The last time we saw Julia Roberts in a Rom-Com was in 2001’s America’s Sweethearts. For Clooney, it was even longer, starring in 1996’s One Fine Day. However, the duo has always had a tremendous chemistry, so it only seemed right for them to star together. Ticket to Paradise finally gives us the opportunity, and I am glad it did.
Let’s get one thing out of the way right off the bat. This is not a revolutionary film. It’s no Casablanca. Hell, it doesn’t even touch Pretty Woman. But it doesn’t have to be to tell its story. All it needs are what I consider two very important elements of any Rom-Com: Fun and Charm. This movie definitely has that.
The movie’s opening is interesting enough and gives us the backstory we need to understand what exactly is going on. We whip through the opening scenes like a whirlwind, and within the first 20 minutes of the film we have already seen major plot points develop. That, I think, is the biggest flaw in Ticket to Paradise. The pacing here is all over the place, literally. We go from not knowing anyone, to daughter meets boy, to They’re getting married and everyone is shipped off to Bali. It’s absolutely bonkers. It slows down a bit after that point, but it feels very much like they hop from scene to scene at breakneck speed, even for a movie that is 1 hour and 40 minutes long. It was also extremely predictable. I knew what was going to happen after watching the movie for 10 minutes. Does that matter in the long run? I don’t think so, but it did have me checking the time to see how far into the film I was a couple times.
I did, however, find myself laughing at various points in the film, and the dialogue seemed mostly well written and believable, albeit cheesy. That’s another thing. This movie is one big cliche. Every Rom-Com trope you could ask for lives within the confines of the film, however the premise is one that it works more often than not. George Clooney is also endlessly charming, as he usually is, and elevates this movie with a certain feeling of class that he usually brings to roles. I don’t know why, but whenever he’s in a movie it just feels fancier.
I also felt his connection with Julia Roberts is great, and definitely helps the movie along. As for the other characters, I enjoyed most of them. I thought Billie Lourd as Wren and Maxime Bouttier as Gede worked well. Kaitlyn Dever as Lily was mostly good, although I felt her character was written a little more poorly than the other characters, as she wasn’t as funny as Wren and not nearly as intelligent/aware as Gede. Paul, played by Lucas Bravo, I just didn’t really like, and I preferred scenes that he wasn’t in.
As for the setting, I thought Bali was a really interesting choice and at first, I wasn’t as much of a fan because it felt like another “Paradise” themed movie a la Just Go With It or Couples Retreat, but I was really happy to see them embrace native Bali Culture and infuse the film with some really great culturally themed aspects. From wedding traditions to native superstitions and even showing off some locations were really great additions that I felt helped the film along and added a unique spin.
Final Thoughts
Ticket to Paradise is a Rom-Com. We find that out right from the very first scene. And to be honest, I’m okay with it. It has a certain charm that works and makes it entertaining. Maybe it’s George Clooney, maybe it’s the Bali setting. Maybe it’s a combination of chemistry between all the actors. Whatever it is, It’s fun, and hey, when it comes to this type of movie, if you can nail that, then you can at least give viewers a good time. That’s what we all want really, isn’t it?
