The movie *'Annie'* tries hard, but it simply doesn’t work well. I haven’t felt the need to watch the original stage show, and I don’t think that’s really essential for understanding this version either. The performers are agreeable, although the songs themselves feel awkward—if not downright embarrassing. Otherwise, the film drags, feels formulaic, or is just plain dull. Maybe it would have been more successful as a straightforward drama; however, any changes would likely draw criticism, I suppose. As mentioned earlier, the actors’ performances prevented this from being an absolute disaster in my estimation. Jamie Foxx and Rose Byrne are two people whose work I generally appreciate, and they were adequate here—nothing spectacular, but not terrible either. Quvenzhané Wallis does a perfectly fine job as the main character, while David Zayas is dependable. Cameron Diaz, though, is truly disappointing—and that’s from someone who likes her; she's quite good in films like *'Shrek'*, *'Knight and Day'* and *'Bad Teacher'*, but this is easily the worst performance I’ve seen from her - it’s unfortunate that this became one of her projects, along with the equally bad and less impressive *'Sex Tape'*. Despite my positive feelings about most of the cast members, I don’t believe the casting choices were particularly inspired. Foxx, Byrne, and Diaz aren't actors who immediately come to mind when imagining a musical—some of their songs feel somewhat shaky as a result. Overall, it was just not very good.

Source on TMDB