Ticket to Paradise rides the wave of a pretty simple formula. A romantic comedy with two bona fide legends (George Clooney, Julia Roberts) + one budding superstar (Kaitlyn Dever) + a beautiful tropical location (Australia cosplaying as Bali). Should be a winner, right? It almost doesn’t really matter what the plot is, how uneven and corny the script and dialogue are, or that Dever’s character inexplicably switches back and forth throughout the movie between a recent college graduate and law school graduate (or the movie somehow doesn’t understand the difference between the two). Defects aside, though, it’s a formula that mostly works.
Clooney and Roberts play divorced couple David and Georgia Cotton. To say they don’t get along would be putting it nicely. They argue and disagree over everything. Everything, that is, except their daughter Lily (Dever). Lily is graduating from law school. Or maybe undergrad? It’s honestly baffling. We’ll just call it law school, as Lily is set to start a job a big law firm after she and her best friend Wren (the hilarious Billie Lourd) take a vacation to Bali.
It’s this trip that throws a wrench into Lily’s perfectly crafted post-graduation plans. She meets and falls in love with local seaweed farmer Gede (Maxime Bouttier). She falls so hard that – barely a month after meeting – they are engaged. David and Georgia married young and their marriage only lasted five years. They’re both worried that Lily is about to make the same mistake they did. So what do they do? They agree to (try to) set aside their differences and work together to secretly sabotage their daughter’s wedding. Of course.
It’s a plot that can only work in a romantic comedy. And that’s the charm of Ticket to Paradise. It’s a true-blue romantic comedy through and through. A paper-thin plot that would fall apart at the slightest further inspection. Predictable plot points and predictable times. Unlikely hijinks that feel *just* real enough in the world set up by the movie. And, perhaps most importantly, two leads that ooze effortless charm and chemistry so who cares about any of the previously listed “flaws.”
Clooney and Roberts are perfectly cast. Their characters actually present a tougher challenge than you might think for a romantic comedy. David and Georgia have true disdain for each other, and it comes through in constant insults and biting remarks. In the hands of lesser talent, these could easily be hatable characters. But Clooney and Roberts toe the line perfectly. You can tell there is real pain and – while maybe not full on hatred – dislike and aggravation between the two. But they’re both so easy-going and charming through it all, that you can’t help but like both characters from their first appearances on screen.
With two icons of the silver screen like these two, you also get a few moments of capital A Acting that you don’t always get in romantic comedies. Each gets a moment that you could see being used as their clip at the Oscars when announcing the nominees. They give Ticket to Paradise a feeling of legitimacy that elevates everything else around it.
And that feeling of legitimacy is needed, as Ticket to Paradise falls victim to all the usual genre tropes. Which is fine, if you’re a fan of rom-coms. The genre basically is what it is at this point. Unless there’s some unique spin to it (Palm Springs, for example) or it’s more a blend of genres (like The Big Sick), you know exactly what you’re getting. Having strong leads is critical for a successful romantic comedy, and Ticket to Paradise has two of the best.
But they might be too strong at times. Their presence and the focus on the David-Georgia relationship does come at the expense of the Lily-Gede relationship. The crux of the story is whether or not Lily is making the right decision in marrying Gede. Ideally, the audience gets a clear view of both sides. We fully understand David and Georgia’s side. But the script doesn’t show us enough of Lily and Gede to convince the audience that they are in fact making the right decision. To Dever’s credit, she gives her all and gets everything she can out of the character. But there’s only so much she can do when the script and story gives Lily so little depth and development.
And there’s a lot of similar problems throughout. But it’s nothing worth getting too in the weeds about. You don’t come to a movie like Ticket to Paradise for the technical achievements, or an Oscar-worthy script. You come to watch beautiful people in a beautiful location provide some laughs for a couple hours. And on that level, Ticket to Paradise is no doubt a success.
I do have one last specific complaint, though. It’s along the same lines as the undergrad/law school confusion. There’s a scene where the two couples play beer pong. Everything is fine except for one aspect: every throw is a bounce. The movie posits that the bounce is the standard throw. Which it’s not. If you bounce it’s worth two cups, but the other team is free to swat the shit of the ball once it bounces. It’s a minor (*minor*) complaint, sure. But it’s also one, like the law school one, that is so lazy and easily avoidable that it sticks in my craw (admittedly more than it should).
But again, that’s just the kind of movie we’re dealing with. If you can look past those kinds of flaws and mistakes, and can simply vibe with the movie, you’ll have a good time. Ticket to Paradise is not going to blow you away, but it doesn’t need to. It has Julia Roberts and George Clooney. They’re all it needs.
Score: 77/100
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