At the very beginning of this film we see a perky, red-headed girl named Annie giving a presentation to her classmates. When shes finished, the entire room erupts with jeers and hisses. The teacher then calls up another girl named Annie (Quvenzhané) to give her presentation. This hip, new Annie leads her peers in a souped-up chant about Franklin D Roosevelts New Deal, and they burst into applause. Within five not-so-subtle minutes, the new Annie is acknowledging the original film and defecating on its memory. And it continues this way throughout the story. This is almost like if the upcoming Batman/Superman movie started with Ben Affleck throwing Christian Bale down a flight of stairs while mocking his Batman voice. At another point, as she's being serenaded, a character asks, "Are you singing to me? Is this really happening?" For a musical to acknowledge the inherent peculiarity of spontaneous singing is to risk pulling the audience out of it. You break the spell. It suggests a lack of confidence, as if the film isn't sure if it truly wants to be a musical and wants to keep some ironic distance.
Jesse Gumbarge is editor and chief blogger at JarvisCity.com - He loves old-school horror films and starting pointless debates. You can reach out at: JesseGumbarge@JarvisCity.com
