Annie - Film Review

The newly released DVD of Annie, takes an old classic movie and brings it bang up to date for a whole new audience. Introducing a savvy and streetwise foster kid in the main role, this 2014 remake shakes up the story while still keeping the iconic songs and the heart and soul of the original movie.

Starring Cameron Diaz as the mean Miss Hannigan and Jamie Foxx as tycoon and mayoral candidate Will Stacks, the film boasts a great cast, but young Quvenzhané Wallis is the star of the show.

Annie is a kid growing up in the foster care system under the guardianship of disillusioned and cold hearted Miss Hannigan, when she inadvertently becomes the focus of hard-nosed Stacks' mayoral campaign. Following a near miss accident, where a video of him saving Annie's life goes viral, he is advised to foster her, in a thinly veiled PR stunt to advance his popularity. Although Annie is obsessed with finding her birth parents, she happily embraces her opportunity and soon gets under the skin of Stack and becomes more than just a way to advance his election campaign. A genuine affection soon forms between the pair, as she breathes life into his stuffy world. However, there are some people who want to exploit the situation for their own agenda, threatening to destroy the relationship between Annie and Stack.

This is a fresh and upbeat remake, with the original songs reworked and choreographed for a new, modern audience. It is a story of hope, love and redemption with a few funny moments thrown in. I liked the nods to the impact of social media in the mayoral campaign, which made the film feel very current.

So, the script is a bit corny and the acting is in parts a bit hammy, but it's a family film made to entertain the masses and it does its job well. It doesn't try to explore the realism of what it means to be in the care system, and the cruelty dealt out to the foster children by Miss Hannigan is played for laughs and not taken as a serious threat.

My daughter Kezia really enjoyed it and found the happy ending truly heartwarming.

Annie is out now on DVD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

What To Expect When You're Expecting

If you like a good chick flick, then chances are you will enjoy this comedy film.  Starring a whole host of big Hollywood names such as Jennifer Lopez, Cameron Diaz, Dennis Quaid, Matthew Morrison and Chris Rock, this heartwarming tale tells the story of five couples with intertwined lives as they embark on the biggest journey of their lives.

TV fitness guru Jules and dance show star Evan discover they are having a baby after a whirlwind romance, but will their celebrity lifestyle cope under the demands of pregnancy.  Baby crazy author Wendy discovers that her militant-mum advice doesn't quite measure up when faced with the reality of pregnancy hormones and their side effects.   Photographer Holly is prepared to travel to the other side of the world to become a mother, but her husband is not so keen.  He joins the dad's support group "The Dudes' Group" where he learns what it is really like to be a dad!  Food van rivals Rosie and Marco find themselves in an unexpected situation following a one night stand.  Ageing ex racing-champ Ramsey and his beautiful, young wife Skyler seem to be sailing through their perfect life.  As their stories cross and intertwine we share the trials and tribulations of pregnancy and childbirth where life doesn't always deliver quite what you are expecting...

What To Expect When You're Expecting is a film inspired by the best-selling book of the same name.  I was so pleasantly surprised by this film, finding myself laughing out loud in places.  I could definitely relate to many of the issues of pregnancy!  I loved how the couples' lives were connected, often in really amusing ways.  I watched this with 10 year old Kizzy who is a Rom-Com fan and she loved it (the film is a 12 certificate but I was perfectly happy with the content for her).  She said it was "an emotional rollercoaster of funny and sad!"  I couldn't have put it better myself!

What To Expect When You’re Expecting is out on DVD/Blu-ray from 22^nd October