Ticket to Paradise

There are certainly a few scenes at the start of this film (mostly those seen in the trailers) when there is a spark of chemistry between Julia Roberts ("Georgia") and George Clooney ("David"). Formerly married, this couple have to dash to Bali when their twenty-five year old daughter "Lily" (Kaitlyn Dever) announces her intention to marry her Indonesian boyfriend of ten minutes "Gede" (Maxime Bouttier). Even on the flight over, it's clear that they cannot stand one and other, but they must ally and work together if they are to stop their lass's moment of madness. What happens now reminded me a little of "Mamma Mia" (2008) only without the ABBA songs and instead of Greece, we are in more Oriental surroundings. The photography is beautiful and "Visit Bali" must be hoping that tourists will flock to the gorgeous sandy beaches where you can readily farm seaweed and swim with some pretty brutal dolphins! The storyline here, though, is as predictable as one of the many sunsets we see as this decently paced lightweight comedy steers inevitably towards a conclusion that is never in doubt. Sadly it is the bitchy humour between Clooney and Roberts that holds this otherwise unremarkable film together, and as the story develops that is soon on the wain and we are left with a good looking but rather insubstantial movie. This raises a smile rather than a laugh, and slots neatly into the romcom category. It's a nice film, you probably won't hate it - but you won't ever remember it either.

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"Ticket to Paradise delivers precisely the formula it sells: a witty, light, fun rom-com that's well worth watching for its exceptional cast.

George Clooney and Julia Roberts share some of the most engrossing, authentic chemistry I've witnessed all year. Kaitlyn Dever also deserves to be mentioned - one of the most promising actresses working today. Ol Parker manages to create quite an enjoyable viewing despite the spoiler-filled trailer.

It doesn't reinvent concepts or hold any surprises, but it definitely works."

Rating: B-

Ticket to Paradise was a blast! The plot is not overly complicated and is pretty generic to be frank but that didn't matter. The actors carried the entire film and were a joy to watch on screen. Julia Roberts and George Clooney's chemistry was top notch, they played incredibly off each other creating a genuine love story between the two leads. Their comedic timing was brilliant, every line delivered and had me audibly laughing more times than I can count. Kaitlyn Dever did okay in this film, she did not have a lot to work with and was constantly out shined by Billie Lourd who was hilarious. My fiancé and I were crying every time she was on screen. Overall, this movie doesn't do a lot, but it delivered fantastic performances and great laughs which is all I want in a rom-com.

Score: 73% | Verdict: Good

With lesser actors this movie would be just another bit of rom-com fluff. But with Clooney and Roberts at the helm, it elevated to a glossy, shiny bit of rom-com fluff. I could see most major plot developments coming from a mile away, but this genre has its own formula and must follow it.

I liked Kaitlin’s Dever in Booksmart and am inclined to like her anyway due to a startling resemblance to a loved relative of mine. Sure glad she isn’t playing villains!

And even though it was predictable, I still had hopes they wouldn’t take the easy way out with the Clooney/Roberts duo. No such luck. Oh well, it could have been a lot worse. The local color was interesting.