January must be James Franco month at the movies. First, he let his hair grow and displayed knightly combat moves for the Dark Ages love saga "Tristan & Isolde." The film is pretty to look at, but heavy and boring. Now Franco has cut his hair short and displays sprightly boxing moves as a U.S. Naval Academy plebe in "Annapolis." This drama is part "An Officer and a Gentleman" and part "Rocky" dabbed with a touch of "Rudy." And, unfortunately, not half as good as any of those other movies. Read the full review
A young man from the wrong side of the tracks has his dream come true when he is accepted to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. But once there he is not sure how he measures up against the nation's best and the brightest.
Director: Justin Lin
Starring: James Franco, Jordana Brewster, Vicellous Reon Shannon, Donnie Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson
Run time: 108 minutes
Release date: Jan. 27, 2006
Rating:PG-13 for some violence, sexual content and language.
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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: C
"Perhaps the film's most successful element is the soundtrack, which by the movie's end is nothing but louder and louder drumbeats."
The Palm Beach Post: C-
"Franco is sufficiently wiry and resolute, but shows none of the promise of his early roles. The same is true of director Justin Lin, whose debut film Better Luck Tomorrow had a distinctive edginess that is missing from this mawkish, formulaic effort."
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