Annie (1982)

Heartfelt and well made. The film feels convincingly rooted in the 1930s. Characters, acting styles, and production design all complement each other nicely. The only moment that really crosses into cheese is the fake fireworks display spelling out Annie’s name at the end.

Aileen Quinn is adorable and delivers a wonderful performance, and the rest of the kids are terrific as well. Their lines are delivered with confidence, and the song-and-dance numbers are genuinely impressive, especially when you consider how long some of them run and how many performers are involved in the choreography. Many of the kids must have had serious dance or gymnastics training. Carol Burnett is fantastic. I would have loved to see her earn a Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for this, but she didn’t even get one. Albert Finney is great as Daddy Warbucks.

Credit goes to director John Huston for how well he handles the young cast. Given his legendary résumé, it’s impressive and a bit charming that he chose to direct this kind of film late in his career.

I loved this movie as a kid, and it actually holds up surprisingly well. And “It’s the Hard-Knock Life” is so darn catchy.