Aloha

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone, Rachel McAdams, Bill Murray, John Krasinski, Danny McBride, Alec Baldwin, Bill Camp
Directed by: Cameron Crowe
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
2015

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary:A military contractor (Bradley Cooper) returns to Hawaii, where he reconnects with his ex-girlfriend (Rachel McAdams) and starts to connect with his military liaison (Emma Stone).

Review:

Tim: Cameron Crowe is not a director I normally get excited about, which is odd, because I almost always like his movies. Outside of the godawful Vanilla Sky, I've liked the other 5 Crowe movies I've seen. The guy is a talented director. So, I was looking forward to Aloha, even though the reviews were mixed. While I did enjoy certain aspects of the film, this is easily one of the most disappointing movies he's made. It's okay, but contains some massive problems which sink any hope of it achieving its full potential.

I have to say that the story just didn't work for me. It wasn't all that interesting and it was kind of confusing as you're watching. All these characters have history together and it was a bit of a chore to sift through everything that was happening. None of the confusion comes from the plot being too complex- it's complex, but audiences are intelligent (some of them). The problem is the muddled way we learn about what is going on. I never felt invested in the story in the least. It wasn't interesting and didn't matter to me. I felt more of a connection with the characters, but the story they are wrapped in was very weak. Crowe wrote that mess of a story, so it's all on him.

Crowe usually assembles strong casts and that is true again here. Bradley Cooper is a strong lead and was believable in this role. It plays to his strengths and while it didn't really challenge him too much, it's the kind of role he will always be able to successfully pull off. Rachel McAdams was well cast as his former flame. She didn't have much to do that was interesting, but she adds to the film in small ways. I really like Emma Stone, but something about her performance was just off. It was like she was trying way too hard. I know that is what her character is all about, but I just never believed her performance for a second. She seemed out of her element and in need of direction. I don't know what Crowe wanted her to do, but it felt like there was a disconnect. Stone is a strong actress, so it's a bit perplexing why she felt out of step throughout the film. Bill Murray was fine, but again, the role presented no challenges for him. I liked seeing John Krasinski, although he was severely underutilized. I laughed a few times at the conversations he has without saying anything, but I like him as an actor and wanted him to do something more. Alec Baldwin was okay but added just a little. It was interesting seeing Danny McBride in a fairly straightforward, reserved role. As a whole, the cast is very strong, although not everyone was as good as you'd expect.

Crowe's movies always have great soundtracks. I would say this one was okay, but the music didn't play as big of a role here, or it just wasn't as noticeable. That's not a big issue, though. I do want to comment on the criticism leveled at this film for whitewashing the cast. It is sad to see a film that takes place on Hawaii and so little ethnicity showing up on screen. To some extent, this may be slightly unfair because the characters are mostly military, so they could easily have been white. A glaring problem that bothered me was Stone's character claiming to have some Hawaiian ancestry. That's beyond absurd. If that was an important aspect of the character, Stone never should have been cast. I didn't care for that. So, I wasn't as angry as others, but I felt more disappointment. This would have been a terrific opportunity to include a more diverse cast. It would have made realistic sense given the setting. Unfortunately, Crowe didn't seize that opportunity, and so the film rightfully takes a hit because of that.

While I enjoyed specific moments of Aloha, the film as a whole is too filled with problems to be very good. Crowe has made some good movies and some terrific moments. Unfortunately, this one is a far cry from them. Aloha was a misfire and just does not work.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 6



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