A modern day retelling of Broadway classic Annie hits many a bad note, with writer/director Will Gluck delivering an unexciting and hammy movie that does little for the careers of its talented cast.

Since its 1977 debut on Broadway, the musical Annie has been performed on stage hundreds upon hundreds of time all around the world. This version, produced by (among others) hip-hop mogul Jay Z and movie star Will Smith, is the third movie adaptation and is in every way a disaster. With Jay-Z successfully sampling the Annie staple “It’s the Hard Knock Life” in 1998, and Smith delivering a blockbuster in his previous remake of The Karate Kid, there was no doubt many thought the midas touch of both men could deliver an entertaining remix of an old classic. They were wrong.

Brought on to write and direct is Will Gluck, who found success with the overrated Easy A. Despite all of the bells, whistles, squeals and glossiness Gluck brings to his version, the whole enterprise is dull and clumsy, with an overdone sense of humour that is normally seen in a Disney children’s show, and clunky transitions to musical numbers that while expertly reinvented for the time, does no one any favours when delivered by a cast who (mostly) cannot carry a tune.

Playing the title role is Quvenzhane Wallis in a stark 180 degree turn from the iconic red-head, freckle faced look of the popular orphan character, whose life is changed when she meets billionaire business magnate Will Stacks (Jamie Foxx). Coming off her Oscar nominated role in Beasts of the Southern Wild, 11 year old Wallis needed a star vehicle like Annie to keep her career chugging along. Yet while she tries her little heart out, the tools are just not there to lead a musical. At least, not right now.

Her veteran co-stars fare much worse. Foxx follows his career worst turn in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 with another performance that feels out of place in every way, the Oscar winner unable to keep his charisma in check while trying to play an icy bastard who somehow can sing in an alternate universe where the skill is lacking.

Speaking of which, Cameron Diaz continues her dismal 2014 with an over the top, screeching turn as the villainous foster parent with an alcohol problem, bad dress sense, and a deluded belief that she can sing. Diaz has a history of playing goofy characters, yet the cartoonish mugging combined with fingernail on chalkboard “singing” on display here is bottom of career stuff.

Rose Byrne and Bobby Cannavale – two names that you can usually rely on to deliver entertaining work – cannot save themselves among the rising tide of awful they’ve found themselves in.

It’s clear that those behind this Annie remake wanted to achieve: A progressive new take on an old standard, just in time for families to enjoy during Christmas holidays. If only Smith, Jay-Z and Gluck could have focused more on delivering a good film.