Review: 'Annie' starring Quvenzhane Wallis, Jamie Foxx, and Cameron Diaz

Only the hard-knock-hearted can walk out of Annie without a smile on their face and a song in their head. Let's be honest; the original Annie musical about the perky and feisty red-headed orphan has long since worn out its welcome; reduced to clichés popping up in more contemporary musicals. So why not a proper remake; one given a blast of hip-hop energy by Jay-Z and Will Smith, with adorable Beasts of the Southern Wild breakout Quvenzhane Wallis reinventing the title role?

Annie has never been especially subtle; the original musical is schmaltzy beyond normal human tolerance. So why in the world would anyone think this one would be different? Of course it isn't. The differences are in the atmosphere, the contemporary setting, and the clever dance choreography. Wallis isn't a natural singer, that much is true, but she's as plucky and likable as ever so that we can't help but love her. The story should be a familiar one, although it begins by brushing past expectations off its shoulders.

This Annie demands to be called a "foster kid" rather than an "orphan", she ducks and weaves through the busy Harlem streets in hopes of locating the parents who abandoned her as a baby. The group home she lives in with other girls is run by the nasty and perpetually angry Miss Hannigan (Cameron Diaz), a former singer whose head is stuck in the 1990s. Hope you like C&C Music Factory because you'll hear it a lot when she's around. After a rousing rendition of " A Hard Knock Life", a chance encounter with stiff mayoral candidate and cell phone mogul Will Stacks (Jamie Foxx) finds Annie under his care. It begins as a campaign tool but naturally grows into something more. Meanwhile, Hannigan is looking for a way to use the situation to get some of Stacks' money and be rid of Annie permanently.

Director Will Gluck (who gave us Emma Stone in Easy A) along with writers Aline Brosh McKenna and Emma Thompson, build their urban reimagining with a plethora of subplots that don't all payoff. Rose Byrne probably isn't the first we'd look to for song and dance numbers but she's a lot of fun as Stacks' lonely assistant and potential love interest. It should come as no surprise the best songs are performed by Foxx (remember his R&B career? Does it still exist?), while Wallis gets by purely on emotion. Her rendition of "Opportunity", one of a few new songs penned for the film, is touching enough to bring the entire crowd to tears.  The script is sharper than it has any need to be; paying homage without falling too deep into the nostalgia well. Plus there are a handful of hilarious cameos including a mock Twilight-esque parody with a couple of huge stars. While the Depression-era angst of the original is gone it's replaced by attitude and heart.

Clocking in at around two hours the film eventually loses steam as the expected lessons are learned and feelings laid bare in broad strokes. But you'll leave Annie happier than when you arrived and filled with the promise tomorrow can bring. Tomorrow, it's only a day away.

 Rating: 3.5 out of 5