February 2, 2006

Movie: review

‘Annapolis’ not a bad rehash, but still a rehash

By Chris Honoré
Daily Tidings reviewer

Borrow heavily from other sources when writing a term paper or thesis without attribution and it’s plagiarism. Write a memoir that’s embellished and there’s hell to pay. But make a movie that is a shallow remake of “Top Gun,” “Officer and a Gentleman,” “Rocky” and “G.I. Jane,” well, no harm no foul. After all, if storylines in scripts were copyrighted, meaning no heavy borrowing, Hollywood would be in a world of hurt. In fact, for more than half a century, Lotus Land has taken proven formulas and burnished them over and over, serving up one movie after the next, repackaged to be sure, but always familiar.

In the case of “Annapolis” it’s the all-too-recognizable tough maverick plebe/recruit who finds himself in the military surrounded by authority figures who will brook no argument or resistance, the institution’s goal being to make a man out of him or break him trying. And who will whip the scrappy rebel into shape? The tough superior officer, ramrod straight, hard as nails, slit-eyed, with no personal life that is ever disclosed. “All right, ladies, get this … I am not your mother …” And so on.

Actually, “Annapolis” could be one long recruiting film for the armed services. Call it romancing the Naval Academy. Of course, the military academies are crucibles wherein young people are challenged, conditioned, and tested. But let’s be clear: The academies are about training future warriors. They are not places where young, rough-edged, contrary adolescents go for personal growth and athletic training. Which is what “Annapolis” is selling. The only warfare that the plebes encounter is inside a boxing ring, where the central character, Jake Huard (James Franco), must prove himself if he is to prevail at the academy. And so the film devolves into a conditioning movie as Jake/Rocky begins to train for the yearly brigade bout. Who is he going to fight? The tough superior officer (Tyrese Gibson), ala Louis Gossett in “Officer and a Gentleman.” And who is on the sidelines, supporting Jake? Ali (Jordana Brewster), a diminutive Demi Moore/ Debra Winger, a second-year midshipman who is smitten with Jake’s crooked smile.

One more cliché: While “Annapolis” is the perfect poster child for the Navy, it is also a commercial for Nike. The film screams, “Just Do It.” It extols the ideal of hard physical training and conditioning that young people have embraced without question. Take it to the edge. Push the limits. Run the stadium stairs.

Take the mountain bike over the cliff. See how much punishment the body can take. Search for the zone. And then, and only then, pause for a Gatorade. Or a Powerbar. Are these shoes great or what? This film lovingly lingers on sweat-covered abs (a six pack, hard as Samsonite suitcase, ready to wash socks on), biceps, triceps, deltoids glistening, all buff and tight from hard workouts of rope jumping, hitting the punching bag, and endless dodging, weaving, hard-punching training bouts.

Our culture has made a fetish out of being buff — not that there’s anything wrong with that. But it has also become a cliché. Be nice if we made a fetish out of getting a solid education followed by a diploma that means something. You know, schools that academically take it to the edge, with mandatory power classes, mentally run the stairs, where your frontal lobes begin to look like a six pack.

But having said all of that, it’s true that some B movies can contain a plethora of interesting cultural information, a veritable archeological dig of pop ideas and superficial ideas about what it means to be a man in our youth oriented culture. Viewed from that perspective, “Annapolis” is a must see. Well, maybe not.

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