Back in the 90’s, we were endowed with a plethora of romantic comedies from Four Weddings and a Funeral to Sleepless in Seattle, Notting Hill, Jerry Maguire and so on and so forth. It is however a genre that has been in decline for the past decade or so, but it never truly left with the odd one here and there. Then comes this film, Ticket to Paradise, a big-budget romantic comedy with an A-List cast that includes Julia Roberts and George Clooney. Ticket to Paradise feels like an old-school film with a modern edge and luckily it delivers exactly what it sets out to do!
Clooney and Roberts have a history together on the big screen from films such as the Ocean’s Trilogy to other smaller films such as Money Monster, meaning they already have natural chemistry. These are also two actors who have been in this business long enough that they know how to bring a film like this to life without it feeling too cheesy or corny. The romance and the comedy are perfectly balanced in Ticket to Paradise with some genuine laughs followed by some heartfelt moments of nostalgia and passion. This is very much their film but Kaitlyn Dever and Maxime Bouttier, who play their daughter and her fiancé, also steal the show as a more modern and young couple.
The story is simple - Kaitlyn Dever’s character Lily is taking time after graduating college to travel to the island of Bali for some time to rest and relax with her best friend Wren, played excellently by the late Carrie Fisher’s daughter Billie Lourd. It is in Bali where Lily meets Gede and the two hit it off so well that they fall in love and get engaged. Lily’s parents have been divorced for a long time and can’t stand the sight of each other, so when they come together to stop the wedding from happening there’s a lot of friction between them. The majority of the film is Clooney and Roberts bickering to each other about their past and how they ruined each other's lives, but this is Clooney and Roberts we’re talking about. They make their characters seem flawed but fun.
There are some usual tropes and cliché’s within the romcom genre that this film follows and adheres to, such as another love interest for Roberts’ character getting in the way and a certain plan backfiring that leads to the key cast falling out, only to make up again by the end. Apart from this, there is a lot of originality in the script too. The island of Bali is a setting that is rarely seen in cinema and as a result, it gives the film a look that stands above the rest, and we explore a lot of the culture of Bali from the local residents too which feels rich and unique. Ticket to Paradise is a film not like others of its kind, it has a fresh and fun feel to it that draws you in and keeps you there, taking you to a tropical haven from the safety of your cinema seat.
★★★★☆
4/5
Ticket to Paradise is the perfect rom-com for the modern era by exploring new love with Lily and Gede as well as balancing old love with Hollywood legends Clooney and Roberts’ characters. You feel completely immersed within the film, as the tropical setting and original story transports you to a place you haven’t seen before on the big screen. There are plenty of laughs and hijinks, with enough to keep you invested in the film from start to finish. It follows some old genre tropes meaning you’ll see the ending coming but it is the ride there which is what this film is all about.
Thanks for reading today’s blog!
Alex Murray, the Head of Eyesight Productions
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