Annie

In recent years Hollywood has begun to re-spun old movies that were released 30-40 years ago. The logic is too expose old hit movies like Django, Godzilla, and Batman to a new generation. The same logic is being used for the new movie Annie. The main plot of the story is still the same from its earlier release, but there is a sticking difference in this release.  The old Annie featured a white girl but the new Annie features mixed girl.

The story is starts off with Annie giving a presentation to her class on U.S presidents. After school she heads of a restaurant called “Domani”. We later learn that the reasons she visits the restaurant, is because that’s where her biological parents left her. She hopes that some day would come to take her home. Sadly they show up, so she goes back to her foster home. When she enters her foster home, she is told by the rude caretaker Hannigal to help clean the house because social services is coming to inspect the home. While she cleans, her and her roommates start singing to the iconic song “it’s hard knock life “.

A few miles away from the foster home Will Stacks(Jamie fox) a billionaire entreasure, who made his fortune selling smart phones announces his bid for mayor to the press. He is a germaphobe and egotistical. He tries to do a PR stunt, by feeding the homeless, but asked to eat the food that he is feeding to the homeless man spits out on the face of the homeless man. This leads to a drop in the polls, and a narrative of him being rich person who doesn’t care about the poor begins take form.

The next day Annie try’s to head over to city hall to check on the status of his parents, but she finds out that she’s not part of the system. Therefore, she can’t locate her parents. She walks home in melancholy and singing the song “tomorrow”. While walking home she see two boys harassing a dog. She runs after them, while running she almost gets hit by a car. She is saved Will Stacks

The incident gets caught on video and makes its way onto the internet. Stack’s place in the polls sky rockets. His election engineers ask him to visit Annie, and use her for publicity. They arranged a lunch with the press with stacks and Annie. Annie goes to the lunch and immediately recognizes that stacks is trying to use her for publicity. She becomes uncooperative and doesn’t smile for the camera.

His advisors recommend that he take Annie under his supervision until the election is over. Stacks arranges for him to be the legal guardian of Annie. Annie agrees, but before he leaves he convinces stacks leave gifts for all the foster kids.

Stacks brings Annie to a public event at Guggenheim museum; where she is asked to read a speech, but Annie becomes quiet and leaves the event. She eventually tells stacks that she can’t read. Stacks consoles her and offers a tutor so that she can learn.

At the same time Stack’s political consultant Guy (Bobby Cannavale) hatches a plan to get rid of Annie, by getting fake parents for her.  Guys hires actors and orchestrates a reunion with Annie and her so called parents. Annie sets off with her “parents” to Brazil. She soon realizes that they are not her parents and she confronts them. They tell her that Stacks arranged the affair. Annie runs why and begins to feel abandoned again. She gets the attention of a passerby who takes a photo of her that goes viral on the internet.  Stacks finds out about Guy’s plan and immediately fires him. He then begins to search for Annie around Brazil. He eventually finds her, but Annie is too alienated to take him back. Too show that he truly cares for her, and that he isn’t using her for publicity. Stack’s decides to adopt Annie and drop out of the race. The movie ends with them singing “I don’t need anything but you”.

The movie is still the iconic 1980’s Annie that older generations grew up and loved, but this newer version is filled with a diverse cast that resembles the changing demography of ever changing American society .Annie is perfect for family movie goers or small children.