Aloha

Review By: John Delia

There may be an upside to Aloha, but it’s not the storyline, which is a contrived bundle of fiction that a novice writer could have scripted.  In today’s scheme of things, moviegoers (especially romantics) are demanding a screenplay that could be at least realistic so they can emulate with the characters. The word trite or even tripe comes to mind with this imposter of a love story that’s laced with comedy to hide the improbable circumstances. Evan as a comedy, Aloha has its shortcomings like Emma Stone’s stumbling in love character that gets too silly to be likable.

The script tries to be all it’s not, blending a From Russia with Love theme with an upside down romance.  Neither genre works in Aloha, nor is it a good comedic spoof of both themes. The story goes like this: Brian Gilcrest (Bradley Cooper) has arrived in Hawaii to take on a covert job for billionaire Carson Welch (Bill Murray).  Meeting him at the airport are Allison Ng (Emma Stone) an Air Force Captain assigned to Brian as an assistant of sorts and his old flame Tracy Woodside (Rachel McAdams) now married with children.

Brian gets whisked off by Allison to his hotel after a quick reminiscence with Tracy, who invites him to her home for dinner during his five day stay in Hawaii. The film gets complicated as Allison tries to manipulate Brian from coming between Tracy and her husband John (John Krasinski), getting him to meetings with Hawaiian tribal leaders and making him a part of her own romantic agenda.

The love triangle barley works in this dubious mess of a film.  Too many plot holes cause the, “Are you kidding me?!” factor, including Tracy’s mooning over a man she hasn’t seen or heard from for twelve years like a love sick teenager. And that’s only one of the problems in this unrealistic movie about deceit and world domination. One example is sending a satellite into space without the government knowing what’s inside being too farfetched for even a comedy.  And there is even an Air Force Captain manipulating tribal leaders into making a deal with the US Government. There are just a few of the many absurd moments in Aloha.

If there is an upside to the film it’s screen hunk Bradley Cooper, a “bod” to swoon over for the ladies.  It’s another chance to see him on the screen and dream about what never can be, but in their minds of a fantasy world it could. Cooper only delivers his good looks as there’s very little chemistry between him and both of the women that are playing characters vying for his affection. If the ladies have their way this weekend, like they did with Pitch Perfect 2 vs. Mad Max, they could own the box-office going to see Aloha vs. San Andreas.  But that’s another story.

Aloha has been rated PG-13 by the MPAA for some language including suggestive comments. The film could have probably received a PG rating except for a rant by General Dixon a character played by Alec Baldwin. If you have mature pre-teens that you with to bring to the film there’s a secondary story within the movie involving the character Grace Woodside played aptly by Danielle Rose Russell.

FINAL ANALYSIS: An unrealistic plot that gives very little to moviegoers. (C-)