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

Stars:

James Franco, Donnie Wahlberg, Jordana Brewster

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 Reon Shannon	...	Twins (as Vicellous Shannon)
Roger Fan	...	Loo
McCaleb Burnett	...	Whitaker
Wilmer Calderon	...	Estrada

Storyline

Jake Huard, from a shipbuilders family, promised his dying mother he'ld make it to Anapolis 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 un-supportive father's gloating returns just in time. Stubborn Jake finds support withs mates as well as Senor 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 | u.s. naval academy | shipyard | welder | roommate | 

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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 - Ahol a hősök születnek

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

When appearing on Late Show with David Letterman: Episode #15.156, James Franco called this movie "horrible".

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Goofs

Plebes aren't allowed to drink, regardless of age, even when on leave.

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Quotes

Jake Huard: He's right you know.
Twins: Can I borrow your starch?
Jake Huard: Look, I don't get it. Why are you still here?
Twins: You want to know why I stay in this room?
Jake Huard: Yeah.
Twins: Cause Jake, you're my Mississippi.
Jake Huard: I'm your what?
Twins: People who live in Arkansas, you know what their favorite state is?
Jake Huard: No.
Twins: Mississippi. Cause Mississippi's the only thing that keeps Arkansas from being the worst state in the whole country.
[...]

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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

Bland and Forgettable

Jake Huard (James Franco) is a young man from a poor family who wins admission to the Annapolis Naval Academy, but finds it tougher than he thought when he finds himself facing a superior officer (Tyrese Gibson) in the Navy boxing competition.

The story is very similar to An Officer and a Gentlemen and there really isn't much of a difference between those two films. Still, Annapolis could have been an entertaining popcorn flick. Unfortunately, its dull and very generic. Almost every scene plays like a scene from a better movie. There is no creativity to be found here at all. It's an empty movie and it has very little to offer. The premise may have seemed like a good idea on paper but it sure didn't turn out that way. It's no surprise that it was released in January.

The acting is not very good and it brings the film down quite a bit. James Franco is an okay actor but I don't think he's good enough to be a leading man. He just doesn't have what it takes and this film proves it. Jordana Brewster gives an awful performance as Ali. She's very pretty but she can't act at all. Tyrese Gibson can be a good actor when he wants to be, like in Four Brothers. Here, he gives a bland, unconvincing performance and he seemed to be reading from the cue cards the entire time. The rest of the cast isn't very good but it's these three that should have carried the film.

There are some good things to be found in Annapolis though. The boxing scenes are actually pretty good. Of course, they occur at the end so sitting through the first 80 minutes or so is probably not worth it. There are also a few supporting characters that are interesting like Twins. That's really all the good I can get from this film. The chemistry between Jordana and James just wasn't there. The story wasn't bad just nothing really new. It's a film that's kind of just there. Its not really worth watching but if its on T.V and there's nothing else on then it may not hurt as much as spending $9 in the theater. In the end, Annapolis is a bland, forgettable film that will be just fine on DVD. Rating 5/10