Going into 'Annapolis, I thought I was going to be put to sleep by 2 hours of Navy promotion and boring clichés that went out of style years ago. I got that, but 'Annapolis' is better than my expectations suggested. That's not to say its a good movie; it's just not terrible.

The reason it is not terrible is a portion of the cast. James Franco manages to overcome his poorly written, formulaic lead with his hard-edged brand of acting. Vicellous Shannon has an effective supporting role as Twins, an overweight black man from Arkansas. His hometown, he explains, is counting on him to survive and pass the year. This is an unexpectedly touching subplot, and I was surprised it worked. Donnie Wahlberg and Chi McBride have good supporting roles, and many of the anonymous students are portrayed convincingly.

Unfortunately, the production is let down by three factors: The script, Tyrese Gibson, and Jordana Brewster. The script is, well, horrific. While its nice to see military students cuss, some of the racist and sexist remarks are extremely out of place. The script is a tireless formula that simply will not go away (and I don't think I need to name said formula). Next offender: Tyrese Gibson. Tyrese is not a bad actor, but the aforementioned terrible script seems to have made him think he needed to imitate R. Lee Ermey. He does this with the subtlety of a jackhammer. Last, but not least, Jordana Brewster. I simply do not believe for one second she is a Navy Midshipman. The romance between her and Franco is laugh-inducing, and completely unrealistic (how many times have I heard military students aren't allowed to fraternize?).

While it's not the disaster I expected, 'Annapolis' still earns my dislike. There's good stuff, but not enough.

If I didn't know any better I would think that 90% of the requirements to be a naval officer was physical training. The thing that disappointed me most was the almost complete lack of emphasis on academics. There is one scene for a few minutes in a classroom with protagonist James Franco. The rest of the time at the Academy seemed to be taken up with boxing or other physical exercise. As Franco was in prime condition being an amateur boxer himself you would think that would be the least of his problems.

Funny because at the very beginning of the film when Donnie Wahlberg from the Academy meets Franco and tells him that they can get him in this year's class he mentions that Franco's grades weren't exactly Rhodes Scholar material and he's getting in due to his persistence with his Congressman and the fact they have some last minute openings. From there I thought the emphasis would be on the scholastic achievement of the young plebe.

That's a pity because I really did like the character that Franco created. A poor working class kid who toils in the shipyards across from the Naval Academy and is living out the dream that his mother had for him. Franco did do a fine job given the material he had.

One other performance is outstanding that of Vicellous Shannon who plays his pudgy roommate Twins. A near tragedy happens to him when he cannot do the obstacle course in record time. Of course it's his own fault because he's constantly squirreling away little snacks. Oddly enough those little snacks help Franco bulk up to the heavyweight class in boxing so he can go head to head with his nemesis, Tyrese Gibson. Shannon's performance is a touching portrayal, maybe the best in the film.

I visited Annapolis about a dozen years ago. The town is picturesque and the Naval Academy inspiring. Hopefully a better film about it will be made some day.

Jake Huard (James Franco) is an amateur boxer living with his gruff father. He's a shipbuilder at the naval shipyard. He gets late admission to the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland. His late mother supported him but his father does not. On the night before the Academy, his friends prank him pretending Ali (Jordana Brewster) to be a prostitute. It turns out she's one of his trainer. Matthew Cole (Tyrese Gibson) is his hard-nosed commander.

This is a far inferior "An Officer and a Gentleman". Franco is too stiff. Tyrese Gibson doesn't have it. The story is oddly clichéd. It throws these clichés right at the audience's face. There is no real harm in these familiar tropes but it does get tiresome. This is utterly forgettable.