Aloha

image for Aloha

Short takes

Not suitable under 13; parental guidance to 13 (story and themes more suited to older viewers)

Age
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
classification logo

This topic contains:

  • overall comments and recommendations
  • details of classification and consumer advice lines for Aloha
  • a review of Aloha completed by the Australian Council on Children and the Media (ACCM) on 30 June 2015.

Overall comments and recommendations

Children under 14 Not suitable due to themes more suited to older viewers
Children aged 13 Parental guidance recommended due to themes more suited to older viewers.
Children aged 14 and over Ok for this age group.

About the movie

This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Australian Government Classification Board and the associated consumer advice lines. Other classification advice (OC) is provided where the Australian film classification is not available.

Name of movie: Aloha
Classification: PG
Consumer advice lines: Mild themes and coarse language
Length: 105 minutes

ACCM review

This review of the movie contains the following information:

A synopsis of the story

Aloha is the story of Brian Gilcrest (Bradley Cooper), a former air force pilot who has begun working as a defense contractor after suffering a physical injury while in Afghanistan on business.

Having not been to Hawaii for several years, Brian travels back there at the request of his boss, Carson Welch (Bill Murray). In an awkward turn of events, his pilot is John ‘Woody’ Woodside (John Krasinski), the man who is now married to Brian’s ex-girlfriend Tracy (Rachel McAdams). While in Hawaii, Brian also meets Alison Ng (Emma Stone), a fiery and enthusiastic air force pilot with a bright future.

What unfolds is a complicated story of romance, truth and betrayal – Brian and Alison develop strong feelings for one another, Carson is recognised as a morally bankrupt individual who is on a mission for power and financial gain, and Brian discovers that he is the father of Tracy’s twelve-year-old daughter.

Themesinfo

Children and adolescents may react adversely at different ages to themes of crime, suicide, drug and alcohol dependence, death, serious illness, family breakdown, death or separation from a parent, animal distress or cruelty to animals, children as victims, natural disasters and racism. Occasionally reviews may also signal themes that some parents may simply wish to know about.

Relationships and break-ups; war and conflict, redemption; personal growth

Use of violenceinfo

Research shows that children are at risk of learning that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution when violence is glamourised, performed by an attractive hero, successful, has few real life consequences, is set in a comic context and / or is mostly perpetrated by male characters with female victims, or by one race against another.

Repeated exposure to violent content can reinforce the message that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution. Repeated exposure also increases the risks that children will become desensitised to the use of violence in real life or develop an exaggerated view about the prevalence and likelihood of violence in their own world.

There is minimal violence within the film, including:

  • Brian is in the Middle East during a time of conflict – no actual violence is presented but he is later seen recovering in hospital after being injured.

Material that may scare or disturb children

Under fiveinfo

Children under five are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations.

In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children under the age of five, including the following:

  • There is a somewhat disturbing image of a man who has another individual’s toe attached to his foot.

Aged five to eightinfo

Children aged five to eight will also be frightened by scary visual images and will also be disturbed by depictions of the death of a parent, a child abandoned or separated from parents, children or animals being hurt or threatened and / or natural disasters.

Children in this age group may also be disturbed by the above-mentioned scenes.

Aged eight to thirteeninfo

Children aged eight to thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic threats and dangers, violence or threat of violence and / or stories in which children are hurt or threatened.

Nothing of concern

Thirteen and overinfo

Children over the age of thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic physical harm or threats, molestation or sexual assault and / or threats from aliens or the occult.

Nothing of concern

Product placement

There is some product placement, including:

  • References to Facebook
  • The technology brand Sony Vaio
  • Ray Ban

Sexual references

There are mild sexual references, including:

  • A man makes reference to himself being ‘erect’, as well as other mild references to sex and attraction.

Nudity and sexual activity

There is mild sexual activity and partial nudity, including:

  • Two characters kiss and embrace.
  • A couple is seen lying in bed together, after they have presumably had sex (not shown).
  • Several females are seen wearing revealing bikinis.

Use of substances

There is mild use of substances, including:

  • Many characters are seen to drink alcohol within a social setting, as well as smoking cigarettes.
  • A woman appears quite drunk by the end of a party.

Coarse language

There is some coarse language in this movie, including:

  •  ‘fuck’ (one use); ‘shit’; ‘hell’

In a nutshell

Aloha is a romantic comedy-drama about love, redemption and taking chances. It follows Brian as he learns to forgive himself for his past indiscretions, and allows himself to fall in love all over again with the woman of his dreams – someone who challenges him to improve himself and strive to be better. The film highlights the rewards of taking a chance with other people and new experiences, whilst also remaining cautious at times about the motivations of those who seek power and authority. Although there is little in the film to disturb young children, the story and themes make it more suited to older viewers, so it is not recommended for children under 14.

Values in this movie that parents may wish to reinforce with their children include:

  • The importance of forgiving yourself, and being able to forgive others.
  • Allowing yourself to be open to the possibility of change and new experiences.
  • Learning when to make amends for mistakes made in the past.