The Bottom Line: Will ‘Annapolis’ Whip Franco into Shape?

For years, Freaks and Geeks heartthrob James Franco’s coasted on his James Dean good looks and moody ways. OK, so that earned him a Golden Globe for playing the rebel without a cause in a TNT biopic, and landed him a pivotal supporting role in the Spider-Man franchise. Otherwise, the 27-year-old’s done precious little to suggest he’s going to be one of the shining stars of his generation.

And Franco’s already experienced an unhappy New Year with the failure of Tristan and Isolde. The long-delayed costume drama–an uneasy mix of romance and swordplay that would have better suited for Orlando Bloom than this Californian–will be ancient history by the time Franco enrolls at Annapolis’ famed Naval Academy on Jan. 27.

You might think Franco would be reluctant to put on a military uniform so soon after last summer’s World War Two bomb The Great Raid. But if Annapolis is more An Officer and a Gentleman than Jarhead (with a little Rocky thrown in for good measure), Franco may finally emerge victorious after a steady stream of flops.

Studios usually bring out the dead in January; hence Fox’s burial of Tristan and Isolde. But youth-oriented crowd-pleasers released at the end of the month–from Shes All That ($63.3 million) to You Got Served ($40.3 million)–often do good business regardless of whether the Super Bowl falls on the same weekend. With Tyrese Gibson barking orders at Naval recruit and budding pugilist Franco, Annapolis could prove the perfect destination for those seeking refuge from the hype surrounding Feb. 5’s big game.

Franco certainly needs Annapolis to command audiences’ attention if he’s going to survive life after Spider-Man.

He’s tried to parlay his Spider-Man success into bigger and better roles. But he often plays the same brooding misfit. How tedious.

Yes, Franco’s worked with acclaimed directors Robert Altman (The Company) and John Dahl (The Great Raid). And Nicolas Cage cast Franco as his lead in his directorial debut, Sonny. Unfortunately, he’s had the misfortune of hooking up with these directors when they’re hardly been at their best. And The Great Raid and Tristan and Isolde were doomed the moment their respective studios, Miramax and Fox, showed no confidence in the films and dumped them.

Aside from Annapolis, Franco’s got nothing in the works that could hit it big before Spider-Man 3’s May 4, 2007’s release. Flyboys, with Franco as an American pilot fighting in the French military, seems like a $60 million risk considering the failure of The Great Raid.

Still, Franco’s not afraid to put his money where his mouth is. He’s poured his own cash into three films he’s directed: Fools Gold, Good Time Max and The Ape. But does Franco show more promise as a director than an actor? Guess we’ll find out when The Ape reportedly debuts on DVD this spring.

The Bottom Line
The clock’s ticking on the Spider-Man franchise, and Franco’s running out of time to make his mark. If Annapolis doesn’t pack a punch, Franco may find himself with fewer and fewer opportunities—both in front and behind the cameras–to prove that there’s more to him than James Dean.