TICKET TO PARADISE – Review

Hmmm, now this is something pretty rare. The two films I’m reviewing for this weekend have a few things in common, “subject-wise” (y’know, aside from being in color, being a “talkie”, etc.). This too concerns an estranged couple reuniting for a non-holiday event. With RAYMOND & RAY, it’s about two stepbrothers having to travel to their dad’s funeral, while this new release is about an estranged (long-divorced) parents having to travel to their daughter’s wedding. And it’s not a two-hour car trip, but a rather long flight to an exotic island. Oh, and the former marrieds are played by Oscar-winning Hollywood royalty, or about as close as you can get to that. Plus it’s their fourth flick acting opposite each other (fifth if you count when he directed her). So lots of moviegoers are hoping that their chemistry is still potent as they go to their multiplex box office, or more likely its website, to purchase a TICKET TO PARADISE.

In a bit of a switcheroo, the story begins with the main couple still apart. Each is telling their best buddy about how impossible it was to live with the other (with widely different riffs on their meeting, courtship, etc.). This all leads back to them being “pulled back in” by their only child Lily (Kaitlyn Dever). She wants them both in attendance for her law school graduation ceremony and assures them that their reserved seats will be in distant sections of the auditorium. So the big day arrives and …David (George Clooney) begrudgingly takes his place right next to his ex Georgia (Julia Roberts). Then the duo takes their daughter, along with her best pal/college roomie Wren (Billie Lourd) to the airport for her post-grad “vacay” to Bali. Her parents heave a sigh of relief as the ladies enter the gate, knowing they won’t have to endure each other for a loooong time (or so they hope). Lily and Wren have “tons o’ fun” until they get separated from their tour group while snorkeling. Luckily the long swim to shore is avoided when they spot a boat. And the luck keeps rolling along as Lily is immediately smitten by their rescuer, a hunky young seaweed farmer (there’s such a thing) Gede (Maxime Bouttier). Soon she’s contacting her folks again to invite them to her “destination wedding” to him. And, wouldn’t you know it, they get booked in the same section, on the next flight to the island. Plus (talk about a “co-inkee-dink”), the pilot is Georgia’s much-younger French “bae” Paul (Lucas Bravo). When the duo arrives they cease their bickering long enough to agree to join forces to stop this too-hasty nuptials (she’s throwing away her law career, darn it). But can these former feuding lovers really work together, or can true love really triumph against such formidable forces?

So the best description of the acting style of the two leads may seem like an insult, though it’s certainly not my intention. As the film progressed I feel as though Ms. Roberts and Mr. Clooney were, well, …coasting. It’s not that they weren’t making any effort, but rather they’re so confident and “at ease” with their screen personas that they were just going “with the flow” feeling that their audience will follow their path. This certainly was the case for many classic screen pairings of the “Golden Age” such as William Powell and Myrna Loy or Spencer Tracy and Kathryn Hepburn. It’s not just that their characters engage in playful sniping at one another. In a couple of sequences, they talk about the dissolution of their married union with remorse and regret. And their uneasy alliance results in some truly awful behavior. Yet somehow the screen personas of the two can elevate even the frothiest of premises. This audience goodwill carries over a bit to their screen sibling as Dever scores many laughs in the ingenue”second-gen” role. She’s engaging, but it feels like a bit of a “step back” after her “take charge” snarky smart turn last week in the Shakespearian farce ROSALINE, which far fewer people will see since it went straight to Hulu. Dever delivers, but the role is no challenge for her skills. Happily, she’s often paired with Lourd as Wren who brings some much-needed off-kilter energy as the rom-com cliche, the “hard-partying” frisky BFF. Speaking of another rom-com cliche, the very photogenic Bravo gives the thankless role of Paul, the “Baxter” who’s not much of a romantic threat, though his best efforts make him more sweet and endearing than this clueless doofus deserves. As for the groom Gede, Bouttier is the required gorgeous and way-too-understanding “dreamboat” who’s got a boat.

Another rom-com vet is at the helm, namely Ol Parker who last gave us the MAMMA MIA sequel. Oh and he co-wrote this with Daniel Pipski, it took a “tag team” to concoct this “lighter than air” trifle. Again, this is not meant as a “burn” as many will enjoy this while in their cushy multiplex recliner, but the plot specifics will probably evaporate from the brain during the ride home. Well, you may ponder a trip to Bali as it’s eye-poppingly beautiful here, though much of it was actually shot in Queensland, Australia (a good ad here for their own travel industry). This may be the best current example of an “auntie” or “grammy” movie as it’s a way to treat a relative to a matinee that won’t upset them (or tax the noggin), despite a blink and you’ll miss it “F-bomb”. The back-and-forth snipping between the leads gets tiresome, but it just goes to prove how powerful, and forgiving, the chemistry and charisma of these two movie icons are. They’re truly the reason why many fans will believe their theatre stub was a TICKET TO PARADISE.

2 Out of 4

TICKET TO PARADISE is now playing in theatres everywhere