Aloha Summer

Sun, surf, sand, romance, drinking: all the basic teen movie staples are transposed to Hawaii circa 1959, where six teenage boys (2 Mainland U.S., 2 Japanese, and 2 Hawaiian) spend a summer sparked by neither wit nor creativity. The film opens with voiceover narration as someone is looking through a photo album fondly remembering the days when. Suddenly (surprise! surprise!), we're in lai land, and the narrator, Mike (Chris Makepeace) sets to work mechanically meeting the other five characters. Mike goes after Chuck's sister (Lorie Griffin); Chuck goes after a prejudiced Hawaiian's younger sister; Kenzo goes after the honor of winning his daddy's swords (Sho Kosugi, chopsocky film king); and we nearly went to sleep. The one positive facet of this movie is that it's not nearly as morally pathetic and dehumanizing as the majority of teen flicks. Beyond that, the filmmakers have put in the minimum effort necessary to make your basic mediocre Hollywood pimple popper. Not recommended.