What That Brian & Tracy Twist Means

Aloha‘s ending is a sweet conclusion to the Cameron Crowe-directed film, with the Brian and Tracy twist only reinforcing the movie’s themes. Released in 2015, Aloha focuses largely on Brian Gilcrest, a cynical military contractor hired to help ensure a private space launch can move forward in Hawaii. To do this, he has to work alongside Emma Stone’s Allison Ng, a bright and committed member of the Air Force who steadily develops a romance with Brian. Further complicating matters is an unexpected reunion between Brian and his ex-partner Tracy, who has gotten married and had children.

Blending military intrigue with rom-com tropes, Aloha doesn’t always work. The film only has a 20% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of writing, and Aloha became infamously controversial for its decision to cast the Caucasian Emma Stone as the one quarter Hawaiian and one quarter Chinese Allison. However, the film’s attempt to blend very different genres with a surprisingly progressive approach to the standard rom-com tropes makes it an interesting (if flawed) entry in Crowe’s filmography.

Grace’s Real Parentage Twist Explained

Brian & Tracy’s Romance Produced A Child He Never Knew Was His

One of the big twists of Aloha is the true identity of Grace’s parents, which further complicates the love triangle at the center of the film. For much of Aloha, Grace appears to be the daughter of Tracy and her husband Woody, who got together shortly after Tracy split with Brian years prior to the events of the film. However, Brian is Grace’s true father, having conceived her with Tracy right before their break-up. Brian is unaware of this until the events of the film, which underscroes the bittersweet nature of Tracy’s original plans for a life with Brian.

Interestingly, the Cameron Crowe movie doesn’t try to use this revelation for too much drama compared to some of the other twists and turns in the plot. While there is some serious lingering romantic tension between Tracy and Brian, the revelation that they share a daughter doesn’t force them back together. By the end of the film, they remain with their separate partners. Even Grace seems okay with the discovery, with the film’s final scene focusing on her and Brian embracing as father and daughter. It’s a quietly progressive turn of events in the film.

What Happens With Aloha’s Brian, Tracy & Ng Love Triangle

The Romance Subplot In Aloha Ends In A Unique Way

The love triangle between Brian, Tracy, and Allison is one of the main draws of Aloha, elevating the film’s rom-com bonafides. While the former two formerly shared a romance, Brian’s loss of faith in himself after being cast out of the Air Force spurred on the splintering of their romance. In the present day of Aloha, the pair have found different relationships. For Brian, that’s with Allison Ng, who steadily develops a connection of mutual respect and attraction with Brian.

By contrast, however, Brian’s lingering feelings for Tracy are just the latest salvo in her troubled relationship with the well-meaning Woody. Their marriage already fraying earlier in the film, the arrival of Brian in their lives risks breaking it once and for all. However, by the end of the film Brian and Tracy accept that their romance is done, allowing them to fully commit to Woody and Allison. It’s a surprisingly mature approach to the conventions of the rom-com sub-genre, allowing the four adults to move beyond their troubles and reaffirm their connections to one another.

Why Brian Sabotages The Satellite Launch

How Love Stops A Private Nuclear Weapon From Being Set Up

Brian and Allison’s romance sets up one of the biggest plot twists of Aloha. While the love triangle between Brian, Allison, and Tracy is the emotional arc, the connection between the former two is driven by a joint civilian/military effort to deploy a privately owned satellite owned by Carton. Initially, Brian is a proponent of the plan and one of the chief people behind its execution, helping ensure it goes through. However, his discussions with Allison and her genuine belief in the freedom of the sky for all people steadily impacts his world view and beliefs.

When he discovers the satellite has a far more nefarious purpose, Brian sabotages the launch and uses a sonic disruption to destroy it. The moment is an affirmation for Brian, both of his feelings for Allison and for his resurgent faith in people. It’s the big turning point of Aloha, cementing Brian’s character growth and evolution from a jaded contractor to a more noble character. It’s also one of the film’s biggest visual moments, elevating the rom-com into something else in the process.

Who The True Villain Is In Aloha

How Bill Murry’s Carson Becomes The True Antagonist Of Aloha

In a more simple narrative, Aloha would have likely cast Woody or Tracy as an antagonist, conflicting with Brian and upsetting his attempts to reconnect with Tracy or move on with Allison. However, both of them are portrayed as genuinely nice people, with Brian and Woody even making peace by the end of the film. Instead, Aloha finds its central villain in Carson. Played by Bill Murry, Carson is initially portrayed as a well-intentioned billionaire who wants to use his private satellite to help the local citizens. In reality though, the satellite will have a nuclear payload.

It’s a major tonal shift from the more grounded rom-com elements of the film, and transforms Carson into a more dangerous character. It still impacts it though, with Allison’s discovery of the truth (and that Brian was seemingly aware of this) almost breaking apart their romance. However, Brian decides to destroy the satellite before it can become fully operational. This helps expose Carson’s actions, leading to his arrest late in the film. Carson is the personification of the cynical and monetary driven perspective Brian briefly embraced, and his betrayal of Carson is Brian’s big moral victory in the film.

The Real Meaning Of Aloha’s Ending

A Victory For Love & Hope Over Cynical Power

There’s a lot going on in Aloha, which can sometimes come to the film’s detriment as it tries to explore several different themes and morals at once. The emotional arc for Brian is centered around turning away from the cynical path he’d accepted following his departure from the Air Force. Allison helps reinspire his childhood love of science and space, setting up a romance between the pair through shared passion. He accepts Tracy has moved on but the ending suggests he’ll be a part of his daughter’s life, a hopeful embrace of an unconventional family unit.

The other characters get similar affirmations, with Woody, Allison, and Tracy’s refusal to give into pessimism and defeat resulting in all of them getting what they wanted in the end. The only character who truly falters is Carson, whose wealth and ruthless approach make him the villain of the film. Even the local native Hawaiians get their happy ending with the exposure of Carson’s crimes. Aloha tries to do a lot, but benefits from a feel-good ending that gives the largely likable cast a happy ending that rewards optimism and hope for the future.

How The Aloha Ending Was Received

Fnas & Critics Hated The Movie

Aloha was one of Cameron Crowe’s lowest-rated films, with critics blasting it with a terrible 20% rotten score, and the audience’s Popcornmeter was not much higher, at only 29%. Most of the audience’s bad reviews slammed the film’s storyline and plot. One wrote, “What on earth is going on in this movie!? So many great actors and scenery yet it’s like a huge plan that can never take off.” Another commented, “It was a giant pile of confusion and dots that didn’t connect.“

Professional film critic Matt Singer of Screen Crush felt that Cameron Crowe had spent too long trying to find the lighting in a bottle he got with Jerry Maguire. In his negative review, Singer wrote, “For a movie of seemingly simplistic aims — a rom-com with tropical flavor — it’s shockingly hard to follow.” Peter Travers of Rolling Stone agreed, writing “Filmmaker Cameron Crowe can’t catch a break with Aloha, a Hawaii-set romcom that is a handful of stories struggling for a unifying tone.”

However, not everyone was disappointed by Aloha and its ending. In a Reddit thread, @iamwhoiwasnow wrote that it is a “super fun romantic movie if you let it be.” They continued by writing, “The movie does fall apart once you start trying to take it seriously which I never did and I felt that it wasn’t meant to be once I saw John Krasinksi and Bradley Cooper’s silent conversation having subtitles added to it.” @GreatBallsofFire1 agreed, writing, “I think the haters just don’t want to think allegorically and the movie requires that.“