Review // Aloha

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Aloha, the newest film from director Cameron Crowe (Jerry McGuire), takes audiences on a journey of redemption as a former golden boy returns to the scene of his greatest success and tries to rekindle the magic. No, I’m not talking about Cameron Crowe, I’m talking about Bradley Cooper’s Brian Gilcrest.

Brian is a military contractor who began his career working for the air and space program stationed in Hawaii. When he first left the military, it was at a time when the space program was getting the heave from Washington but attracting the funds of eccentric billionaires. Gilcrest left to work alongside one such billionaire, Carson Welch (Bill Murray). Fast forward thirteen years, after a sketchy deal in the Middle East goes belly up and Gilcrest’s career is on a down swing. Welch gives him one last shot to resurrect his failing business by returning to Hawaii and working for him as a military liaison.

The casting is perfect, a little too on the nose with Bill Murray (who despite being delightful is too often cast as an eccentric but wise old man these days), and the ensemble cast is something else. Rachel McAdams is endearing as Tracy, a wife and mother caught between a rock and a hard place when Brian’s return forces her to re-evaluate her past choices. Tracy is a really interesting character as is her husband Woody (John Krasinski), the relatively silent aircraft pilot. Krasinski is an interesting casting choice and his character grows the most, a stalwart solider and family man he has trouble communicating. Woody shows the realities of being the “tall, dark, silent type” and they aren’t as romantic as golden age hollywood would have you believe. Crowe’s films are often littered with quirky characters like Woody, and Aloha has more than usual. There’s Danny McBride’s Col. “Fingers” Lacy who, despite being a top military official, is never taken seriously because he’s plagued with hands he can’t control. There’s also Gilcrest’s more appropriate love interest, Allison Ng (Emma Stone), a single fighter pilot who is assigned to be his Air Force watch dog. Ng is essentially a Manic Pixie Dream Girl in an officer’s uniform, because what man can’t rediscover himself without the assistance of such a creature? The disappointing thing is that while Cooper and McAdams have undeniable chemistry, the interactions between him and Stone feel forced.

Despite Brian being caught in multiple (yes multiple) love triangles, the heart of the film is his story of redemption, and it’s essentially a character study.

Though billed as a romantic comedy, Aloha really isn’t. Despite Brian being caught in multiple (yes multiple) love triangles, the heart of the film is his story of redemption, and it’s essentially a character study. The problem is that there is little character development until the end of the movie when we’re treated to a tidal wave of change. Plus, Brian isn’t really a compelling character. Sure he’s got an interesting story, a smooth talking deal maker coming to terms with his immoral actions to get the girl, but we’ve seen it before. Heck, I’m more interested to learn more about Fingers’ medical condition and how he overcame ridicule to achieve Colonel status.

The subplot of the film focuses on the more political issue of weapons in space. Aloha tries to blend elements of a spy caper with the light-hearted tone of it’s comedy but it falls flat. The whole thing comes off feeling juvenile and convenient (especially since the end game is inadvertently discovered by a child). The film concludes with all possible strings tied into neat bows, however the whole thing is a little too neat and everything that went down feels suspect. And this is a bit of a spoiler…but Brian gets the girl at the end. I think it would have been a better film if he didn’t, but maybe that’s just me.

According to the film’s tag line, “sometimes you have to say hello to be able to say goodbye”. If, like me, you’re a Cameron Crowe fan, you’re better off saying hello to Almost Famous again. I really hope Crowe finds the form he once had, because Aloha is a major disappointment.

Reviewed by Vithiya Murugadas.