Aloha (2015) →

Since yesterday was Valentine’s Day, we figured we’d watch something at least somewhat romantic. Given that we rarely have enough time in the evenings to stay awake through a full-length (2+ hour) movie, we aimed for a 90-minute flick. At that length, the options are usually limited to family-friendly films or romantic comedies. We went with the latter.

Not knowing much about it beforehand, Aloha (2015) seemed like a promising choice, given its star-studded cast: Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone, Rachel McAdams, Bill Murray, John Krasinski, and Danny McBride. Unfortunately, it didn’t take long to realize we’d picked a lemon.

It’s hard to tell whether the movie was trying to be a romantic comedy, a half-baked spy thriller, or a social commentary on billionaire egos. Maybe all three? Whatever the intent, it failed to deliver anything meaningful.

There were fleeting moments of romance, and I caught myself laughing out loud a few times, but not often enough to feel engaged. In hindsight, we should have gone with a rewatch of Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011)— a film that delivers from start to finish.