The "Aloha" Trailer Shows a Tropical Side to Crowe's Charm

Left to right:  Bradley Cooper and Emma Stone

While it seems sacrilegious to talk about next year's Oscars in the wake of the recent ceremony, it is hard to pass up a chance to talk about a new film from director Cameron Crowe. With an impressive career that has featured such noteworthy films as Almost Famous and Jerry Maguire, he is always a solid back pocket selection when talking about an Academy Award nomination. In the case of his latest film's first trailer, Aloha, it looks like he may be back provided that it can stick the landing.

While it has been awhile since Crowe has released an Oscar-nominated film, he is a voice that has been indelible to the medium. With his ability to make films that feel like light romantic comedies or hard hitting dramas without every feeling saccharine or forceful, he is a director who understands characters and how to tell a story that feels sincere without relying too often on tropes. He can get to the heart of situations very easily and leave the viewer having a great time. It has been awhile since he won his Best Original Screenplay award for Almost Famous and I am eager to see if he can make it back into the conversation next year.

With his latest, he feels like he is making his version of The Descendants. Basically, he is pitting some high caliber Oscar-nominated names (Bradley Cooper and Emma Stone) into a war film set in Hawaii. Upon first glance, it could go either really dark or silly without much effort. However, what comes out of the first trailer is something engaging and authentic. It may seem silly for Cooper, especially in the wake of American Sniper, but it doesn't feel all that distracting. 

Check out the trailer:

As previously stated, it does feel very much like The Descendants crossed with a war movie. Still, the romance feels like it has potential to go in an interesting direction and send its characters into provoking territory. The only question is if it will be done in a way more evident of tropes or if there will be more substance within the confines.

Here's the description according to IMDb:

"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."

On one side, it does feel like it could have been a Nicholas Sparks story. However, Crowe is a voice with surprisingly effective poignancy when he wants to. Based on the first trailer, I am unsure of its chances of being a strong front runner at the Oscars. However, I do admire its choice to tell a war story from a less conventional way.

I don't wish to discuss its Oscar chances at this point, but more give it recognition for potentially being both a great movie of 2015 and maybe a film that will be talked about incessantly come next Oscar season. For now, it's a really cool trailer with a lot of potential and a chance to see these performers go for yet more Oscar gold. Either way, I like what I have seen and cannot wait for more.