If eye-candy is your thing …
Aloha (Bradley Cooper, Rachel McAdams, Emma Stone, John Krasinski, Bill Murray) – Cameron Crowe makes better movies than this. His Almost Famous and Jerry McGuire are classic, memorable films that explore interesting worlds (rock music and sports) in humorous and dramatic ways. Aloha doesn’t.
The cadre of very bankable, likable stars keeps this film from being just another implausible story with a love triangle. But, in truth, this is just that.
Four-time Academy Award nominee Bradley Cooper plays Brian Gilcrest, a heralded civilian contractor with shady connections but a seemingly clueless personality. He shows up at a base in Hawaii to negotiate with a local landowner for some undisclosed purpose. He is assigned a by-the-book, relentlessly stiff Air Force watchdog (Emma Stone), Allison, in one of those made-for-love movie matches.
While on his obscure mission for his boss, fat cat Carson Welch (Bill Murray), he reconnects with his long-lost love, Tracy (Rachel McAdams), who is now married to an uncommunicative military officer (John Krasinski) who can’t talk about his assignments.
Will love re-bite Brian and Tracy? Will Brian and Allison hook up? Who really cares?
Essentially a rom-com, Aloha tries to get at more serious issues, such as the seamy side of civilian contracting firms, but the plot just falls apart. Is Welch really just a Bond-like villain from a SPECTRE type organization or a madman? Again who cares?
If it is eye candy you want, go and stare at Brad, Rachel, Emma and John. But if you want to see a good film, try elsewhere.