As a five-year-old, there were three movies that I absolutely loved and knew by heart. The first was The Sound of Music, which remains one of my favorites to this day, the second was The Parent Trap, and the third was the 1982 version of Annie. So, given my history with this amazing musical movie, you can imagine that I was apprehensive about seeing this new, modern version, but after seeing in with my sister (on opening night), I can say that I was thoroughly impressed. The movie was absolutely nothing like the 1982 or 1999 versions, which was a complete relief, since it was not mimicking anything. Because of this, Annie became less of a remake and more of an all-new film, paying homage to the classic story of the poor, spunky redhead.

Before I go on, I should probably address the music situation of this movie, because, listening to the soundtrack, it seems pretty bleak. I can only guess that this is because, aside from Jamie Foxx and Bobby Cannavale, the casting was based far more on acting talent than vocals. After all, anybody who has seen My Best Friend’s Wedding can tell you that Cameron Diaz does not have the best of voices, and Rose Byrne either cannot sing or thought that it would be an interesting acting choice to speak half of her lines. I didn’t find this too big of a problem, though, partially because auto tune was heavily utilized, and partially because the dialogue in the movie was engaging and hilarious. The acting was also good enough to make anyone forget a couple of missed notes and spoken lines.

I thought that the best performance by far was given by Cameron Diaz, who played Colleen Hannigan, a down-on-her-luck singer who became a foster parent simply to receive $157 a week. I wasn’t surprised to see that Cameron Diaz gave an amazing performance, since she is a great actress, but I was surprised that she managed to handle a role in a movie that deviated so much from her usual romantic comedies. She was almost too convincing as a heartless foster mother, and she made me laugh several times as she attempted to make every single male character fall in love with her.

Another great performance was given by Rose Byrne, who played Grace Ferrell, Mr. Stack’s campaign manager. Rose Byrne seemed to give a somewhat confusing performance at first, since she seemed a bit unlikeable and distant, but Annie soon charmed her character, becoming her (only) friend. It was refreshing to see a character who wasn’t as two-dimensional and subservient as the classic Grace Ferrell, and Rose Byrne did an excellent job of acting as a smart, strong, and likeable character.

Finally, we come to Quvenzhané Wallis, the undoubted star of the movie. Quvenzhané was definitely different from past Annies, not just in appearance, but also in her interpretation of the role. In the past, girls playing Annie (Aileen Quinn especially) have been spunky, rough, and somewhat obnoxious redheads, but this Annie broke that chain for sure. She was, of course, spunky and precocious, but Quvenzhané also seemed to be a much more likeable character than the classic Annie. It may have been the fact that her voice was about a million times better than any other Annie, or it could be thanks to the costume department thankfully not giving her a rat tail braid, but either way, I actually enjoyed this Annie as a character, and didn’t just accept her as an annoying, yet extremely necessary, part of the musical.

So, overall, Annie was a surprisingly well-done and tasteful movie. The music may have changed and the classic story may have been brought forward about eighty years, but, somehow, the traditional Annie remained. All in all, someday, I will be as proud as can be if my children know the 2014 Annie to the ridiculous degree that I know the 1982 one.