--- title: "Annie" year: 1982 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/annie" fi1m_id: "annie" imdb_id: "tt0083564" tmdb_id: 15739 wikidata_id: "Q566890" fi1m_score: 58 critics_reviews: 3 published: "2026-10-06T18:20:34.286033+00:00" updated: "2026-10-06T18:20:35.440871+00:00" region: "FR" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Annie (1982) Directed by John Huston · 2h 07m · CNC TP · Comedy, Drama, Family ## Identity Annie - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/annie - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** annie - **IMDb ID:** tt0083564 - **TMDB ID:** 15739 - **Wikidata ID:** Q566890 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083564/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/15739, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q566890 **Fi1m score: 58** · Critics: 3 of 6 reviews so far *In a sentence:* Carol Burnett is funny enough to make us resent the scenes without her > John Huston’s *Annie* is lavish, well cast and half an hour too long. Carol Burnett, Tim Curry and Bernadette Peters keep it watchable, but the musical numbers cannot compensate for everything that drags between them. ## Synopsis Annie (Aileen Quinn) is the central character in John Huston’s family comedy-drama, alongside Miss Hannigan (Carol Burnett) and ‘Daddy’ Oliver Warbucks (Albert Finney). Grace Farrell (Ann Reinking), Rooster Hannigan (Tim Curry) and Lily St. Regis (Bernadette Peters) also feature. The cast includes Punjab (Geoffrey Holder), Asp (Roger Minami), Molly (Toni Ann Gisondi), Pepper (Rosanne Sorrentino), Tessie (Lara Berk) and Kate (April Lerman). The musical numbers include *It’s the Hard Knock Life*; the film runs 127 minutes and carries a U certificate. ## Review John Huston’s *Annie* is handsome and too slow, with enough good performances to make its faults frustrating. It is too long by half an hour, and rescued, again and again, by its adult performers. We can see the appeal of its musical numbers and its refusal to be embarrassed by its own cheerfulness. But at 127 minutes, it asks the cast to keep an unwieldy family entertainment moving when the direction ought to be helping them. Aileen Quinn is a brisk, loud, unembarrassed Annie, and there is something welcome about a lead performance that does not continually ask to be loved. Her directness keeps the sentiment from becoming unbearable. We felt a welcome lift during *It’s the Hard Knock Life*, because the number has the force and bustle the surrounding film keeps promising. That energy is difficult to sustain when everything around the songs takes so long. Carol Burnett is the reason to stay. Her Miss Hannigan has a comic rhythm that makes even the broadest material feel slightly unpredictable. Burnett waits a beat longer than anyone expects, so that the anticipation becomes part of the joke. Tim Curry as Rooster Hannigan and Bernadette Peters as Lily St. Regis add enough comic appetite to make us forgive a good deal, but Burnett is the performer who most reliably prevents the film from becoming a chore. Albert Finney gives ‘Daddy’ Oliver Warbucks enough weight to stand alongside all that comic business without trying to compete with it. His performance is more restrained, and the contrast helps. Ann Reinking is a warm Grace Farrell, though warmth is often all the film appears to want from her. The casting is better than the use Huston makes of it, and the stretches between the numbers would benefit from the decisiveness the performers can supply on their own. Dale Hennesy’s production design makes the surroundings imposing enough to compete with the performers, which is not always helpful. Richard Moore’s cinematography is handsome without doing enough to make the dancing feel spontaneous. Michael A. Stevenson’s editing is the larger problem: the numbers too often feel assembled rather than allowed to develop. We want the pleasure of following a performance, and the cutting repeatedly interrupts it before the movement can establish its own rhythm. Charles Strouse and Ralph Burns are credited for the music, and the songs give the film much of the lift that Huston’s direction lacks. The delivery is emphatic, sometimes wearingly so, but an emphatic musical can still be an enjoyable one. What hurts *Annie* is how rarely the pace relaxes into something easy or gathers into something swift. Its good moments remain good moments, separated by more waiting than a family musical should require. At its best, this is the sort of unabashed musical in which a forceful performer can make a broad joke or a familiar sentiment worth another hearing. Huston never quite finds the light touch that would let those pleasures carry an evening. Quinn’s appeal and Burnett’s timing are substantial consolations, but they cannot shorten the stretches that drag. If Burnett is not enough of a reason for you, choose a shorter musical. *Fi1m score 58, published 6 October 2026.* ## Straight answers **Is Annie worth watching?** *Annie* is worth watching mainly for Carol Burnett, Tim Curry and Bernadette Peters, and we scored it 58. John Huston's film is lavish and well cast but half an hour too long, with the musical numbers unable to make up for the stretches that drag between them. If Burnett's comic timing is not enough of a draw for you, a shorter musical will serve the evening better. **How long is Annie, and what is it rated?** *Annie* runs 2h 07m and is rated TP by the CNC in France. It is a comedy and drama film. **Where can I watch Annie in France?** *Annie* is streaming on Amazon Prime Video in France, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from €2.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How does Annie compare to The Young Girls of Rochefort?** *Annie* is the weaker of the two, and [*The Young Girls of Rochefort*](https://film.one/film/the-young-girls-of-rochefort) is the one we recommend. Jacques Demy gives his numbers room to move and lets the performers enjoy them, where Huston's editing keeps interrupting the dancing before it can find a rhythm. Choose *Annie* for Burnett and a family audience; choose Demy's film for the music, the colour and a lighter touch. **What should I watch after Annie?** After *Annie*, try [*The Young Girls of Rochefort*](https://film.one/film/the-young-girls-of-rochefort) (1967, Fi1m 84): For musical numbers given room to move and performers allowed to enjoy them. Then [*Meet Me in St. Louis*](https://film.one/film/meet-me-in-st-louis) (1944, Fi1m 87): A family musical that gives its songs room and its sentiment time; and [*Paddington*](https://film.one/film/paddington) (2014, Fi1m 84): For family comedy whose warmth never gets in the way of the jokes. ### Reviews we read (3) - **Radio Times**, Tony Sloman (3/5): Sloman finds the adaptation long-winded and says John Huston lacks the light touch it needs. He praises Carol Burnett’s performance, Aileen Quinn’s appeal, and the musical numbers. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-kkcsmh/annie/) - **Slant Magazine**, Eric Henderson (3/5): Henderson regards Annie as an exuberant, unwieldy train wreck, though its adult performers rescue much of it. He singles out Carol Burnett’s dazed, off-kilter comic timing as a marvel. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/annie-bd/) - **The AV Club**, Katie Rife (C): Rife finds the film hollow, despite its appealing lead performance, and criticizes its shallow, self-congratulatory take on wealth and meritocracy. She singles out Quvenzhané Wallis’s charm for praise while faulting the film for rewarding its billionaire protagonist without requiring meaningful sacrifice. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/love-is-nice-but-money-is-better-in-the-shiny-hollow-1798182250) ## Details - **Director:** John Huston - **Director:** John Huston - **Writer:** Carol Sobieski, Thomas Meehan - **Cinematography:** Richard Moore - **Editor:** Michael A. Stevenson - **Music:** Charles Strouse, Ralph Burns - **Production design:** Dale Hennesy - **Producer:** Joe Layton, Carol Sobieski, Ray Stark - **Cast:** Aileen Quinn as Annie; Albert Finney as 'Daddy' Oliver Warbucks; Carol Burnett as Miss Hannigan; Ann Reinking as Grace Farrell; Tim Curry as Rooster Hannigan; Bernadette Peters as Lily St. Regis; Geoffrey Holder as Punjab; Roger Minami as Asp - **Runtime:** 2h 07m - **Certificate (CNC):** TP - **Release (France):** 15 December 1982 - **Genres:** Comedy, Drama, Family - **Budget:** $35 million - **Box office:** $57 million ## Where to watch in France - Amazon Prime Video: add-on, uhd - Amazon Prime Video: rent €2.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy €5.99, uhd *Checked 2026-09-24.* Also available in: AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, IE, IL, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Academy Awards 1983: Best Original Song Score (nominated); Best Production Design (nominated) - Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director 1983: Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director (nominated) - Golden Raspberry Award for Worst New Star 1983: Golden Raspberry Award for Worst New Star (nominated) - Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Picture 1983: Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Picture (nominated) - Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screenplay 1983: Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screenplay (nominated) - Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actress 1983: Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actress (won) ## If you liked this - *The Young Girls of Rochefort* (1967), Fi1m 84: For musical numbers given room to move and performers allowed to enjoy them. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-young-girls-of-rochefort.md) - *Bugsy Malone* (1976): Children playing Prohibition gangsters with custard guns; shorter, sharper and stranger than this. - *Matilda* (1996): A clever girl, a monstrous guardian, and a film that trusts children to enjoy cruelty. - *Meet Me in St. Louis* (1944), Fi1m 87: A family musical that gives its songs room and its sentiment time. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/meet-me-in-st-louis.md) - *Paddington* (2014), Fi1m 84: For family comedy whose warmth never gets in the way of the jokes. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/paddington.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/annie