Annapolis (2006)

Set against the backdrop of boxing at the Naval Academy, centers on a young man from the wrong side of the tracks whose dream of attending Annapolis becomes a reality.

Director:

Justin Lin

Writer:

David Collard (as Dave Collard)

Stars:

James Franco, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Franco	...	Jake Huard
Macka Foley	...	Ref
Jim Parrack	...	AJ
Donnie Wahlberg	...	Lt. Burton
Brian Goodman	...	Bill Huard
Billy Finnigan	...	Kevin
Jordana Brewster	...	Ali
Katie Hein	...	Risa
Jimmy Lin	...	Midshipman Lin (as Jimmy Yi Fu Lin)
Charles Napier	...	Supt. Carter
Heather Henderson	...	Daniels
Vicellous Shannon	...	Twins
Roger Fan	...	Loo
McCaleb Burnett	...	Whitaker
Wilmer Calderon	...	Estrada

Storyline

Jake Huard, from a shipbuilders family, promised his dying mother he'd make it to Annapolis Naval Academy. Thanks to tenaciously bugging a Congressman he's selected, despite dubious grades. Once inside Jake soon proves sub-standard academically. Constantly challenged to his limits, repeatedly made the 'over-cocky' reason for the entire class to suffer, Jake nearly quits, but after facing his utterly unsupportive father's gloating returns just in time. Stubborn Jake finds support with mates as well as Ali, his lover-to-be, and a discipline he may excel in: the 'brigade' boxing tournament, open to all ranks.

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Plot Keywords:

boxing | welder | shipbuilder | roommate | shipyard | 

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Taglines:

Where Heroes Are Born And Legends Are Made.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some violence, sexual content and language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 January 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Annapolis - Kampf um Anerkennung

Filming Locations:

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$26,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$7,681,171 (USA) (27 January 2006)

Gross:

$17,119,321 (USA) (7 April 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures, Mother B Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

At least one exterior scene taking place in Washington, DC was actually filmed on the grounds of Girard College in Philadelphia, founded in 1848.

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Goofs

There is no shipyard anywhere near the Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. The academy is surrounded by very ritzy suburbs.

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Quotes

Lt. Commander Burton: He also said you were the biggest pain in the ass he'd ever met.
Jake Huard: I had to go back a couple times.
Lt. Commander Burton: How many?
Jake Huard: 34 straight days, sir.

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Connections

Featured in The Sopranos: Walk Like a Man (2007)

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Soundtracks

Nowhere Ride
Written by Todd Youth, Christian Black and Tim Mosher
Performed by The Chelsea Smiles
Courtesy of Capitol Records
Under license from EMI Film & Television Music

User Reviews

This is better than expected, but that's not saying much....

Going into 'Annapolis, I thought I was going to be put to sleep by 2 hours of Navy promotion and boring clichés that went out of style years ago. I got that, but 'Annapolis' is better than my expectations suggested. That's not to say its a good movie; it's just not terrible.

The reason it is not terrible is a portion of the cast. James Franco manages to overcome his poorly written, formulaic lead with his hard-edged brand of acting. Vicellous Shannon has an effective supporting role as Twins, an overweight black man from Arkansas. His hometown, he explains, is counting on him to survive and pass the year. This is an unexpectedly touching subplot, and I was surprised it worked. Donnie Wahlberg and Chi McBride have good supporting roles, and many of the anonymous students are portrayed convincingly.

Unfortunately, the production is let down by three factors: The script, Tyrese Gibson, and Jordana Brewster. The script is, well, horrific. While its nice to see military students cuss, some of the racist and sexist remarks are extremely out of place. The script is a tireless formula that simply will not go away (and I don't think I need to name said formula). Next offender: Tyrese Gibson. Tyrese is not a bad actor, but the aforementioned terrible script seems to have made him think he needed to imitate R. Lee Ermey. He does this with the subtlety of a jackhammer. Last, but not least, Jordana Brewster. I simply do not believe for one second she is a Navy Midshipman. The romance between her and Franco is laugh-inducing, and completely unrealistic (how many times have I heard military students aren't allowed to fraternize?).

While it's not the disaster I expected, 'Annapolis' still earns my dislike. There's good stuff, but not enough.