User reviews

I caught the last 10-15 minutes of this movie on its network premiere back in 77--- its haunted me all this time, now the DVD is out and I enjoyed it on a number of different levels--This is one of those heart- string pullers that does a great job of encapsulating the mid-70s LA car-youth culture and all those now scarce, classic neon signs! The plot and character development are transparent which gives the whole thing a strange, ethereal vibe heightened by the then hip rock and roll soundtrack. Its almost one long Elton John video in a way. Bobby and Rose are sensitively played, and if the acting and dialog aren't always the best well so what, the actors have heart and are good to look at and don't disturb the zen experience a movie like this can bring about. Mid 70s LA is ancient history and "Aloha, Bobby and Rose" serves as a surprisingly good time capsule for that era. The couple are doomed from the start and this film is depressing for the most part. A lot like "Midnight Cowboy" in many respects, tho not as good. Still AB@R is a cult classic and I think a lot of young folks would enjoy it.

I am surprised by two things - the number of other people who actually remember this film, and the number of people who remember it so fondly. As a matter of fact, my husband and I - who grew up on opposite sides of the country - both saw it when it came out in 1975, could never find anyone else besides each other (and our respective dates at the time) who saw it or even ever heard of it, and both remembered it somewhat fondly. I think because it never caught on and is therefore encased forever within the year of its release it serves as a reminder of our youth. Thus, if you are younger than about 50, I actually would not recommend this movie.

This movie truly has a great soundtrack and a great use of music in the action itself. For example "Locomotion" by Little Eva plays during a horrific slow-motion car accident scene. Someone else has already mentioned "Benny and the Jets". The other thing I notice about this film, separate from my own personal nostalgia, is that it takes chances that none of the homogenized formula-driven movie studios would ever take in today's film industry. It sets out to be a cross between "Billy Jack" and "American Graffiti", and hits the mark on some points (the visual feel of the film, the soundtrack), and misses the mark on others (little characterization or depth in plot). My six star rating is therefore somewhat misleading. If you were a teenager or in your early twenties in 1975, you'll probably see this film as eight stars for all the reasons I've given. If you are much younger or much older than that, you probably won't get it at all and for you it would be a four-star film. Thus, I split the difference at six stars.

Paul Le Mat, hot off of "American Graffiti", is our male lead in this story by writer / director Floyd Mutrux ("American Hot Wax", "The Hollywood Knights"). Le Mat plays Bobby Eckert, an amiable employee of a car repair shop who likes to set his own hours. One day, he meets a customer, the sweet Rose (Dianne Hull, "The Onion Field", "You Better Watch Out"). It doesn't take a long time for them to start falling for each other. However, one night, while in a liquor store, some thoughtlessness on his part and a bad reaction on hers lead to a death. Bobby is of the mind that NOBODY is likely to believe their version of events, so they take it on the lam.

"Aloha, Bobby and Rose" is not bad for this sort of thing. Ultimately, the story is pretty trite, but the movie gets by on engaging performances by our leads. Bobby and Rose do make for an appealing couple. There are other nice performances, too: Robert Carradine as Bobby's friend / co-worker Moxey, Martine Bartlett as Roses' mom, and the great Southern fried character actor Noble Willingham as Bobby's amiable uncle Charlie. Still, the movie doesn't quite hit its stride until Tim McIntire (who played real life DJ Alan Freed for Mutrux in "American Hot Wax") shows up. Cast as a colorful country boy named Buford, he lights up the screen playing a "life of the party" kind of guy. Leigh French is his gal pal Donna Sue, and other familiar faces like Edward James Olmos, Mario Gallo, and Cliff Emmich turn up as well.

The real value in this flick is the way it gives you a snapshot of California in the mid-70s: its car culture, its sights and sounds, everything. The soundtrack is just PACKED with pop hits of the day, and leads especially heavily on Elton John, using some of his classics like "Your Song", "Tiny Dancer", and "Benny and the Jets".

A fairly entertaining flick that, fortunately, does have some impact after it's over.

Seven out of 10.

We saw this film four or five times, always as the second film of a double program. It was one of our "film-culte". Not a masterpiece at all, just a little film, really simple, with no stars... but it has something, don't know what... It's one of these films you'll remember for the rest of your life and you don't really know why! The songs of Elton John, "Benny and the Jets" and "Your Song" are exactly where they were made for. I saw for the last time about 20 years ago but I know I'll see it again one day. I'm not sure this kind of film exists anymore.

I know that Elton John's "Tiny Dancer" had a re-introduction and re-awakening to the masses after 2000's "Almost Famous." But I know that "Tiny Dancer" was introduced to me in 1975 when this movie came out. But since this film didn't have the impact of "Almost Famous," that's why "Tiny Dancer" stayed pretty much unknown to the general public until 2000.

The film itself is OK. What makes it memorable is the music of that period, which besides "Tiny Dancer," we hear "Bennie and the Jets" during one of the film climaxes, and also "Karn Evil 9" from Emerson Lake and Palmer.

Here's a caper. Paul LeMat is Bobby, driving around town for the first ten minutes of the film. he meets Rose (Dianne Hull) when he's hitchhiking to get back to his job. of course, they go to Pinks for hot dogs, and roller skating. Tower records, cruising around town. all very LA in the 1970s. LeMat had also been in American Graffiti, similar cruising theme, with DJ's playing in the background. wacky stuff happens... it's all a big mistake, but now they're on the run! hold on, here we GO! songs by elton john and others from the 1970s. Edward Olmos in one of his first films. Written and directed by Floyd Mutrux, who also wrote Freebie and the Bean! (P. Falk, A. Arkin) It's pretty good. snapshot of a time gone by. jetting down to mexico for a quick adventure. kind of a 48 hours in the life of.. story. its all okay.

Bad lucks seems to dog a Los Angeles auto mechanic (Paul Le Mat, hot off "American Graffiti") and a young single mom (Dianne Hull) working at a car wash. They take to the highway towards Mexico after a prank in a liquor store inadvertently leads to the shooting death of the cashier. Writer-director Floyd Mutrux is enamored of the city at dusk--its neon lights and music billboards in the sky--and he creates a late-night jukebox feel for the film that recalls "Graffiti"'s bracing ambiance. Unfortunately, Mutrux's script seems cobbled together from the lyrics of the pop songs he loves so much (particularly those sung by Elton John), while shaggy-haired Le Mat seems a little too mature and seasoned for his role. This is the type of movie he might have appeared in before "Graffiti" made him a budding star. ** from ****

O.k., it may not be a Oscar-winning movie, although I personally think it's better than some of the movies that have won for "Best Picture" of the year.

This movie is a lot of fun, has great music throughout, and a guy (Paul LeMatt) that I thought was very hot when the movie first came out in the '70's, and a hot car. What more could you ask for? I was 14 when this movie came out. It was my favorite movie all through high school. And even today I enjoy sharing it with my 14 year old daughter and her friends.

Not a snooze fest like that other dude said.

This film has a great soundtrack, and the footage of the places along the Sunset Strip is excellent. There is lots of footage of signage and advertisements of albums and events of classic rock stars. There is a great emphasis on pop music and the radio in general. I give the film a 5 for these sounds and images, as for a story it is a ridiculous victim of circumstance type situation, sad, making the lead characters look like fools. This is sort of similar to one of the directors, earlier films "Dusty and Sweets McGee". This film is a decent time passer for about 90 mins, but not a film that demands repeated viewings, see it at least once.

Highly watchable mid 70s car culture film. I first saw it on release when Paul Le Mat was familiar to younger audiences from his role as fading hot rodder John Milner in George Lucas "American Graffiti".

Not an existential roadie like Monte Hellman's "Two Lane Blacktop". Aloha is a conventionally plotted 'kids on the run' affair. However, the cinematography is excellent with vibrant pop cultural references such as Hollywood billboard signage featuring Ringo Starr and Elton John tours and albums of the time. There is also a poignant quality to several scenes including Roses mothers Tequila sodden reminiscing, and, a road bound Lincoln Continental driving childless couple who offer support to the young outlaws.

Gritty details of the unromantic side of Californian life for working people ad unexpected depth to a teen genre picture.

This is one of those movies so dull, that specifics about it blur from memory, but the distressful viewing pain lingers on.

It's a completely sloppy mess about two obnoxious brats that get in a car, get somebody mad, get in trouble, and get chased around. The guy whines about Hawaii. While people run around, there's a 70's music soundtrack pecking at you constantly, mostly Elton John moaning and groaning about something. It's 70's glitter pop meets Romeo and Juliet on the run, but the two elements don't actually "meet" in any artistic fashion. The way it's done here, it looks more like two kinds of sewage slopping over each other in a storm drain. There's never any connection to the characters, because no reason to care is ever given. It all looks like somebody decided to film cruise night on the boulevard, tape recorded stuff off the radio, and made up a plot around it in about 15 minutes. The direction lacks purpose, and the acting is bland.

For all this film's noise, it's still monotonous and trite. To put it in 70's lingo, this film's a real bummer, dude. An even worse bummer is realizing the time and money wasted on this crashing bore could have been spent on something else worth while.

This film came out when I was in the above demographic. What made me excited about going to see this film was the TV commercial. They used a very popular song, a VERY popular artist at that time, and I was a big fan. The song was "Benny and the Jets" and the artist was Elton John.

I BEGGED my mom to take me to see this film and on a matinee, she did. All I remember is the music. Didn't have much for "Bobby" or "Rose" and didn't remember much of the plot. It was the music that led me in, had me plunk down my money and made me sit through it with my mother who was probably cursing the day I was born since this movie has NOTHING else going for it.

But that is my warning.

I see this "marketing" today with alot of crappy, crappy films. Popular song or beat of the day, a few snippy shots of the film (which you find out those few seconds of film WERE the only decent parts of it), you go, think its allright because of the music. Don't be fooled. Or years later you'll be writing the same thing I am and wondering why you paid so much for a piece of crap film when all you cared about was...the excellent music.

I saw this film on the big screen in first release. I completely enjoyed this film. Many of the filming locations in Los Angeles were places I hung out at as a teenager such as the original Irwindale Raceway, Pinks hot dog stand on La Brea, Tower Records on Sunset. Yes, I'm a fan of old Detroit Iron.

The film stars Paul LeMat (American Graffiti) and Dianne Hull. Tim McIntire, Robert Carridine, Noble Willingham (Walker, Texas Ranger) and a young Edward James Olmos (as Eddie Olmos) round out the cast. All give a good performance and the cinematography is good.

The soundtrack which uses songs of Elton John, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Little Eva, Undisputed Truth, The Temptations and others, truly add to the overall enjoyment of the film.

If you were part of the late sixties and early seventies Southern California street rod culture, you will appreciate and enjoy this film.

Trivia: There are several references in the film to the Los Angeles FM radio station, "KKDJ" This station, on 102.7 Mhz, later became the world famous, KIIS-FM

I loved this film. Its a great movie starring Paul LeMat (John Milner in American Graffiti)and Diane Hull. The soundtrack is Great. Bobby, (LeMat) has a red hot 68 Camaro complete with body flares and mods. This car was originally built out of a 1967 Z28 and completely race prepped by Traco engineering for The Garner (actor James Garner) racing team. It was then Purchased by cine-artist for the filming of Aloha Bobby and Rose. I recently was in San Francisco when i actually saw this car parked in front of a auto parts store. I recognized the car right off. The owner came along ( a guy named Rick) and gave me a closer look. The car is in original movie condition and will be touring with actor Paul LeMat this year. I highly recommend this film to any car guy. The film is now available on DVD.

Bobby and Rose are each leading dead-end lives in Los Angeles. He works in a gas station, she is a young stay-at-home mom. They team up and decide to live out a few fantasies, the major one being a carefree journey to Hawaii. Their goal is never reached. Bobby and Rose wander aimlessly around southern California and the Mexican border, making casual acquaintances and encountering casual violence. The dream starts to go wrong almost from the very start, and the young lovers are left with something less than an idyll.

This is a road movie in the great American tradition, a poetic kaleidoscope of images of Americana - radio music merging with advertising hoardings and neon signs in a dreamy, meaningless pot-pourri of LA, a sort of Metro-Goldwyn-melange. For all the colour and style, appearance and reality are at odds. Rose has her fantasy, but her reality is that she has committed herself to a two-bit punk. Under the surface of the stream of images, we see the jagged edges of society's faultlines ... auto wrecks and liquor store hold-ups.

Bobby inhabits a live-now-pay-later youth fantasy of pool games against chicano hoods, hotrod races and getting chased by the cops. The trouble is, Bobby is running on empty and the fantasy cannot last.

On their travels, Bobby and Rose meet a Texan couple, the irrepressible Buford (if only we could have seen more of him!) and the dim but good-natured Donna Sue, played by Tim McIntire and Leigh French. Buford is an amusing drinking-buddy whose presence in any bar guarantees at least one outrageous incident, and Donna Sue is all heart, but their relentless cheerfulness becomes claustrophobic, especially for Rose.

Paul Le Mat as Bobby is appropriately good-looking and vacuous. Diane Hull invests Rose with a little more substance. The story of their spontaneous elopement is, in truth, the tale of Rose's tragedy.

Verdict - Serviceable road movie which makes effective use of contemporary soundtrack.

This movie could be ones life just based on what if's happening on a typical 70's nite out. The music was all first class, the plot pline reasonable enough for one to actually believe. Every time I watched this I could relate to those crazy 70,s nights where I really was not in total control of all of my senses but enough to drive and date! Ending is probably the first time that I realized, Wow that could be me! Some times I am glad my old Chevelle was not dependable enough to stay running all night long or long enough to get me in trouble, so I would spend my night waiting for any sober buddy to come and rope tow me home.

Aloha means hello, and Goodbye

goodbye Bobby and Rose

It would get a 5 or 6, but it has more sentimental value to me. I saw this movie on HBO in 1976. I was 8 years old. It was the first movie on HBO I ever saw. We were one of the first people we knew to even get HBO back then. I loved the soundtrack, Elton John-Benny and the Jets, Karn Evil No. 9.. ELP. Though the plot and acting were B, the Soundtrack to Picture was pulled off well. Oh, and did I mention a HOT ROD movie? Paul LeMat does a 360 in the middle of the Sunset Strip with his race ready 67 Camaro. Its worth seeing just for that. I can remember the engine blows and he starts driving a black Vette. But the music is well choreographed with the drag racing. I think this movie propelled me into being a gearhead and drag racing. It also helped me appreciate matching a soundtrack well with a movie. Always will be a favorite of mine.

The music to this movie is fantastic! Elton John, Marvin Gaye, and others. I LOVED this movie when I was about 12, and it haunted me for 25+ years until I saw it again. Yes, seeing it now, I wonder why it was such a great movie to me, but it was! Paul Le Mat was gorgeous, and the chemistry between Rose and him was good. I just wish he could have turned himself in and explained so the movie could have a better ending!

This is a hard movie to appreciate if you never experienced watching it from a car I think Vickey and I saw this movie four or five times at the old Shasta Drive-In Theater in Klamath Falls. At least, we saw most of it ;)

"Aloha Bobby And Rose" is such an excellent movie. I think the Elton John soundtrack really makes it. Poor Bobby. :-( It's like a hard core version of "American Graffiti". An excellent all American movie. Truly under rated. IMHO. "Aloha Bobby And Rose" is such an excellent movie. I think the Elton John soundtrack really makes it. Poor Bobby. :-( It's like a hard core version of "American Graffiti". An excellent all American movie. Truly under rated. IMHO. "Aloha Bobby And Rose" is such an excellent movie. I think the Elton John soundtrack really makes it. Poor Bobby. :-( It's like a hard core version of "American Graffiti". An excellent all American movie. Truly under rated. IMHO

Aloha. :-)

This film is nothing more than a cheap melodramatic piece of crap, and I love it. The moving story of a young couple on the run. I was young and the worlds biggest Elton John fan when I saw it. I had the whole world before me, I was going out with a beautiful girl, (Named Sue) and I'm not sure if everyone can understand how great it is to listen to "Daniel" while your girlfriend rests on your arm in the soft twilights of the movie theatre.. but I hope they can. I would buy this film if I could find it, and happily agonize through it again, and again... It is a very romantic film in a very basil form... It works for old fogies like me, and teenagers. They won't recongnize all the music, but that won't matter. A great movie for a quiet evening with someone that you care about.

I saw this during my high school years, and I still remember how cool it was. The soundtrack for this movie is amazing. Songs like "Bennie and the Jets", "Your Song", "Tiny Dancer", "Just My Imagination" really add to the special vibe of this movie. All these years later, I think of this movie every time I hear "Bennie and the Jets'. It's a movie about young love and dreams at the age where you truly believe anything is possible. Paul and Dianne play Bobby and Rose with ease. My intent here is turn on others to this movie, or to remind those of us who saw it in 1975 to see it again. I know I will. I was a teenager when this movie came out, and watching it again reminds me of that time period. As I said previously, of a time where you believed anything was possible. It's a good reminder.