​FILMS

aloha

2015 review number 84:

Aloha: (Comedy/Drama): 37 out of 100: Cameron Crowe has been responsible for some intriguing character pieces like Jerry Maguire and Almost Famous yet he has also made some turkeys like Elizabethtown and Vanilla Sky. Unfortunately, Aloha falls into the latter category.

 

Military contractor Brian Gilcrest (Bradley Cooper) returns to Hawaii where he has achieved some of his greatest career triumphs. He reconnects with old flame Tracy (Rachel McAdams) who is now married with two kids to Woody (John Krasinski). Brian unexpectedly falls for air force pilot Allison (Emma Stone) who has been assigned to watch over him. His main task is to help billionaire Carson Welch install a satellite in space (Bill Murray) and negotiate with the locals for allowing towers in their area to feed off the satellite. His task is not made any easier by the demands of General Dixon (Alec Baldwin).

 

Boring is the word that readily comes to mind. The meandering story filled with many ideas just doesn't go anywhere. If Crowe focused his attention on one area, then he might have had some success. Instead, he has all these sub-plots that don't amount to anything. There is one scene where Bradley Cooper's character says he doesn't engage in small talk. Most of the dialogue is small talk! Characters talking without adding any impetus to the plot.

 

Crowe has proven in the past that he can produce characters that the viewer can empathise with. The characters he has written here are just too disengaging for one to really become involved with. Bill Murray's billionaire character is a case in point. We just don't really get to know him that well. Likewise, Alec Baldwin's General Dixon who just becomes a cliched general when he starts yelling. When it comes to the romantic aspect of the plot, it's just so hard to believe that anyone would fall for the charms of another character when there isn't much sizzle or chemistry to begin with. And don't get me started with which characters end up with each other because that's difficult to fathom too! The ending loses five points because of this.

 

There is some redemption in the relationship scenes where the main characters try to work out how best to manage their love and admiration for each other. At least these scenes are grounded in reality. Some of the dialogue here shows that Crowe has the ability to write decent lines. Who could ever forget his "You had me at hello" from Jerry Maguire? Fast forward nearly 20 years later and the writing consistency is just not there. Crowe likes to keep his camera moving when directing and there's several scenes where he pans the camera from one character to another.

 

There are also some redeeming features to be found in the location shooting. You simply can't go wrong filming scenic locations in Hawaii and the camera makes efficient use of the picturesque settings. Crowe is also renowned for including soundtracks that are linked to the plot and although the soundtrack is satisfactory, it just doesn't make as much impact as something like Almost Famous did.

 

It's safe to say that Cameron Crowe is not the illustrious writer/director he once was after this effort. If he's not careful, his career will be filled with more misses than hits. It just goes to show that even with a top-notch cast, things can go wrong with the overall quality of a film.

 

Starring Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone, Rachel McAdams and Bill Murray

(105 minutes)

Parental advice: Adult themes

Additional scene during or after credits: Yes, during the credits we see Bradley Cooper at the gravesite of a native Hawaiian plus towards the end of the credits there is a satellite floating across the screen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3mf_ewjc7s (Movie trailer)

 

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