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After insisting thirty-four times with his congressman, the shipyard welder and amateurish boxer Jake Huard (James Franco) joins the U.S. Naval Academy. Having difficulties in the classes and suffering prejudice in his relationship with his superior Cole (Tyrese Gibson), he has the support of his roommate and his superiors Ali (Jordana Brewster) and Lt. Commander Burton (Donnie Wahlberg). Jake studies hard and trains for an internal box competition, in an unfair environment.

"Annapolis" is one of those movies that the viewer can foresee the whole story. In this one, there is a combination of those "tough lives of rookies with their superiors" in a military facility with a box competition, in a predictable collection of clichés. Further, the film is miscast, with the sweet, mignon and gorgeous Jordana Brewster couching James Franco in box fight. You certainly have already seen at least twenty movies with one of these themes better than this one. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Annapolis"

The military world is always portrayed differently than the world most of us live in currently. And it's important that it is done with respect and dignity; to show us non-military personnel what our men and women in the army go through to be the best. This movie, directed by Justin Lin mirrors that well (training wise) but I'm not sure about much else. Lin's direction everywhere else was all over the place and he couldn't seem to make the main character tell us what he truly was trying to become. Plus, writer David Collard has so many unfinished subplots that the audience will feel a very empty feeling by the finale.

Annapolis is the name of an academy that James Franco's character, Jake Huard wants to join. This is because of a promise he makes to his mother who passed away before he could join. But what's never explained to us is why he's joining. Is he joining to serve his country? Maybe just to prove himself to others that he can be better than where he is now? Or is it to improve his physical strength so he can be a better boxer? We're never given an answer.

Then there's the issue of multiple subplots. Huard has personal problems between him and his father played by Brian Goodman. He also is trying to get into a relationship with a military chick (Jordana Brewster) he originally mistook as a prostitute, who somehow still has the nerve to talk to him after being assumed that. Along with that is Huard's friend, Twins (Vicellous Shannon) who is attempting to overcome his large figure so he can pass a specific test. And together with them is another friend, Loo (Roger Fan) who is a real stickler to the rules. Lastly is the bumping heads between Huard and Cole (Tyrese Gibson).

Yes that's a lot of subplots! And guess what? By the end of the film, only two of these subplots are actually completed. The rest are left hanging up in the air to dry. The audience will never know what happened to some specific characters because Mr. Collard didn't seem to find this needed to be written in the script. What? I think I can agree on saying that the audience always loves a well-written story as long as the subplots are finished as well.

What I did appreciate is how the training was displayed. Yes, it is a vigorous and tiring string of exercises and that is shown perfectly here. Brian Tyler's music was well appreciated too even though I did not find it bringing up the tone of the story. And I couldn't stand the negative energy that was being thrusted upon me by Gibson's character. In a sense, it felt like grown-up bullying and it was all directed towards Huard, and everyone suffered for it. Why does this training academy have its nose so high up in the air? My god.

Annapolis does not inspire no matter how hard it tries to. The film has no direction and weakly written script. The music and visual aids of training are the only thing worth seeing.

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.

Did you like Louis Gossett Jr.'s character in An Officer and a Gentleman? Are you looking for a Demi Moore look-a-like from A Few Good Men? Do you want a protagonist who boxes alongside his military career with a name similar to Prewitt from From Here to Eternity? If you answered three sound yeses, then you want to rent Annapolis, a naval drama about a boxer named Huard who struggles with a tough sergeant and falls for a female officer. It's not nearly as good a movie as the three it borrowed from, but if your goal is to see a modern knock-off or to if you're in the middle of your James-Franco-in-a-uniform movie marathon, you'll be very entertained.

If James Franco weren't the lead in this movie, I would say Vicellous Reon Shannon stole the show. His character is an out-of-shape plebe who can't complete the obstacle course and is repeatedly picked on for his weight. Not only is he given the best lines, but he's the one you care about. He's the only one who sticks by Franco-who struggles instead with the studious portion-because Franco is his "Mississippi". Mississippi is the worst state in the union, so the second-worst state-Arkansas-can always take comfort that it's not in last place. They help each other through mutual studying and training, and if the lead weren't such a dreamboat, Shannon's character could have been the one everyone remembers.

However, since the lead is a dreamboat, I can't imagine anyone going to see this movie for any other reason than to stare at an extremely muscular James Franco for two hours as he tries to recreate Richard Gere's and Montgomery Clift's struggles from prior movies. While Tyrese Gibson and McCaleb Burnett are supposed to be seen as overly tough to the plebes, I found no fault with their characters. Everyone's weaknesses and emotional issues are supposed to be brought to the forefront and exploited, to toughen them up and make them capable of anything under any amount of pressure. Harassment about one man's weight problem or another's nationality is to be expected, because no one can get distracted, defensive, or hurt feelings when they're in a life-or-death situation. Still, there are a couple of "nicer" instructors: Donnie Wahlberg, who helped Franco gain admittance to the academy, and Jordana Brewster, his love interest.

Yes, the movie is a bit predictable and not particularly original, but it's still enjoyable. Once again, it was unfairly criticized and flopped at the box office. There's no reason for movies like this to be badly received; the performances are strong, and the message makes you feel good. Critics seem to be universally too harsh when judging James Franco's movies, so why don't you rent a couple and make up your own mind about them?

DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. During the boxing fights, there is a bit of handheld camera usage that will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"

There isn't a scene in this movie where I can't name the better movie that they stole the idea from. Watchable, but very predictable, and your life is no better off at the end.

before i actually talk about this movie i would like to say that in general a lot of the scenes brings backs memories, i would rather soon forget. like getting the haircut, getting screamed at. harassed. that kinda thing. but anyway i proceeded to give the movie a shot,, not a bad piece of work actually. i mean these kind of movies have been done before, but the characters in this one seemed to have held my interest. tyrese Gibson, seemed to be way over the top, but i liked him,, james franco, not to bad,, looked like he could actually box. jordanna brewster, cute as-s a picture, i don't care if the movie get's it right where they said that's not the way the Navy does it or , i'm just a regular joe who appreciates a good story,, let's pretend i'm stupid for a minute, and didn't know where the naval academy was in real life. i did recognize something right off that bat, and that's good for the movie , and that's the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. gosh i passed over that sucker off to my left heading out of jersey in to philly on the Walt Whitman bridge, that's one of my fav. sights in Philly .... the shipyard. well back to the movie. i loved the character of the young black plebe "twins". i could identify with him very well,the movie was way better than i thought it would be, now it's not a Hollywood masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination, but not something thrown together at the last minute.

I saw a preview for Annapolis last Friday and Saturday night I took my husband. It was not the movie I thought it was going to be, but wasn't sure why in my mind I was mislead, until tonight. This evening while watching Flightplan at home, I saw a preview for Annapolis and oh my!!!!! We counted 19 scenes in the preview that are not in the movie! The preview shows an aircraft carrier being blown up and the movie never even shows a boat in the water!!!! It shows all kinds of scenes with fighter planes and there is never a scene in the movie with a plane in it at all!!!! The preview makes it out to be an action combat movie, which is just not the case at all. I want my money back for false advertising!!!!

Although a lot have people have been saying that it's a waste of time to go see this movie, I would disagree. James Franco is a very talented actor, and I thought he did well in this movie. Not only that, I found Annapolis in general to be an entertaining film. The boxing scenes were well shot and exciting enough. I know that it's similar to Topgun, but I wouldn't call it a rip off. It's got it's own flare, and I throughly enjoyed watching. A good soundtrack, great cinematography, and good acting really make this movie. This movie might not be for everyone, but I'm usually a pretty tough critic and I really liked it. So, if you're looking for a good watch one night, go check out Annapolis and decide for yourself.

I've already seen that there's a majority around here with a similarly strong opinion of this movie.

I'd be lying if I didn't agree with the majority, it's true... However, it's very good to make it clear that despite being a "cliché", this movie has its own quality and authorial dynamics. I defend the feature film for what remains worthy of its principle, which is to entertain the public. During the viewing of the product we have access to a variety of emotions made possible by the good cast that makes up the work, the quality does have a good impact on the viewer making us put ourselves in the shoes of the characters and feeling the need to support the "cause" of our protagonists to victory, as well as some of the actors in the story. It's worth adding that just as the film has a variety of good features, it also has one that, at least for me as a viewer, left me a little frustrated (and I think most people were too), which was the simple fact that we didn't have access to a specific ending, the protagonist (James Franko), let's say he "accomplishes" his goal, but what happens next? What is his relationship with the "antagonist" (Tyrese Gibson)? What happened between Jake (James Franco) and his father (Brian Goodman), given that it was a rather unusual relationship? What about the romance?

Finally, is this movie worth seeing or not? The answer is Yes, it depends on which movie and which category of plot you want to see of course, but if you're looking for a movie to watch as a family or even with your partner, Annapolis is a movie to consider that doesn't fall short of expectations, but it's worth bearing in mind that the movie isn't quite matched by an ending... All in all, I rate the movie "Annapolis" as "above average", giving it a score of 7 under the circumstances.

Jake Huard (James Franco) is a young man from a poor family who wins admission to the Annapolis Naval Academy, but finds it tougher than he thought when he finds himself facing a superior officer (Tyrese Gibson) in the Navy boxing competition.

The story is very similar to An Officer and a Gentlemen and there really isn't much of a difference between those two films. Still, Annapolis could have been an entertaining popcorn flick. Unfortunately, its dull and very generic. Almost every scene plays like a scene from a better movie. There is no creativity to be found here at all. It's an empty movie and it has very little to offer. The premise may have seemed like a good idea on paper but it sure didn't turn out that way. It's no surprise that it was released in January.

The acting is not very good and it brings the film down quite a bit. James Franco is an okay actor but I don't think he's good enough to be a leading man. He just doesn't have what it takes and this film proves it. Jordana Brewster gives an awful performance as Ali. She's very pretty but she can't act at all. Tyrese Gibson can be a good actor when he wants to be, like in Four Brothers. Here, he gives a bland, unconvincing performance and he seemed to be reading from the cue cards the entire time. The rest of the cast isn't very good but it's these three that should have carried the film.

There are some good things to be found in Annapolis though. The boxing scenes are actually pretty good. Of course, they occur at the end so sitting through the first 80 minutes or so is probably not worth it. There are also a few supporting characters that are interesting like Twins. That's really all the good I can get from this film. The chemistry between Jordana and James just wasn't there. The story wasn't bad just nothing really new. It's a film that's kind of just there. Its not really worth watching but if its on T.V and there's nothing else on then it may not hurt as much as spending $9 in the theater. In the end, Annapolis is a bland, forgettable film that will be just fine on DVD. Rating 5/10

I didn't think it ruined what Top gun did for the Navy. I felt that there were some corny moments and it really could have had more romantic elements. But I felt that the connection made between the recruits was very well done and that the way the officer's were acting was much like what someone would actually experience. I wasn't expecting much from seeing it, but I did think it was very well done, a little predictable at points, but I feel it is worth seeing simply for a lot of fit men and women, and for a cute plot, as well as fitness ideas lol No one could have possibly expected an Oscar win for this film, that would be unrealistic, but it was entertaining and I was on the edge of my seat, quite literally, for a few scenes! Everyone can relate to some aspect of this film, some awesome lines and some great heart =)

Annapolis will never be confused with an Oscar worthy movie, but it wasn't intended to be either.It is not a complicated plot so sit back and enjoy. It is a classic underdog story in the Rocky, Officer and a Gentleman way. The movie's pace is great and never gets bogged down trying to be something it is not. James Franco is gritty and principled and plays a hard nosed, blue collar kid from the shipyards located a stone's throw from the Naval Academy. He has a stoic, no fear attitude that fights for the little guy in all of us throughout the movie, and makes you want to stand up and applaud at points in the movie. The entire story is really well done and Franco is definitely on his way to stardom. The boxing scenes are really well done, better than most boxing movies I have seen. This movie has it all and you will enjoy it.

As a graduate of the US Naval Academy, this movie was disappointing. It depicts the academy in a manner far from reality. Read the comments of the USNA Superintendent posted on IMDb and come to your own conclusion. The Academy offered its support to help make a film true to the ideals and environment of USNA but was turned down by the film makers.

If you are looking for a realistic portrayal of the US service academies, their values and mission, this movie misses the mark in a big way. If you're just looking for a good yarn, it won't satisfy in that regard either.

An accurate and compelling story could have been told with sets and context true to Annapolis and might just have been a money maker for the production company as well as a positive message for the Navy.

Unfortunate, as these times call for strong leadership and excellence in the role our military occupies on the world stage, and that story deserves accuracy, not Hollywood fantasy.

In 'Annapolis' James Franco (Spiderman and Tristan & Isolde) plays Jake Huard, a Maryland shipbuilder and amateur boxer who wants to attend the Naval Academy at Annapolis. He is not the ideal candidate, but he is determined to make it.

I would say this movie is like 'Rocky' meets 'An Officer and a Gentleman'. This is a good movie; however, there is nothing that special about it. It is very predictable. Two of the main characters really mimic their counterparts in the other movies. James Franco is to Richard Gere/Sylvester Stallone and Tyrese Gibson (Lt. Cole) is to Louis Gossett Jr./Carl Weathers.

In its defense, James Franco did a remarkable job in the picture. The bonds he forms with his fellow classmen are very believable. Better I think than in 'An Officer and a Gentleman'. But I do not think this movie is anything we have not already seen. I also think West Point is a much tougher academy.

I'm only giving it 5 stars because it only lived up to half of the expectations that the trailer gave it. Once you see it you will know what I mean. I just got out of the theater a half hour ago and I left disappointed because I was expecting to see what was promised in the trailer. I'm talking about the ships, submarines, jets, helicopters, being out to see, the ship explosion, and such. The only ship you see is the one that is being built and it never even leaves the harbor. I left feeling like they didn't have the budget to finish the movie so they just cut it short. There are no scenes where they are outside the grounds of Annapolis, unless you count the bar across the bay. It was a good movie as long as you know what you are expecting. Expect to see boxing scenes, as that is the new focus of the movie after they had to cut out all the stuff after they ran out of money. Oh, and also the line in the trailer, "Why are you so hard on him…" etc. yep, CUT!

I think this was a really good movie! James Franco's character is a really good man of morals. The movie is done very well. You really get to know the characters in it, what they are feeling and thinking. You feel them struggle with the harsh military rule. The movie really makes you want to get in shape and go out and exercise. And if you are a James Franco fan I'd say you better hurry and see it, his nice in shape body and six pack are very welcomed among the ladies. Also I think it's a little too short like they could of added a few more scenes at the end. But overall I thought it was a good film, not Oscar worthy, but a nice family flick. I think everyone should go out and see it!

I am a graduate of the Naval Academy. I knew that the Academy, and the Navy, had withheld their support of the movie due to the script. The depictions of academy life are so unrealistic that they are almost funny. While I realize that sometimes Hollywood needs to "juice up" some things, in this case the result is so very, very far from reality that it becomes almost unrecognizable. I am proud to be an Academy graduate, and cherish what it stands for -- I only wish there was some way they could have prevented the makers from using the name "Annapolis" or any inferred link to the Naval Academy.

All that aside, the plot is awful, and the acting is barely passable for professionals.

Don't waste your time or money!!

Frankly, I'm appalled that so many people on here have given this movie such a poor rating. This movie is excellent! It is NOT a documentary, therefore it IS fiction. Many of these negative reviews are written by people who are affiliated with the armed forces and are criticizing this movie because of its lack of a factual depiction of life at training facilities. Uhm....hello, it's a MOVIE! This is not meant to act as a recruiting film. People who are considering going into the armed forces don't sit there and say to themselves......."Hmmm, I really don't know if I'm cut out for this, maybe I should rent Annapolis and see what it's 'really' like." Geesh people! It's a fictional film meant to entertain and it definitely delivers. Movies are meant to be a form of escapism. Great movies fully engage you in their world and keep your attention so that you get emotionally involved in the plot and feel as though you are getting to know the characters. This movie does exactly that. A great movie forces you to forget about your own world for approximately 2 hours. During the time I was watching this film, I was so fully engrossed in it that not a single thought unrelated to the movie entered my mind. Now that's what I would deem a great movie! Others are most certainly entitled to their own opinion, but I would hate for this movie not to receive its due acclaim because others are hung up on the fact that it is not a documentary film depicting what life is like training to become an officer in the armed forces. I am not claiming to know anything about that world, but I think in this particular case it helps me to better appreciate this movie for what it is at face value - a fictional film meant to entertain. I was definitely entertained and taken to another world whilst watching this movie. I highly recommend this film!

I really don't have much to say about this movie. Judging by the other comments about people hating the script, I'd guess I really don't have much to say ever about the script of a movie, so it seemed fine to me.

This movie was hardly anything like I expected (but that doesn't mean James Franco didn't make it good. ;)). I was expecting the movie to be him going to the naval academy, and then actually going and fighting some place. Instead, it's like Rocky...only Rocky was probably better. I did really enjoy a couple funny lines in the movie, especially the part about porn.

I liked the opening shot because it didn't show everything all at once, and made you try to guess what was going on before they showed it.

The relationship between Jake & Ali was super predictable from the very beginning, although I was very pleased that the whole movie didn't turn out to be Top Gun at sea, rather than in air.

Some sets looked the same, I really think they should have added a little more detail to most of them.

I really liked the music in the movie! The movie wasn't too long, although it could have been a little shorter simply because there were some useless sub-plots in the movie.

Annapolis

reviewed by Sam Osborn of www.samseescinema.com

rating: 1.0 out of 4

In creating an inspirational film, there must be inspiration behind the pen of the writer and, also, behind the lens of the camera. Annapolis is the laziest of feel-good cinema; with each element of its narrative loosely tacked upon the celluloid, every line of dialogue following a woefully well-trodden trail of story arcs. The film fails to even decide in its direction; stumbling about its indecision on what to pull into focus: the Naval Academy or the hyped-up boxing tournament. Both stories are tired, one from its hammering in the news, and the other from its walk around the block in last year's multiplexes. Interest in a patriotic military is low, with over 60% of audiences disapproving of the current political spread, and as the much talked-about box office failure of Cinderella Man has indicated, audiences are now left cold by boxing films.

Maybe Annapolis' release is somehow timely; a cinematic opportunity to boost morale among citizens about the situation in Iraq. But the film seems to warily circle the Naval Academy, making an effort to avoid blatant stabs at patriotism and not make much rah-rah sentiment with its story. And if this all sounds contradictory it's frankly no fault of mine, but the fault of the film's. Director Justin Lin (Better Luck Tomorrow) seems inclined to cover everything up and not allow us to witness its atrocity. Each of the film's ideas is smothered just when they seem poised to bloom; but maybe this is because each of Annapolis' ideas has potential for controversy. If Lin were to focus on the students' work at the Academy, critics would bemoan the film as gratingly patriotic, but if he were to downplay every aspect of the military, other critics would call him un-American. Instead, Lin timidly finds a blurry middle-ground that satisfies absolutely nothing and results in films that's tired and plain.

Annapolis opens promisingly enough: in a smoky boxing ring surrounded by metal folding chairs and weary old men. In the ring is Jake Huard (James Franco) rising from an extreme close-up of his eyes and to his feet from a near knockout. One man slaps the palm of his neighbor, deciding now that Jake hasn't a chance. But Jake pulls through and rallies against his opponent, resulting in the paid man returning his money to his now smug neighbor. Donnie Wahlberg sits calmly in the audience, posture straight as a board's, as any respectable Lieutenant Commander's would be. But Jake isn't a boxer, instead working as a welder with his father, burning away at the Navy's newest cruiser.

The day after the fight, Wahlberg's Lt. Cmdr. Burton offers him the last remaining spot at the Naval Academy. Jake had applied but been wait-listed and resigned to working with his father. But now at the Academy, Jake must succeed to prove to his blank-faced dad that he's worth some pride. The antagonist is his direct superior, Cole, played by another B-list actor, Tyrese Gibson. Cole doesn't speak much, but has knack for sneering and flexing his muscles in the ring. Another of his superiors is Ali, the plucker of Jake's heartstrings, played by Jordana Brewster in an unlikely but smoothly convincing performance. Jake isn't the most subservient of students and lacks in naval trivia and calculus proficiency, often resulting in punishment for his entire team. Jake doesn't react well to these reprimands and takes them personally, questioning whether or not he ever deserved acceptance to the school at all. This boils down to Jake counting down the days until he can pop Cole in the kisser at the end-of-year boxing tournament.

In films about teenagers and young adults, I often find myself wishing the director had had the nerve to cast actual teenagers in the roles of teenaged characters. But due to financial obligations, roles will be forever filled with twenty-something actors playing down to eighteen or fifteen. And with Annapolis, despite the story's impotence and story faults numbering more than my fingers can count, it would excessively benefit from a cast of up-and-coming teenagers. Jake and Ali's relationship would heighten into something risky and vibrantly sexual, an eighteen year old fraternizing with his direct superior. And Jake's rivalry with Cole would develop more aggressively, adding muscle and feeling to scenes where an eighteen year-old would take the ring with a beefy twenty-something. Even the back-and-forth shooting of dialogue between Jake and his roommates would take on a new air of reality, becoming less of a scripted line-reading, and more like a few guys sittin' around cracking bad jokes. The rawness of this youth could have even brought Lin's film into satisfying territory, where his tepid middle-ground storytelling might have been eclipsed by some honest character arcs.

Instead, Annapolis is the uninspired inspirational film; a timorous bore of average proportions. It's pointless and full of indecision. Its boxing scenes are apathetic to creativity, its romance buoyed by safety restraints, and its father-son sentiment unearned. Sometimes Annapolis reminded me of a Marines TV spot, when Lin attempts to hone in on life at the Academy. The scenes are hard-rocking montages that work less like plot developing sequences and more like government funded commercials. I kept expecting Jake to stand straight, put his hand to his head in salute, and for the throaty voice to come over in narration: "The Few, The Proud, The Marines." But it never does, and when the credits roll we're reminded that this is no innocent plug for the military, but one of the most haplessly incapable films we'll see in 2006.

-www.samseescinema.com

Quite enjoyable but so much of the story is similar to an Officer and a Gentleman. The story ,incidentally is very far fetched with a developing love affair with the very gorgeous female lead character .

My wife and I just felt it was a rip off.

.

I liked this film. It was good - it ultimately won me over me and for that I'd have to give it good marks, but there were a lot of gimmicks used that are a bit blatant.

This movie has a familiar plot - a guy who grows up on the 'wrong side of the tracks' gets entry into the prestigious naval academy at Annapolis. His desire for becoming something better is at war with his chaotic, inner turbulence. The movie is about his struggle to make it through his tough, first year at the academy.

If the plot sounds a lot like "An Officer and a Gentleman" - it is almost exactly that, but not quite as good.

Annapolis relies on a lot of blatant gimmicks. First, everyone important is a model. Even the drill instructors. Second, the love interest of the lead character is, coincidentally, also a model and a drill instructor at the academy. Instead of having to work at any love relationship - the drill instructor basically throws herself at him from the start.

Another clear gimmick is the inclusion of highly clichéd secondary characters - like the struggling cadet who always comes in last-place and the 'everything-by-the-book' character. Oh yes - and finally there is the tough-as-nails, robot-like drill instructor that is feared by everyone.

Still, even with the obvious clichés, predictable plot and virtual straight rip-off of another movie - I still liked it. This boils down the lead character being interesting. James Franco gave a strong performance. He is believable as an aggressive, tough and unrefined individual that has a better person somewhere inside of him. His performance basically drives the movie. The other actors put in fine performances too - even though their characters were somewhat limited.

If you like movies about the struggle of chaotic individuals that aspire to something better, this movie is reasonably well done where it counts - the performances - and is worth seeing because of it.