Thoughts Of Annie
As a kid, I loved the 1982 release of Annie. It’s easily the movie that gives me the most nostalgia. Recently, I decided to watch the 2014 remake. I hated it. I feel like so much was removed from the story which had to be done due to it being set in a different time and needing to be updated to fit that, but because of that, there was so much charm that was lost. I much prefer the 30’s time period in comparison to modern day.
Now onto characters, firstly I’d like to talk about Miss Hannigan. What did they do to her? The 2014 Miss Hannigan is working in the care home because she got fired from her band and is taking it out on everyone around her. The 1982 Miss Hannigan is working in a care home because her options just aren’t there, it’s either stick with this job or end up on the streets. The 1982 Miss Hannigan just feels more human to me. Yes, she’s the antagonist but you love to hate her. You can tell from the beginning that there is a connection between her and Annie and by the end of the film it feels like she actually cared about her. That isn’t the case for the 2014 version.
Secondly, I’d like to talk about Grace. In the 1982 movie, she really felt like a mother figure to Annie. She was very focused on her job. She had responsibility to Oliver Warbucks on the business side of things as well. She knew how to get things done. The 2014 Grace literally felt as if she was just there to be Will Stacks love interest.
Since we’re talking about him, Will Stacks vs Oliver Warbucks. Oliver doesn’t like Annie for most of the film. We have little moments where he starts to show he loves her but it’s a slow build up and it makes that moment where he gives her the necklace and she says she wants to find her parents instead all the more heartbreaking. Will Stacks just doesn’t have the same build up, it happens too quickly. I still think the moments where they end up matching like the spit take scene is cute but I much prefer Oliver too Will.
Now let’s talk about the titular Annie. Again, it’s a case of things feel missing. 1982 Annie was a leader at the orphanage, an important figure to Molly, she wasn’t afraid to get in a fight to do the right thing, she’s quite cheeky but also very kind. I feel like a lot of those things the 2014 Annie just wasn’t. She was kind and cheeky to Will but that was it.
I won’t lie, I did quite like the song ‘The City’s Yours’. I thought it was a very cute moment between Annie and Will. Easily the best part of the 2014 film. I feel like if they took Annie as a concept and gave us something different instead of trying to retell the same story in a new time, it would have been a much better experience.
I just want to close this out by saying that if you dislike this film purely for the change of race, you’re out of line. I think representation is an important thing for everyone. I think you should be able to see someone on screen that looks/is like you. I feel like the 2014 film could have been better if they went in a different direction with the script. I think the cast did a good job but it just wasn't as good as the original for me.
