Rated: PG
Rewriting most of the original musical’s songs, this poorly scripted and paced “modern retelling” is an embarrassment. Plucky foster kid Annie (Quvenzhane Wallis) moves in with Will Stacks (Jamie Foxx), a billionaire running for NYC mayor. A telecommunications giant, Stacks seeks the office as a means of gaining influence to further grow his empire. After taking Annie in on the advice of his trusted aide Grace (Rose Bryne), along with that of his oily campaign manager (Bobby Cannavale), germaphobe Stacks is repulsed by the messiness that optimistic, affectionate Annie leaves all over his luxury penthouse apartment. Yet, he can’t help but be touched and enriched by Annie’s connection to the ordinary citizen and great ethics. Just as “The sun’ll come out tomorrow,” Stacks’s redemption is only a day away, but sadly, this film is beyond redeeming.
