Mostly panned by critics, I have to say, I really didn't mind this film at all. The critics are simply wrong here, at least to my tastes they are. A few aspects may not have worked so well, sure, but I feel many aspects did work quite well. I enjoyed the vast subject matter, the entertaining cast, and the unique energy this film has. The storytelling here in my view is another interesting one in a long line of good and different Cameron Crowe films. When most of Hollywood is making very safe and predictable films, at least we still have a few American directors willing to do something different and willing to bring attention to often overlooked (or even new), issues. Most of all though it is the very grounded human feelings in Cameron Crowe films that really make them work for me. This is no exception. To me this was a fun, heartfelt, and somewhat thought provoking film. The critics can keep giving mindless films like Guardians of the Galaxy and Mad Max:Fury Road good reviews, but for me, this film kicks both their asses easily. 7/10

Cameron Crowe has been on a downward spiral for some time. He wants to make offbeat, kooky films with a heart. However some of his recent movies verge on being horribly inept.

Aloha has Bradley Cooper who stars as Brian. A military contractor injured in Afghanistan. Brian returns to his former home of Hawaii to strike a deal and have the blessing of some native Hawaiian tribes for the Space program on behalf of billionaire private industrialist Carson Welch (Bill Murray.)

His return means uniting with is ex-girlfriend Tracy (Rachel McAdams) who he last saw 13 years ago. She has now married to a military man John (John Krasinski) who says few words but speaks a lot through his body language and they have two children. One of which is a 12 year old daughter. I will use my non verbal communication skills to allow the reader to calculate 2+2=4!

Emma Stone is Captain Allison Ng, an uptight US Air Force liaison for Brian, Carson Welch and the US military who are being led up the garden path by the megalomaniac billionaire who has his own agenda which any Bond villain would be proud of.

Ng has a running joke throughout the film as she reminds everyone constantly that she is one quarter native Hawaiian as she obviously does not look it. She also falls for Brian

There seems to be nothing natural or organic in the story because Crowe wants to be off kilter. Everything seems forced lacking any kind of coherence with the story and characters.

Bradley Cooper who has become something of a sex symbol with the Hangover films actually comes across looking geeky in this film. He is also all at sea with a weak script. This man is a three year in a row Best Actor Oscar nominee.

Brian is a jerk and no way could I buy Ng falling for him. For a start he is too old for her, he is not nice, he uses people, he has little loyalty and is full of cynicism. As a romantic comedy it fails on two counts. There is no romance and there is no comedy.

The finale where Brian deals with some Chinese hack when the satellite is in mid air and then sabotage the launch with every recorded music is bizarre and silly to the extreme.

The film looks disjointed because it has all the hallmarks of post production tinkering and possible re-shoots. Some of it looks cheap, just watch the scene when Carson is apprehended supposedly in Japan.