Annie (2014)

The classic Broadway musical with book by Thomas Meehan, music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Martin Charnin - which became a film back in 1982 - has been revitalised for a new century and a new generation.

Although it resembles the original in many ways, it is for all intents and purposes a completely new story, including some newly rewritten lyrics to go along with the changes in plot and character.

Firstly, Annie (Quvenzhané Wallis) doesn't have the curly red hair that audiences of the original film will remember. Also, she is no longer an orphan, but lives in a foster home with several other girls and foster mother, Miss Hannigan (Cameron Diaz), who used to be a singer but is now simply an alcoholic who fosters the girls for the money.

Annie (Quvenzhané Wallis).

Every Friday night, Annie sits across the street from the restaurant where her parents abandoned her when she was four. She has a handwritten note from them that was left with her that says they will come back for her when they are ready, so she continues to wait for them every week, but they never come.

Meanwhile, tech entrepreneur Will Stacks (Jamie Foxx), who runs a cellphone company, is running for Mayor of New York. As he struggles to get ahead in the polls - and after saving Annie from being hit by a car - his advisors decide that perhaps if he were to take Annie in for a time, it might make him more appealing to voters.

He reluctantly agrees, and Annie comes to live with him in his enormous penthouse apartment, where she has a bedroom all to herself that is bigger than Hannigan's entire apartment, and everything she could ever want (except for her parents, of course).

Miss Hannigan (Cameron Diaz).

While she is living with Stacks, she actually becomes closer to his staff than she does to him: assistant Grace (Rose Byrne) and chauffeur Nash (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje). She tries to get close to Stacks, but his tough exterior and incredibly high work ethic keep him at a distance.

The screenplay, by Will Gluck and Aline Brosh McKenna, is very well written, taking the original story and bringing it into a new century, updating it where necessary. Of course, the changes in the plot also means the songs needed to be updated, too, and new lyrics have been written - by Greg Kurstin, Sia Furler and Will Gluck - for almost every song. These new lyrics keep the essence of the original musical intact, while simply changing relevant words and phrases that the new plot require.

The score, by Greg Kurstin, primarily uses themes and motifs from Strouse's original music to tie the film together as a whole, only occasionally going in a different direction musically by developing new themes.

Annie (Quvenzhané Wallis) and Will Stacks (Jamie Foxx).

The cast all work well together, and all are wonderfully suited to their respective roles. A clear standout is Rose Byrne, but young Quvenzhané Wallis also shines as young Annie. Sure, she doesn't have the curly red hair, but she does have an on-screen presence, and can sing and dance just as well as she can act.

Director Will Gluck has done well in his attempt to update this musical. The film is incredibly enjoyable, and will still have you tapping your toes and singing along (once you get your head around the new lyrics). I would certainly recommend the film to anyone who enjoyed the 1982 version, but it's certainly not a prerequisite, and new audiences will surely love this film just as much as the original.

7 1/2 out of 10.