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 - Ahol a hősök születnek

Filming Locations:

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$26,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,681,171, 29 January 2006, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$17,127,992, 13 April 2006

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$17,496,992

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

Jordana Brewster and Tyrese Gibson have worked together along with director Justin Lin in the Fast and Furious franchise. Brian Goodman and Zachery Ty Bryan also appeared in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006).

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Goofs

At the end of the movie Jake kisses Ali while both of them are in uniform. This is a flagrant violation of the UCMJ (uniform Code of Military Justice) and at a minimum would have them both up at a Captain's Mast.

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Quotes

Cole: What is the latitude of Annapolis?
Whitaker: Who were the first three naval officers to hold the rank as admirals?
Cole: How long have you been in the Navy?
Jake Huard: Sir, the latitude of Annapolis is 38.58 degrees north. Sir, the first three admirals were Dewey, Porter and Farragut. Sir, I've been in the Navy all my bloomin' life, sir. My mother was a mermaid, my father was King Neptune. Every bone in my body is a spar. And when I spits, I spits tar. I's hard. I is, I am, I are.

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Connections

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

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Soundtracks

Somersault
Written by Henry Binns, Sia and Sam Hardaker
Performed by Zero 7
Courtesy of Warner Music U.K. Ltd./Atlantic Recording Corp.
By Arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing

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