Title: Aloha
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Director: Cameron Crowe
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone, Rachel McAdams
Runtime: 1 hr 45 mins

What It Is: When Brian (Cooper) returns to the place of his greatest life triumph past experiences both good and bad resurface including a former flame Tracy (McAdams). At the same time he under the watchful eye of Allison (Stone) who follows him around like a lost puppy. Unexpectedly there is a spark between them and love is perhaps in the air. Written and directed by Almost Famous and Jerry Maguire director Cameron Crowe this is a romance set in paradise.

What We Think: What an awful film! Not only are individuals in this film suppose to be Hawaiian, and are clearly not Polynesian, but it is completely flat in terms of telling it’s ridiculous tale. Bradley Cooper does not have the charm here that he normally does. Emma Stone is utterly annoying. It’s that trait that makes it difficult to imagine anyone wanting to fall for her let alone our protagonist Brian. In addition the relationship between Brian and Tracys husband seems fake, mostly due to the obviousness of Brian’s feelings for Tracy. There’s clearly something there, something not explored in an interesting way at all.

Our Grade: D+, I’ll defend Elizabethtown to the death, but I cannot say the same for this film. It almost as if Crowe think we’ll buy the saccharin (and frankly) proposterous situations he puts his caricatures into. I use that term because these aren’t really people, and they never feel like real people. Perhaps the most glaring example of that is Emma Stone’s Allison Ng. She is for all intents and purposes one of the most grading things I’ve witnessed on screen all year! This along with several other structural issues makes it one of the years most truly disappointing watches.