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Growing up, I remember seeing this on one of those cutting-edge laser discs. But unlike those discs made of lasers, this movie has stood the eventual test of time.
Those of you who have been following EffTD and Eventualism since its inception are well aware of my affinity toward musicals. I also have a soft spot for Albert Finney, who always plays the heartwarming father figure. He plays Daddy Warbucks in this film, and he “Rex Harrisons” his way through the musical numbers with relative ease. He gets both girls in the end, one of whom is Annie and the other of whom is his assistant, the latter of which continues the time-honored tradition of the bald man getting the girl. This was most recently seen with Captain Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation and if you go back a bit further, Chris in The Magnificent Seven.**
Annie is played by Aileen Quinn, best known for her work as Annie in this film.
Tim Curry and Bernadette Peters steal all of the scenes that they appear in, except for the ones they are in with Carol Burnett. In those they hold their own, but Burnett’s portrayal of a woman in desperate need of love and money is so heart-wrenching that it’s hilarious. She is one to watch for in the future – she’s got the makings of an iconic career with turns like this.
Songs such as “Hard Knock Life” and “Easy Street” play off each other well, but probably should have been switched around. I mean, these kids had a roof over their head and lived in the big city – sounds like Easy Street to me. Miss Hannigan’s life was anything but rosy (unlike her cheeks, which any Eventualist has to admire), so her life was as hard-knocked as anyone’s.
On an inspirational note, it’s good to see that Edward Hermann was able to regain the use of his legs after playing FDR. Way to go, Eddie!
The eventual-esque anthem “Tomorrow” is the hallmark of the movie, and was only eclipsed in the EffTD pantheon by Garth Brooks’ “If Tomorrow Never Comes” due to the latter really raising the bar. Nonetheless, “Tomorrow” is always going to be only a day away and thanks to my trusty VCR, this movie will “neventually” wear out.
Take that, laserized discs!
**This paragraph contained spoilers, so SPOILER ALERT!
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