Cast: Jamie Foxx, Quvenzhane Wallis, Cameron Diaz, Rose Byrne, Bobby Cannavale.

Directed By: Will Cluck

Academy Award nominee Quvenzhane Wallis (Best Actress,Beasts of the Southern Wild) stars as Annie, a young, happy foster kid who's also tough enough to make her way on the streets of New York mayoral candidate Will Stacks (Jamie Foxx) and get adopted by him.
‘Annie’ is a modernized take on the Little Orphan story, with updated music and a present day New York setting. In this version, Annie is a foster child who's living with the wicked Miss Hannigan (Cameron Diaz), when cell phone tycoon Will Stacks (an updated version of Daddy Warbucks) saves her from being run over by a truck. His shady campaign manager (Bobby Cannavale) decides that Stacks needs a child to make him more human and approachable to the citizens, so Annie leaves her run down house with her peers for a penthouse apartment, a life of luxury she could only dream of. Annie sings her heart out, goes to fancy Hollywood parties, and continues her search for her birth parents.
While the 1982 movie and thereafter the musical had a white girl, this time Annie is a black girl, and while the 2014 film has some great moments, it falls short of the mark. Keeping with the craze of selfies and mobiles, this is the new generation version that would appeal to the generation who have probably never seen the original version, so this is not a carbon copy.
The songs that make the movie so famous for, are all here. From It's A Hard Knock Life, to Tomorrow, Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile it is one fun journey again. But I would still prefer the original versions. The new song, Opportunity, is fantastic too and fits perfectly. Same goes for new songs like The City's Yours, Who Am I,.
This film is about the music and the little bit of dancing and is definitely a family favorite!

Rating: *****
Reviewed by Verus Ferreira