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Printer-Friendly ModeAnnapolis flunks the Academy
February 6, 2006 —
Whose idea was this? Somewhere, in some place, someone decided that it was acceptable to make a movie solely by cutting up other movies and putting the pieces back together. In addition to this wonderful plan, they also apparently decided that the protagonist can be an unlikable stock character who never changes or convinces the audience he is worth watching for 90 minutes.
Annapolis refers to the Naval Academy of the same name located in Maryland. This is where the story mainly takes place, as we follow a year in the life of Jake Huard (James Franco), who is the new guy there. Jake grew up always wanting to be in the Navy, but for some unexplained reason no one thought he could, with one exception - his late mother. Jake obviously wants to make her proud and prove to himself that he can make it. So off he goes.
Does this sound familiar? Jake, the young, seemingly average man who no one thought could make it, fighting for his dream against all odds. The problem is not just that this has been done to death; movies like Cinderella Man have shown us that this kind of story can still be told properly and effectively. The problem lies in how it is done. Throughout the film Jake is pushed and prodded by the officers at Annapolis, and it doesn't feel like they do this naturally, but rather because the script tells them to. The idea that no one thought he could make it is constantly alluded to, but we rarely see it.
Annapolis is also pieced together from other movies. Let me provide an example illustrating this point. Jake is roomed with a very overweight young man who is nicknamed "Twins" by one of the officers because he carries the weight of two people. He is first shown having immense trouble with the obstacle course. He is chastised severely by an officer for his inadequacy here. Then, next thing you know, he is caught with snacks and candy that are not allowed in his room. And then, incredibly, Jake is shown helping him navigate the obstacle course properly. I liked this better the first time I saw it in Full Metal Jacket. And yes, Twins even takes one more step later in the movie that makes the plot thievery as obvious as possible.
The events surrounding Twins are just one of the offenses of the movie. Dialogue is a big, big problem in Annapolis as well. It's often so terrible it's funny. The exchanges between the characters are just unreal in their badness. Granted, this was less noticeable as the movie went along, but that's only because it battered me into submission, so much so that I left the theater thinking that a human conversation could actually consist of one saying to the other, "I don't think you can make it," with the reply, "No one does."
Another irritant was the character of Jake. It's baffling that this character is supposed to be likable. I think I caught a largemouth bass once that would make a better companion. Indefinitely scowling and with an air of pompousness around him, it seems like Annapolis thinks that just because we are supposed to like him, we will.
Annapolis is a textbook example of a movie created entirely for profit. There is no artfulness or creativity here, nothing that makes it seem necessary. It's a shame that the actors starring in the movie have to be seen with it; it's like that irritating friend that no one likes, but they can't seem to muster the courage to tell him to go away. Let's hope that in the future there can be a movie about Annapolis the way it really is: a real place occupied with real people.