By Daniela Coe-McNamara
Staff Writer
A touching love story coupled with the beautiful scenery of the Hawaiian islands gives the romantic comedy, “Aloha,” a pleasant aesthetic, but the relaxing setting isn’t enough to distract from the film’s disorganized plot.
The all star cast includes Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone, and Rachel McAdams, who improved the film with their heartfelt, passionate acting. In the end, even the film’s impressive acting could not save “Aloha” from the detrimental effects caused by its haphazard mess of love triangles. Though the film includes intriguing aspects such as beautiful Hawaiian scenery and space exploration, the messy plot causes the film to be a chaotic disaster and poor casting creates a lack of authenticity.
Directed by Cameron Crowe, “Aloha” is a clear let down compared to Crowe’s many other successful films. Taking place in Hawaii, the setting influences much of the movie as Hawaiian traditions are heavily involved throughout the film.
Military contractor Brian Gillcrest (Bradley Cooper) returns to Hawaii, while being watched over by Air Force celebrity Allison Ng (Emma Stone). Upon his arrival, he is reunited with his ex-girlfriend Tracy (Rachel McAdams) who is now happily married to another military man. Gillcrest’s struggle between his old life with Allison and his love for his new watch-dog is the main conflict in the film, as his awful character toys with the emotions of everyone around him.
The celebrity cast of “Aloha” may have included some of the most well-known romantic comedy actors, but the film lacks authenticity due to poor casting choices. Allison Ng, the blonde Air Force pilot, is said to be a quarter Hawaiian, despite Emma Stone’s clear lack of Asian blood. This contributes to the appropriation of the Hawaiian culture that infiltrated the authenticity of the entire film.
The use of Hawaiian culture and legends is woven throughout the movie as the Hawaiian people are used to represent an indigenous, inferior people manipulated by a more advanced people. The negative portrayal of the Hawaiians angered many people of Hawaiian descent, for their myths were utilized simply as a film tactic, a backdrop for the story which centered on the more important Americans.
Space and the sky above are incredibly important symbols in the movie, as the film is based mainly around the Air Force. The Hawaiian legends tell many stories about the sky, with Hawaiian gods playing a large symbolic role in the movie, as Tracy’s son is heavily involved with these Hawaiian legends, believing that Gillcrest is a Hawaiian god returning to save his girl Tracy. This old flame causes issues in Tracy’s marriage, leading to a large amount of unnecessary drama between Tracy, her husband, and Gillcrest, pointlessly cluttering the storyline. The love for the gods makes an interesting aspect of the film, but is slightly misplaced as it detracts from the film’s focus.
The entire idea of the plot, a returning military contractor reunited with his ex-girlfriend, and then falling for his Air Force watchdog, is too messy. The film tries to do too much with the story, involving too many characters in limited space. Gillcrest must choose between his now married ex and this newfound, adventurous woman, only his ex was never truly an option. This entire aspect of the film is unnecessary, and detracts from the film’s plot.
“Aloha” did not entirely meet expectations, as the romantic portion of the romantic comedy disappointed with its disorganized ideas, but the scenery and spiritual symbols made it a pleasant watch if one isn’t looking for cultural authenticity or plot depth.
“Aloha” is rated PG-13 and is playing at all nearby theaters, including Arclight Beach Cities in El Segundo.
Leave a Reply