Annie O Reviews

ANNIE O is a morale-building, made-for-TV drama that serves up a roster of fresh faces in this story of a teen athlete and her struggle to "make the team." Years of practice have left Annie Rojas (Coco Yares) a basketball whiz equal to her hotshot brother Freddie (Robert Luft). But their Tacoma high school lacks a team for girls, so Annie's only chance to shine is to join the institution's all-male hoop team, the Greyhounds. Coach Cody (Robert Stewart) enthusiastically favors adding Annie to the lineup, as does team captain Bill Porter (Chad Willett). However, other uptight players, parents, and peers--including her own brother Freddie--grumble their displeasure, and Annie becomes a local cause celebre. The pressure hurts her performance in the season opener, but gradually Annie gets her nerve (and her shot) back. In the "Big Game" she makes an assist to Freddie, and the brother-sister act clinches the state championship for the Greyhounds. Meanwhile, back in the town's political arena, supporters make the case that Annie, and not team captain Porter, deserves the title All-American. Solomon-like, Coach Cody uses a basket-shooting contest between Annie and Bill to decide the matter, with ticket sales going to establish a girls' varsity team. There isn't much novelty in ANNIE O apart from an inversion of gender stereotypes in attitudes about Annie's desire to play basketball on the boy's team. Interestingly enough, patriarchal authorities like Coach Cody and Annie's own father have no objection to her athletic endeavors, while tradition-bound Mama Rojas (Suzanne Ristic) scolds, "You're a girl--you should be proud of it!" But by the end of the fourth quarter, even mother comes around. Yares is an appealing performer on and off the court, and the whole story passes the time pleasantly enough, especially if you're a young female athlete looking for fictional role models.