How do we feel about the 1999 Annie?

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Posted: 4/30/20 at 3:12pm

I just rewatched it and I gotta say, that story as a tight 90 is what it should always be. Hooverville stops the action, and there is soooo much unnecessary they added to the film.

Its paced better than any version of the story Ive seen. Kathy Bates isnt as amazing as Carol Burnett and Albert Finney is missed but just overall as an experience its way less grating and over staying of welcome.

[bfreak]

Posted: 4/30/20 at 3:23pm

I grew up on this version and absolutely love it! I totally agree that the show works better in this tightened version. The performances are really great, and Easy Street is SUCH a showstopper I can’t imagine listening or watching that number without wanting to sing or dance along.

[HenryTDobson]

Posted: 4/30/20 at 3:41pm

I'm a huge fan of the 1999 version. Audra, Kristin, and Victor are all excellent. 

[JBroadway]

Posted: 4/30/20 at 4:22pm

Count me in the camp that loves it! And I didn't even grow up on it. 

I re-watched it just a few weeks ago, and I still think it mostly holds up. I do find some parts to be a bit overly "stagey" but that's pretty forgivable. It's still my favorite of the 3 film versions.

The cast, obviously, is excellent. Hard to beat Victor Garber as Warbucks. The little girl who plays Annie is...maybe not the best child actor to ever grace the screen. But she sure is cute, and she sings well. Fun to see a tiny Sarah Hyland as Molly, WAY before her modern family days. 

As for the screenplay (teleplay?), I agree that it's very well streamlined, and very well paced. Many of the cuts do improve upon the original book. The only reservation(s) I have is that 2 of my favorite tear-jerker lyrics have been cut:

1) The full version of Annie's "Maybe" reprise, in which she sings "So maybe I'll forget how nice was to me, and how I was almost his baby, maybe." Makes me sob every time, and it's not the film. However, they replace it with Audra singing a reprise of Tomorrow, which is also a beautiful moment. 

2) Warbucks' little coda verse to "You Won't Be an Orphan For Long," in which he sings "what a thing to occur: finding them, losing her" - another moment that absolutely wrecks me, but is missing from this film version. 

Updated On: 4/30/20 at 04:22 PM

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Posted: 4/30/20 at 4:38pm

I think the aspect ratio being pre widescreen television content also makes it feel stagey cause it’s so constricted.

But I like the idea of Annie being this musical fairy tale like the comic was rather than John Huston’s strive for realism clashing with such an earnest show.

It all just feels very fun and breezy.

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 4/30/20 at 4:41pm

Again, I grew up with this being "my" version of Annie. I think the cuts are great. I makes a viewing of the stage show seems like there is a number or two that you wish you didn't have to hear.

I always thought Audra McDonald brings such a warmth to Grace that isn't in any other version of the character. She really shines.I also think the small reprise of "Tomorrow" sets Grace apart of the other staff members, and makes such a tender moment for the show that it was extremely lacking.

[fosterfan2]

Posted: 4/30/20 at 5:50pm

I much prefer this Annie to the 1982 film. I didn't like that the film removed "N.Y.C."

[MollyJeanneMusic]

Posted: 4/30/20 at 6:34pm

Also grew up on this movie.  I actually rewatched it a year or two ago and was shocked to realize how many Broadway actors I'd been watching since I was little!  Personally, I love the Andrea McArdle cameo during NYC - it's the perfect homage to the original production.  Plus, Alan Cumming and Kristin Chenoweth are a hilarious yet villainous force to be reckoned with!

[degrassifan]

Posted: 5/1/20 at 3:12am

Even though I watched and liked the 1982 version first, I grew up on the 1999 version and love it! It's the best telling of Annie out of the three movies. I remember when it was first being advertised and I was so excited about a new version of Annie. I remember the night it first aired and I was like "Mommy, we have to get this on VHS when it comes out!" The performances are amazing, the songs are glorious, and the pacing is perfect! 90 minutes really does work for the story. The only song where I got bored as a child was Something Was Missing. I now appreciate it as an adult, but it's my least favorite song from the 1999 score. I also love bragging to my friends that I knew who Kristin Chenoweth was before Wicked!  Also, yes, I agree it is sort of stagey. I remember even as a child when it was being advertised thinking whether this was a filmed stage play they would be airing, but somehow the stagey-ness works. 

[JennH]

Posted: 5/1/20 at 11:08am

Oh HENNY I HAVE THHOOUUUGGHHTTSS! Ok so admittedly, like many here, this is the one I grew up with, BUT it's the best of them!! PERIODT. It was my intro to Queen Audra, so...yeah nothing much needs to be said. Same with Kristen but I didn't even know it until years later, and I love actor recognition moments like that! Kathy makes an EXCELLENT unscrupulous villain, Kristen and Alan are a hysterical duo and we all know this through the years, and Garber is an unexpectedly good Warbucks, he makes a great transition from blustering, forgetting-he-invited-an-orphan-for-Christmas tycoon, to a warm and genuine want to have someone else to share a life with. What DID happen with Alicia Morton?? She was a wonderful, yearning and innocent Annie. And THAT is the biggest reason why I almost can't stomach the 1982. I'll get into that in a sec...

The 1982 has some odd songs that aren't even found in the musical, which in itself isn't an issue, that happens all the time, but they're all kinda questionable if not just bad. While Burnett is a dang legend, I never liked the drunk take on Hannigan, even if it is in the musical. It just seems like a lazy writing technique...I don't know, it always seemed 'off' to me. Maybe it's because I grew up with with the 1999 version, so Bates is my Hannigan. Which makes the musicals' interpretation of her as having a conscience even more strange...and I'm pretty sure considering the 1999 was Disney's, created for the Wonderful World of Disney series where they filmed their own adaptations of musicals and a play (anyone remember the 1999 Miracle Worker with Hallie Kate Eisenberg??), Disney tends to create villains who have no scruples. They have no issue doing what's wrong to meet their own ends. Kathy's Hannigan has NO problem partnering with her brother to commit a murder of an 11 years old child...like, as an adult watching it years later, I was like...HOLY HELL. Of course it was rewritten that way, but Kathy pulls it off with panache. I believe for every second that she hates kids, specifically Annie, THAT much. 

Now...Alicia v Aileen as Annie...I adore Alicia and can't stand Aileen for one big reason. Aileen plays a street smart and manipulative Annie, which I didn't catch until she starts trying to talk Warbucks into a night out in NYC. It was played so manipulatively that I couldn't root for Annie's end success. If you want an audience to root for Annie and fall in love with her the way Warbucks does, you can't play that. Alicia plays the innocence, and genuine question of "what's NYC like?" and an true yearning for parental figures in her life. Again, that's likely because....Disney. That's their leading heros/heriones for you. But it makes us root for them, which is necessary for Annie. 

Of course McArdles cameo is brilliant, and...HELLO, reminder that LaLaine was in this! She's my favorite of the orphan group! 

I won't even get into in hot wreck that was the third 2014 film...on paper, putting it in the present day isn't a bad idea, but YIKES the execution was horrid. 

 

[JennH]

Posted: 5/1/20 at 11:16am

bfreak said: "I grew up on this version and absolutely love it! I totally agree that the show works better in this tightened version. The performances are really great, and Easy Street is SUCH a showstopper I can’t imagine listening or watching that number without wanting to sing or dance along."

Oh AND THIS. I get everyone here is saying that as a hole it was stage-ey but it WORKS. It's as musical theatre as musical theatre pieces can get, and the creatives behind it knew it, and ran with it. Too many creatives being musical films forget this these days so the direction and staging falls VERY flat. Directors can't ignore the fact that it's a MUSICAL, so it needs to be directed as such.

And YES, this movie is a Christmas must-watch tradition for me and my family when I'm home around Christmas...me and my mom BELT Easy Street at the top our damn lungs every time, and fun fact...she never remembers Alan's name, but when we ate at at Sardis a few years ago, she spotted his caricature in a heart beat, saying "Oh...it's East Street guy!"...I was cackling for 10 minutes straight at that. 

[Mr. Wormwood]

Posted: 5/1/20 at 11:28am

In my opinion, it is the definitive Annie. When I directed a production, I was definitely more inspired by that in tenor and tone than the stage version or original movie. 

[JBroadway]

Posted: 5/1/20 at 12:14pm

JennH said: "Aileen plays a street smart and manipulative Annie, which I didn't catch until she startstrying to talk Warbucks into a night out in NYC. It was played so manipulatively that I couldn't root for Annie's end success. If you want an audience to root for Annie and fall in love with her the way Warbucks does, you can't play that.Alicia plays the innocence, and genuine question of "what's NYC like?" and an true yearning for parental figures in her life."

 

I can't say I totally agree with that take, personally. I haven't seen the 1982 version in quite a while, so I can't really speak to the way the character is portrayed in that movie. But personally, I've always kind of liked Annie's tricky streetsmarts. Even in the 1999 version, she can be pretty tricky in some parts - she sneaky into the laundry, she steals an ear of corn, she lies to the police officer about Sandy, etc. Annie has been toughened somewhat by a difficult life, and personally I find that to be part of her charm. I think the best Annies can find that balance between streetsmarts and earnestness. 

My first REAL exposure to Annie wasn't until fairly recently, actually. It was when I saw the revival in 2013. I know many people hated that revival, but as someone who didn't really know the show (besides the famous songs), it really made me fall in love with the show. And I thought Sadie Sink's performance as Annie was a big part of that. I think she really hit the nail on the head in terms of being incredibly cute and charming, but also having a bit of a tough, worldly cleverness to her. 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 5/1/20 at 12:29pm

Oh my goodness, I used to watch this ALL THE TIME when I was younger. I called this version "the good Annie" and the 1982 film version "the bad Annie." What an excellent made-for-TV adaptation.

[matt1982]

Posted: 5/1/20 at 2:36pm

I loved this version.  What I remember especially loving about this production was that people like Kristin Chenoweth and Audra McDonald, both who at that point were really only known in NYC theatre circles, were getting bigger recognition.  Andrea McArdle's cameo was a definite plus.  (What's she been up to?)

I also am a big fan of the 1982 version.  I find carol Burnett's Miss Hannigan to be one of my favorite comedic performances.

 

[JennH]

Posted: 5/1/20 at 2:42pm

JBroadway said: "JennH said: "Aileen plays a street smart and manipulative Annie, which I didn't catch until she startstrying to talk Warbucks into a night out in NYC. It was played so manipulatively that I couldn't root for Annie's end success. If you want an audience to root for Annie and fall in love with her the way Warbucks does, you can't play that.Alicia plays the innocence, and genuine question of "what's NYC like?" and an true yearning for parental figures in her life."



I can't say I totally agree with that take, personally. I haven't seen the 1982 version in quite a while, so I can't really speak to the way the character is portrayed in that movie. But personally, I've always kind of liked Annie's tricky streetsmarts. Even in the 1999 version, she can be pretty tricky in some parts - she sneaky into the laundry, she steals an ear of corn, she lies to the police officer about Sandy, etc. Annie has been toughened somewhat by a difficult life, and personally I find that to be part of her charm. I think the best Annies can find that balance between streetsmarts and earnestness.

My first REAL exposure to Annie wasn't until fairly recently, actually. It was when I saw the revival in 2013. I know many people hated that revival, but as someone who didn't really know the show (besides the famous songs), it really made me fall in love with the show. And I thought Sadie Sink's performance as Annie was a big part of that. I think she really hit the nail on the head in terms of being incredibly cute and charming, but also having a bit of a tough, worldly cleverness to her."

I see what you mean, but Alicia's Annie wasn't sneaking into laundry and lying to the officer to just be manipulative. She sneaks away because she has a life goal she wants to attain, like any good leading hero/heroine. She steals corn because she's literally starving. She lies to the officer because Sandy would have been put down otherwise. She doesn't do any of this to manipulate others. Sure, even Alicia's Annie was tough and still had it's charm, but it was never manipulative. I think I just found the 1982 so distasteful in that way, it was etched into my brain in a not so good way, so one watch was all I needed. I never thought I would have such strong feelings on such a fluffy musical theatre piece...

[JBroadway]

Posted: 5/1/20 at 2:51pm

matt1982 said: "Andrea McArdle's cameo was a definite plus. (What's she been up to?)"

 

She's performed leading roles at various regional theatres, fairly consistently over the course of the past 20-30 years or so. Though according to Wikipedia her last role was Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes about 4 years ago. She's also played Miss Hannigan a couple of times, once with her daughter as Annie. 

I saw her in a cabaret setting about 6 years ago. IMO, her voice has held up quite well, if you don't mind that slight raspiness that, for me, gives her voice character. 

She is someone who successfully transitioned from being a child actor, to having a steady-ish career as an adult. But it's a shame that she hasn't really maintained the same attention in New York as some other Broadway performers in her age range. I definitely think she's talented enough. Maybe she doesn't have a good reputation as a co-worker (I'm not spreading rumors - I have no information about this one way or the other. I'm purely speculating/wondering)

 

[darreyl102]

Posted: 5/1/20 at 3:05pm

I thought Kathy Bates vocals were surprisingly really first-rate. I don't think I've ever heard her sing before or after. Has she?

Updated On: 5/1/20 at 03:05 PM

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 5/1/20 at 3:18pm

One of her first roles, in Milos Forman's Taking Off, was as a folk singer.

As for my response to the thread title, if I could have the '82 cast in the '99 version, I'd be a happy camper.

[degrassifan]

Posted: 5/2/20 at 2:41am

I read recently that Victor Garber was the reason Kathy Bates got cast in Annie. When they were filming Titanic, Kathy told Victor how much she really wanted to be in a musical. 

It's so cool how we all have these wonderful memories about this movie! I wish this and Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella (1997) had been theatrical releases so that even more people would know about their existence. 

As for Alicia Morton, I saw her in a Lifetime movie called "Odd Girl Out" about 15 years ago where she played a high school mean girl (Gretchen Wieners equivalent haha), but that's it. 

[Plannietink08]

Posted: 5/2/20 at 6:43am

I think this production has aged best out of all three. 

[Chowd95]

Posted: 5/2/20 at 9:23am

It's good but the Cameron Diaz version is by far my favorite :/

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 5/2/20 at 2:13pm

Personally I prefer the 1982 film adaptation. But I also don't think I've ever seen a stage production! I could be wrong, but I don't think I have. So this is all I have to go on. 

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Posted: 5/2/20 at 3:36pm

Plannietink08 said: "I think this production has aged best out of all three."

Annie from 2014 aged the worst the second it hit theaters

[bml1980]

Posted: 5/3/20 at 8:46am

JennH said: "JBroadway said: "JennH said: "Aileen plays a street smart and manipulative Annie, which I didn't catch until she startstrying to talk Warbucks into a night out in NYC. It was played so manipulatively that I couldn't root for Annie's end success. If you want an audience to root for Annie and fall in love with her the way Warbucks does, you can't play that.Alicia plays the innocence, and genuine question of "what's NYC like?" and an true yearning for parental figures in her life."



I can't say I totally agree with that take, personally. I haven't seen the 1982 version in quite a while, so I can't really speak to the way the character is portrayed in that movie. But personally, I've always kind of liked Annie's tricky streetsmarts. Even in the 1999 version, she can be pretty tricky in some parts - she sneaky into the laundry, she steals an ear of corn, she lies to the police officer about Sandy, etc. Annie has been toughened somewhat by a difficult life, and personally I find that to be part of her charm. I think the best Annies can find that balance between streetsmarts and earnestness.

My first REAL exposure to Annie wasn't until fairly recently, actually. It was when I saw the revival in 2013. I know many people hated that revival, but as someone who didn't really know the show (besides the famous songs), it really made me fall in love with the show. And I thought Sadie Sink's performance as Annie was a big part of that. I think she really hit the nail on the head in terms of being incredibly cute and charming, but also having a bit of a tough, worldly cleverness to her."

I see what you mean, but Alicia's Annie wasn't sneaking into laundry and lying to the officer to just be manipulative. She sneaks away because she has a life goal she wants to attain, like any good leading hero/heroine.She steals corn because she's literally starving.She lies to theofficer because Sandy would have been put down otherwise. She doesn't do any of this to manipulate others. Sure, even Alicia's Annie was tough and still had it's charm,but it was never manipulative. I think I just found the 1982 so distasteful in that way, it was etched into my brain in a not so good way, so one watch was all I needed. I never thought I would have such strong feelings on such a fluffy musical theatre piece..."

I'm certainly not saying the 1982 version is perfect (what in the world were they thinking by cutting the main solo version of Tomorrow?), and maybe I'm biased since it's the version I grew up with, but I find your take on this to be kind of confusing. You make it seem the screenwriters of the '80s version made Annie into some kind of sociopath, which isn't the case. Her motivations are the same as those of the character in every other version that's been produced on stage or film and she isn't doing any of the things you mentioned just for the sake of being manipulative. She sneaks into the laundry basket in order to escape from a rundown orphanage with an abusive, alcoholic headmistress and find her parents. She saves Sandy from being abused by a bunch of awful kids and then lies to the dogcatcher in order to prevent him from being taken away to the pound and presumably put down. Now, whether or not you think Quinn did the character justice is one thing, but the '80s Annie is still written as the spunky and empathetic moppet she's supposed to be. I guess I have strong feelings on this fluffy piece too! :)