Annie Review - 2½ Stars

I saw a line a mile long of little girls with hair in the style of Quevenzhane Wallis — the winning star of this update of “Annie.”  Set in modern-day New York, Annie makes the best of her life with the conniving Cameron Diaz, somewhat miscast as Miss Hannigan, who takes in little girls for the foster child payments.   Charismatic Jamie Foxx, a Donald Trump style candidate for mayor, snatches Annie from the path of a speeding truck and the press goes wild.  His PR people talk him into letting the kid move in for and you can guess the rest.  The songs many know and love from the original musical show up every now and then, some of them updated or rewritten with a contemporary hip hop style vibe.  Sometimes the updated music works but not always. Little girls looking for something to watch over the holidays won’t care.  Their parents will remember the much better original.  Maybe everyone will go home happy.  Does it deliver what it promises?  Urban remake of “Annie’.  Is it Entertaining?  Quevenzhane Wallis is very appealing.  Is it worth the price of admission?  For families.