Have you ever seen the trailer for a movie, immediately recognized its greatness, then watched the movie only to learn that – for one reason or another – you weren’t delivered the movie that the trailer highlighted? Such is the case with Aloha. The trailer shows the should-be instant sentimental classic that lies within. The ingredients are there, but the rushed pacing of the film’s final cut leaves too little building room prior to its accents. A perfect analogy would be that someone (the studio) placed a governor on the engine of an emotionally-charged race car (Aloha).
Bradley Cooper leads Aloha as military contractor Brian Gilcrest. After many years away, a new assignment brings him back to Hawaii, the paradisiacal setting of the most monumental years of his early career. Upon arriving, he finds himself in the awkward and uncomfortable middle ground between his past and his future. Without confronting the ghosts from his past, he’ll never obtain the future that he deserves. And if he doesn’t make the change now, it’s never going to happen.
Upon landing, Brian runs into the ex-fiancee, Tracy (Rachel McAdams), that he once completely burned in his selfish arrogance. In the typical screenplay, the two would clash – but writer/directer Cameron Crowe doesn’t create typical films. Instead, the two speak to one another as if transported back to the good times in their relationship. The world seems to stop around them as the speak. Brian isn’t currently in a relationship, but Tracy is married and has two children. The immediate reconnection between the two never feels forced nor out of line (considering that she’s married). Instead, their reunion is that of two people who completely understand one another and embrace the nostalgia of seeing one another again after 12 years apart. Brian isn’t looking to steal her away and Tracy isn’t looking to cheat on her husband (John Krasinski).
It’s in these same early moments of Aloha that we meet another one of Crowe’s classically lovable female characters, Allison (Emma Stone). With Brian being a contractor, he’s required to have a military liaison – a babysitter – with him at all times. Allison is an amped-up go-getter fighter pilot who sees the potential buried deep within Brian’s character flaws. The majority of Brian’s reason for being on the island is the assignment to work with a local Hawaiian king to obtain his blessing on the land where a proposed military project will take place. With Allison by his side at all times, Brian’s not sure whether she will be complimentary to his work or if she’ll be deadweight. Unfortunately, it’s within their character development that something is lost. Brian immediately dislikes her, but suddenly switches gears and sees her value.
This is the first evident instance of Aloha‘s editing rushing an arch that needs more climbing momentum. It happens many times throughout the film. I’m a huge fan of Cameron Crowe. Knowing how much his characters mean to him, I’m certain that there are emotional swells prior to the crests that are missing from the final cut. He takes his time to tell great, memorable and impactful people-driven tales. Recognizing that, I’m certain that the theatrical cut of Aloha is nowhere near being the movie that he wrote and shot. Each character within the story is rich. Each has at least one arch. But because of the choppy and rushed editing, it feels like a 150-minute movie was crammed into 105 minutes. If you’ve seen the theatrical and “untitled” cuts of Almost Famous, then you know that Crowe is one of the only filmmakers who can make a three-hour dramedy worth each of its 180 minutes. Personally, I’d love to see a three-hour cut of Aloha, the movie that Crowe originally intended to make. I’ve not heard a word from Crowe about the theatrical cut and there’s no evidence (yet) about Sony cutting the film so drastically, but I’m certain that we’re not seeing the director’s vision.
From what I’ve explained this far, you’re probably thinking that I dislike Aloha and that I’m telling you to skip it – but that’s not the case. While I recognize what Aloha could have been and can’t deny its flaws, I still think that it works – just not as well as it could/should have. Aloha has everything that makes an iconic Crowe film: great characters, (some) swells of emotion, a brilliant script, and quirky-yet-perfect shots of actors doing wonderfully eye-pleasing things. As a standard rom-com, it’s better than most. The only complaint that I foresee everyone – even the casual moviegoers – having is that it’s rushed and crowded. It doesn’t take a film major to recognize that we’re seeing a two-and-a-half hour (or longer) movie crammed into 105 minutes. I highly recommend seeing it and its flaws so that Sony gets a decent return and allows Crowe to put out a director’s cut on Blu-ray. For the sake of me and my love of all things Crowe, I urge you to give it a shot.
Do yourself a favor and watch the following first eight minutes of Aloha to see what its made of.
Photo credit: Sony Pictures
