CS Weekly Archive > Weekend Read > 01/27/06

Navy by the Numbers

By hank spivak

A regular Joe's journey from the wrong side of the tracks to a shot at his dream -- a chance to fight in the Navy's prestigious Brigade Championship -- aims to bring individuality to its protagonist and its audience to their feet but just ends up as a pleasant if not eminently forgettable film.

Annapolis

Dave Collard

Local boy Jake Huard (James Franco) wins a coveted admission spot to the Naval Academy at Annapolis, and quickly learns he may not be up to the discipline and customs of the fleet. Taking one last shot at staying, he enrolls in the Navy's Brigade Championships, a fierce and renowned boxing competition where he'll be forced to face archenemy Lt. Cole (Tyrese Gibson). Trained by a wizened boxing Coach McNally (Chi McBride) and aided by commander/soon-to-be love interest Ali (Jordana Brewster), Huard sees this as his one and only shot at giving himself a better future.

You'd be surprised where the movie goes next. Actually, you wouldn't. Annapolis comes off as a shocker only if you've never seen a movie before in your entire life. Using inspirations from An Officer and a Gentleman, Top Gun, Rocky, and a dozen others this review's word count limits me from listing, Annapolis doesn't even know the type of movie it wants to be. In an effort to draw from so many other successful (and/or critically lauded) pictures, it manages solely to establish itself as a Frankenstein's monster of a movie, stumbling clumsily from one derivative to the next.

The material in the movie is so generic, it feels more like a paradigm from a screenwriting book than an original piece of writing. From the hero's "meet cute" with the love interest in the bar to his aiding his friend, the lesser recruit, every scene is shaded with a cinematic déjà vu.

But that's not to say the movie is poorly made. All the character arcs, the dialogue, and (of course) the formulas are up to snuff, already ranking it higher than a number of films out there. It's the monotony of these elements that's grown tiresome. Plotlines such as the love story, the nemesis story, and the trainer story all unfold without twist or surprise, the audience practically guessing the events long before they happen. Even the training sequences play as montages that have been parodied so much we're almost waiting for a punchline. Ironically, the movie's greatest flaw turns out to be its saving grace: the picture's not even indelible enough to be bad.

The filmmakers are clearly capable of putting together a competent motion picture. It's a shame they didn't try to make something unique to themselves instead of what essentially adds up to one giant homage to their inspirations.

Annapolis
Buena Vista Pictures
Rated PG-13; 108 min.

Buy tickets now

Buy the poster

Hank Spivak started watching movies before he could walk. He lives, eats, breathes and sleeps them. One day he hopes to get rich off them.

From the Trenches
Working screenwriters discuss in their own words a particular aspect of screenwriting, from the mechanics of writing to the personal and professional impact that writing has had on their lives. > VIEW ARCHIVE

The Art of Craft
Screenwriting experts discuss how to approach various aspects of writing and the writing life. A mini-seminar each week from the people who write the books and teach the classes. > VIEW ARCHIVE

The Big Picture

Features that cover all aspects of screenwriting, from our "Seven Best" lists to analysis of old favorites and new classics. > VIEW ARCHIVE

Expert Witness
A panel of experts assembled to provide the facts about the screenwriting business. Readers will be able have their questions answered by an agent, producer, entertainment attorney, and WGA representative—and without paying that 10% commission. > VIEW ARCHIVE

Son of a Pitch
A weekly tutorial on how to write a script. Each week deals with a different element of creating a script, with the ultimate goal to provide a step-by-step instruction manual for new writers. The guide for this is a writer just diving into screenwriting himself, who asks the pros questions any new screenwriter would have about this brave new world. > VIEW ARCHIVE

Weekend Read
Film, book, web site and technology reviews from a writer’s perspective. How can these items help a writer on his or her journey, or make that journey more enjoyable? > VIEW ARCHIVE

DVD Review of the Day
DVD reviews from a writer’s point of view. What aspects of this script and features of this DVD illuminate the writing, development, and storytelling process? > VIEW ARCHIVE