby Cannavale is properly slick as the PR manager.  The production is full of zest and vigor, and works pretty well except when Diaz is overacting, which is pretty much all the time.

Will Gluck’s updated scenario is smart and funny, although he emphasizes the social disparity between Stacks’ billions and Annie’s poverty past the point of comfort.  The odd thing is the music.  The original music, by Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin, is present, but much of it has been updated as well — not by Strouse and Charnin — and new songs by Gluck and others are inserted to modernize the production.  The result is uneven at best, depending upon the performers and how weird the songs become. As strange as this may sound I think that this Annie works better as a straight comedy, that the songs are more or less superfluous to the story.

I actually enjoyed Annie‘s mix of sentiment and sass most of the time.  I think it will become a staple for family viewing in the years to come, especially for young girls who see themselves in Miss Hannigan’s foundlings.  And if Cameron Diaz isn’t noticed by the Razzies for this performance, it will only be because they never bothered to watch the movie.  ☆ ☆ 1/2.  9 January 2015.