Annie (2015)

I wanted this movie to be good. I really did. And I think it really could have been great, but it teetered out. It started off and followed along an almost identical story line as every other version. Except, Annie is now a foster kid, Stacks is running for office, and -oh, yeah- it is the era of smart phones.

Other than that and more diversity (from Annie to Lou), not a whole lot has changed. Which was fine, except they introduced things that could have made it better. I feel like this movie started and ended with no other expectation than to be around the same level as the original. I think it could have been better than the original.

Annie can't read. Annie can't write. She has been pushed along through school without ever learning. Stacks grew up in Queens and made it to the richest man in the city. His campaign slogan is, "I made a phone that will never drop a call, and as mayor I will never drop a citizen." No one knows what that means.

ANNIE IS WHAT THIS MEANS. The person he is running against keeps boasting about how he has worked in public schools. Annie was failed by the public school system. Annie was failed by the foster care system. Annie was failed by the federal government, she was essentially 'dropped' by the city. She is the prime example of what his campaign was talking about.

This movie could have had a message about how teachers and schools push students on to the next grade without preparing them, because they don't want to deal with them. So, they are pushed from grade to grade until they graduate with low grades and no chance of furthering their education. Meanwhile, they are made to feel like it is their fault, like something is wrong with them. Annie was horribly embarrassed that she couldn't read. But it wasn't her fault that no one taught her.

It could have had a message about foster care. How kids like Annie and her friends choose staying with alcoholic and incompetent caregivers like Miss Hannigan, because as bad as she may seem --there are far worse caregivers out there that they could end up with if they were to turn Miss Hannigan in. How some caregivers are like Miss Hannigan, about the money and not the kids. How these kids slip through the cracks and no one notices how much they are struggling or suffering, because no one is paying attention.

But what is the focus on? Look at how Mr. Stacks is making s'mores and waving at Annie as she plays with a dog. Look how they go to a movie premiere. Look he is staring at a screen. Look they are in a helicopter. Look at how nothing is actually happening relevant to the plot, but still sort of connected. Suddenly, he discovers Annie can't read. He is outraged that something like this could happen. He says he cares about this happening to students in the city, kids in the city, not just Annie. What does he do? He gets Annie a tutor and it doesn't come up again until the last ten seconds of the movie.

He has insight into how the government could change, what he could do to make the city better and he does NOTHING with it. This movie could have surpassed the original. Making a statement more than just about having hope for the future, but about how that hope could be turned into action to actually make a better future. But does it? No.

The songs are catchy, but not great. They changed them to keep them from being too close to the original, but not enough to avoid comparison.

There is also a giant plot gap in the end. It isn't really a spoiler because everyone knows the story of Annie, so I will just say it. Her parents "don't exist". Unlike the original, where her parents die and no one tells her, this version just ends with them not existing. Which doesn't make sense. It's not that they died. It isn't that the note was a fake. The other half of the locket seems to show up, but it never really gets fully explained. Meanwhile, she forgets about her real parents without even bothering to ask if her real parents are alive or not before she does the 'Together At Last' song with Mr. Stacks. The end.

I'd say if you like the original, you might like this. As long as you don't expect too much from it. It isn't different, it isn't really the same either. It is exactly what it was suggested to be, a modern version. Same story, different time period. Was it worth it? I don't know.

#movie #annie #notrecommended #2015