Sandy Kenyon reviews 'Annie'
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- In a new twist on a Broadway classic, "Annie" hits theaters Friday.
Call it a reinvention. Like the earlier versions, the new musical is set in New York City, but the millionaire is now a billionaire, and Annie is no longer a redhead. She has been reborn for a younger generation in the form of Quvenzhane Wallis.
No longer the world's most famous orphan, Annie now lives with other foster kids in Harlem, where Cameron Diaz keeps them busy as a not-so-evil Miss Hannigan.
Annie's life changes during a chance encounter with Jamie Foxx's character, a billionaire who is campaigning for mayor.
Foxx's character thinks maybe this little girl can help him, and that's just what she does, with predictable results.
Annie never loses hope she will find her real parents, but she sure has a lot of fun in the meantime.
The little girl shows the billionaire how to become a human being, and this isn't as saccharine as it may sound, thanks to the charm of Wallis and Foxx.
Other critics have not been kind to "Annie," with the New York Post's Lou Lumenick calling the film "the worst Hollywood musical so far this century."
But I disagree, and parents of girls between the ages of 5 and 12 should welcome this holiday diversion.
I sat down with Jamie Foxx to talk about the film. Check out a portion of the interview.
