Quartile rating: 5.5/10 · 1 rating
A celebrated military contractor returns to the site of his greatest career triumphs and re-connects with a long-ago love while unexpectedly falling for the hard-charging Air Force watchdog assigned to him.
Aloha is a Cameron Crowe film that struggles under the weight of an overcrowded, unfocused script — a love triangle that never quite convinces, subplots about a secret satellite weapon that feel tonally mismatched, and characters who feel underdeveloped despite the talented cast. The acting is serviceable given the material, with Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone, and Rachel McAdams doing their best, though Stone's casting drew controversy. The Hawaiian cinematography is pleasant but not distinctive. The film recycles familiar Crowe romantic tropes without the magic of his best work, making it feel derivative rather than fresh. The ending resolves its threads too neatly and without earned emotional payoff.