LM23 Rating: A throwback romantic comedy with a king and queen of the genre
There’s another romantic comedy about breaking up a wedding starring Julia Roberts that comes to mind. Hard to believe that My Best Friend’s Wedding is 25 years old this year. 25 years later, America’s Sweetheart is showing the young’uns that she’s still got it, along with another Hollywood A-lister, George Clooney.
A blast from the past with a couple of very familiar faces
Ticket to Paradise is not a hard film to understand. It’s a comedy about warring exes who unite to try to stop their only child from making an impulsive mistake. That impulsive mistake is totally missing a lot of reality checks. Like any character in a movie who decides to move to a foreign country, we never quite understand the true motivation or metamorphosis that comes from a life altering decision. We never ever really understand why Lily and Gede make such a perfect couple that they have to get married after a month from courtship.
To go from a post law school graduation mini break before a big law firm job, to wanting to stay in a country far, far away with no visas or moving boxes and no job…only in one of those romantic comedies starring Julia Roberts and George Clooney. But now that the King and Queen are of a certain age, the foolish romantic decisions are now done by the offspring.
But make no mistake, the movie is still about George and Julia. The young couple engaged to marry in Bali takes a back seat to the real reason anyone will buy a ticket to see this movie. In fact, all of the other characters seem to be half-written because all of the resources were poured into developing the matinee idols.
Despite the fact that both actors have looked more or less the same since the Ocean’s Eleven days, they’re playing the mature mom and dad in the movie. The jokes about the squabbling exes are surprisingly balanced with some sober moments when the warring couple address their marriage gone wrong. And even more surprisingly, it’s the mom (Georgia) who has the young partner and it’s the dad (David) who seems to be permanently single.
There's surprising depth to what appears to be a one-note film
Ticket to Paradise is not as one-note as you may think it is. The movie is a throwback to the happily ever after 90’s/early aughts romantic comedies, but there is a bit of a realistic edge to it that keeps it modern. Only professionals like George and Julia can convincingly play the emotional spectrum from silly (beer pong at a club) to serious (telling the story about the dream house that literally went up in flames).
It makes me wonder if maybe Ticket to Paradise could have been just as great of a romantic comedy if it was about exes, but minus the kid element. We never really get too involved with Lily and Gede and it’s a mystery as to why Lily’s best friend, Wren (Billie Lourd) is still hanging around Bali after a month. Billie Lourd as Wren does her best early aughts impression of Kate Hudson, but is wasted and a perpetual third wheel in the movie.
George and Julia still have it
Hats off to George and Julia. It’s been too long since we’ve seen them in their element. If you want a laugh and feel safe with some familiar faces, definitely check out Ticket to Paradise.
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