Although there are several moderately strong technical points to Annapolis, in all, its story is laughably cliché and terribly predictable. The dialogue in particular is riddled with sappy, overused prose, and not a single character in the film is in any way a departure from previous films that wrestle with the theme of never giving up and following your dreams no matter what.
Young navy cadet and amateur boxer Jake Huard (James Franco) struggles through the naval academy despite his drill instructor Cole (Tyrese Gibson), family, hometown friends and authority figures labeling him a quitter. His love interest, Ali (Jordana Brewster), and the other plebes on his squad provide him with emotional support and he pushes through adversity. Meanwhile, Huard learns valuable lessons about never giving up and following his dreams no matter what (of course!).
Gibson’s character is your run-of-the-mill antagonistic superior officer, Brewster’s character is your run-of-the-mill sexy female lead, Vicellous Reon Shannon — who plays Huard’s best friend at the academy — has the typically amusing and endearing best friend role and the rest of the cast fits neatly into simple two-dimensional tried-and-true character templates. If you’ve seen An Officer and a Gentleman, Top Gun and Rocky, you’ve already seen the film’s best parts.
That said, Annapolis does have its moments. Several scenes are actually funny, and the story, although cookie-cutter, is nevertheless entertaining. The soundtrack and cinematography are also strong points, and without them, this film would be worthless. Though Franco may not have enough charm or prowess as an actor to star in this film — and he doesn’t — many of the other actors’ talent makes up for this to some degree. Shannon plays his character well and even Gibson, former male model and all, has his moments.
A seasoned cinéphile would do best to stay away from this one. But for the casual moviegoer, Annapolis will most likely prove satisfactory. Overall, a weak film, but not a total waste of eight (or 10) dollars.