Review: Annie (** 1/2)

ANNIE
A film review by Steve Rhodes

Copyright 2004 Steve Rhodes

RATING (0 TO ****): ** 1/2


When it comes to ANNIE, I've got to confess that it will forever have a warm
spot in my heart after my son's previous school did ANNIE -- he played the
butler as well as a few other smaller parts. The songs from the musical are
infectiously happy, and the story is one certain to put a smile on your
face. The songs are so memorable and delightful that it's hard to pick a
favorite.



Just released from Columbia Pictures, the special anniversary edition DVD of
the first film version of ANNIE from 1982 takes a stab at deciding which
song is the best. On the special features section, Aileen Quinn, the gifted
actress who belted out those numbers two decades ago says that she always
preferred "Maybe" over the more famous "Tomorrow." I completely agree.



One of the biggest frustrations of the 1982 version is that it was decided
that the original musical was in need of improvement, so it junked some of
the best songs and inserted some exceedingly lame alternatives. Legendary
director John Huston, who was clearly the wrong person for the job, doesn't
appear to hold any affection for the material, and the movie, when it works,
works in spite of him rather than because of him. He consistently and
surprisingly downplays the songs in favor of the narrative and the dance
numbers.



The casting has one major problem -- Carol Burnett, as Miss Hannigan, tries
to take an already over-the-top character and turn her into a complete
buffoon. Every time she gets on the screen, you'll want to go for the fast
forward button. The other adults in the cast, including Albert Finney as
Daddy Warbucks and Ann Reinking as Grace Farrell, are okay, but their
performances are vastly overshadowed by Annie and the orphans. Whenever the
kids are singing, you'll want to put their numbers on infinite loop.



So what is the best film version of Annie? That's an easy question. Rob
Marshall's 1999 made-for-TV one. Academy Award nominee Marshall has only
directed one other film. It came out just over a year ago. You may have
heard of it -- CHICAGO.



ANNIE runs 2:06. The film is rated PG and would be acceptable for all ages.



The special anniversary edition DVD has a great interview with Aileen Quinn
and a few other minor bonus features, but it has no widescreen option.



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