TICKET TO PARADISE -- Clooney and Roberts are a Great Pair in an Otherwise Average Comedy

Review by Camden Ferrell

The golden age of acting powerhouses starring in lighthearted romcoms may have passed, but every once in a while, there is a movie that keeps the trend alive. Ticket to Paradise is a new romantic comedy that stars George Clooney and Julia Roberts, two of the biggest actors of this generation. From writer and director Ol Parker, this is a standard and predictable comedy that only succeeds due to the charisma and chemistry of its leads.
 
David and Georgia are a divorced couple whose relationship is anything but amicable. Their daughter is about to graduate college and is on the cusp of beginning her life as a lawyer. However, after a vacation to Bali, she finds herself ready to start a new life in the foreign land. Now, David and Georgia must band together on a trip to stop their daughter from making the same mistakes they did years ago.
 
This set up has all of the makings for a cheesy and lighthearted romantic comedy, and it plays out about exactly as expected. Written by Parker and Daniel Pipski, this movie is content to fit nicely within the confines of the genre. It has no ambition to subvert genre expectations, and it may be for the best. It’s wildly predictable, but breaking genre rules could have possibly spoiled the parts of this movie that work well.

It is without a doubt that the saving grace of this movie is its performances. Actors like Kaitlyn Dever and Billie Lourd are better more times than not, but this movie lives and dies with its leads. Clooney and Roberts are tried and true movie stars, and their charisma is on full display in this movie. Their charisma and chemistry come so naturally, and it’s hard not to like several of the scenes they’re in.
 
As mentioned before, this movie is overly conventional, and that its biggest shortcoming and its biggest virtue. Everything from its writing to direction to cinematography and music is about as standard and outright basic as it gets. Not to say it’s not a fun movie, but it is undeniably unoriginal in almost every way.
 
Ticket to Paradise makes for an easygoing and crowd-pleasing time at the movies this weekend. Fans of romantic comedies are definitely going to love seeing these two great actors having fun, but this might only offer mild enjoyment to those who are not fans of the genre.
 
Ticket to Paradise is in theaters October 21.

Rating: 3/5