Aloha

Some would say that it's occasionally nice to watch a film that you kind of suspect from the beginning will turn out well, and you'll get a nice feeling from it. I would say that this is necessary. And not just occasionally. Aloha is exactly that kind of film. The super sympathetic trio of Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone and Rachel McAdams, sunny Hawaii, echoes of the past, local traditions and myths, the perfect soundtrack (from “aboriginal" music to The Who to Elvis, Bowie or Vedder)... And still the feeling that it’s not going to end bad, no matter how it ends. In a sense, Aloha reminded me of the combination of Sideways with a classic romantic film from, say, the 1950s (in which, of course, one woman would be deciding between two men). (2018.12.30)

A film that doesn't really start to work until the last 15 minutes, which have both its funniest (or actually only funny) scene with a whiny Alec Baldwin, but more importantly it’s then that it slowly starts to move towards what could be described as its signature, whether in terms of the premise, the creativity or the genre. Unfortunately, everything except those final minutes is a hard-to-believe cinematic patchwork with no identity, genre-fragmented, and so bland and annoying at times in all its motifs and dialogues that my eyes and ears couldn't believe I was actually watching a project from the creator of We Bought a Zoo. The actors, with the exception of Emma Stone, have nothing to play with, although they do what they can, and I can't think of another case where the visual appeal of the setting has been left so untapped – but this time it suits pretty much the whole film.... 40% (2015.12.13)

Cameron Crowe hasn't bitten off just one big mouthful, but maybe three at the same time. I tried in vain to understand the situation as the screenplay spewed forth old loves, new loves, the army, interpersonal communication, satellites, billionaires, mental traumas, Hawaiian myths, and local traditions. However, somehow this disparate jumble comes together in the last act and is skillfully stitched together thanks to excellent casting, led by Bradley Cooper. I want to take Aloha as a message that even the biggest life confusion can be successfully and happily fixed, and because of that, the individual successful scenes (a silent conversation, a glance through glass) are true gems that I can't resist. 70% surprisingly rounded up, not just due to the strong antipathy from the surrounding reviewers. (2020.04.18)

Kind of what I expected from Cameron Crowe, but also something I didn't really want to see much of. It's just too nice, too cute, and I feel like Nicholas Sparks wrote it and Crowe just adapted it into a film. Without Emma, who is always stunning and captivating in every role, and Alec and Bill, who never disappoint, there wouldn't be much point in watching it. (2015.08.31)