It’s hard to put a finger on what precisely is wrong with Cameron Crowe’s “Aloha.” It might be the title, or the script, or the director, or the casting, or more than likely, a combination of all four.
By description alone, it should be amazing. It has everything going for it. A tale of redemption set in Hawaii with an amazing cast, what could go wrong?
Unfortunately, the answer to that question is — a little bit of everything.
The film has a disjointed feeling to it. There are some good bits and pieces in there, they just never seem to come together.
Bradley Cooper plays Brian Gilcrest, a military contractor hired to help with a privately funded space satellite launch in Hawaii. He’s on a tight-leash after an incident in Kabul, and is assigned a military liaison, Allison Ng (Emma Stone), who is in charge of keeping an eye on him.
Gilcrest’s Hawaiian adventure isn’t just about work, it also forces him to face his past, which includes his ex, Tracy (Rachel McAdams), who is now married with two children (Danielle Rose Russell and Jaeden Lieberher).
From there, well, it follows your standard romantic comedy formula. Everyone ends up with who you’d expect, but not without some bumps along the way.
The film is not without its charms. Emma Stone has her usual infectious energy and enthusiasm, even if she is regrettably miscast as a part-Asian character. Thanks to her energetic performance, the film does have a few bright spots.
The attempts to weave the native Hawaiian culture and mythology into the story is also very interesting, even though it’s not executed very well.
It’s not an awful film, it just never quite comes together. If you’re looking to take a break from the summer of blockbusters, you could do worse, but there are also plenty of better options out there.
…just for fun:
