By

Annie

Never rises above adequate family entertainment

Some are complaining about the changes made to the 1977 stage version. The two principles are black (Jamie Foxx and Quvenzhané Wallis). So what? Then it’s been updated from the Depression Era, making it even more irrelevant than the usual unnecessary reboot. And a helicopter chase? Seriously? So, pretty bad, but hey, the original was pretty bad to begin with.

Most of the acting is of the “over” variety, with Cameron Diaz’s moronic muggings a fingernails-on-a-blackboard standout. Banal and shallow, it tries too hard, fails too frequently and never rises above the adequate family entertainment level. (118 min)