Susan Granger’s review of “Annapolis” (Touchstone/Buena Vista)
Burdened by underdog clichŽs, this is a tedious military drama about a young man determined to prove himself as a midshipman and boxer at the U.S. Naval Academy.
Jake Huard (James Franco) is an unlikely Annapolis plebe (a.k.a. freshman) in that he’s from an underprivileged, blue-collar background where no one expects him to succeed – not his stoic father (Brian Goodman), nor his friends, all of whom expect him to join them on the docks as laborers in the Chesapeake Bay shipbuilders’ union. But as he and his classmates struggle through the requisite training and endure the rigorous hazing, sensitive Jake proves that the one area in which is excels is fighting, a skill which, eventually, allows him to square off against his nasty, demanding company commander, Midshipman Lt. Cole (Tyrese Gibson), in the Brigade Championships.
“It’s the only place where everyone is equal,” claims the boxing coach (Chi McBride). “It’s where you find out what you’re made of.” Yada, yada, yada.
Based on an utterly predictable, uninspired script by Dave Collard (“Out of Time”) and directed by young Taiwanese-American Justin Lin (“Better Luck Tomorrow”), it bears touches of “An Officer and a Gentleman,” “Top Gun,” even “Rocky” – all far better films. The characters are written as superficial caricatures, so don’t blame the actors, including Jordana Brewster, Donnie Wahlberg, Roger Fan, Wilmer Calderon and Vicellous Shannon. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Annapolis” is a formulaic, feel-good 5. Although its heart is in the right place, the Navy has distanced itself from the film, stating that it is not an accurate description of life at the U.S. Naval Academy – nor are the deceptive TV commercials which tout non-existent scenes.