In that regard, it certainly is a pretty sight, to witness two gorgeous,
forever-charismatic silver screen royals unite against a breathtaking tropical
backdrop (and in frothy promotional videos), with their gracefully aging
visages front and center before the rest of us mortals. Sadly though, the loose
link between “Ticket to Paradise” and George Cukor’s screwball classic stop right there, at that
aforementioned quote. And you should blame it on a dispiriting script that
relies too heavily on its A-list actors’ magnetic presence alone, instead of
bothering with a good story that we can root for.
So let’s jump to another quote from another film. At this stage, imagine
this die-hard romantic-comedy devotee, throwing her jazz hands in the air and
yelling like the late William Hurt in “A History of Violence”: “How do you f**k that up?” Indeed, how on earth do the
effortless charms of Roberts and Clooney not yield the kind of rom-coms we used
to routinely get in the ‘90s? The issue is the second romantic tale that
unfolds around them, one that doesn’t hit a single believable note. It belongs
to Lily (a delightful Kaitlyn Dever in an underwritten part), who is the
abovesaid college graduate on her way to a Bali vacation, with her fun and
sexually very active female sidekick, Wren (Billie Lourd), and an invitation to join a top-shelf law firm
on her return.
Soon enough, Lily decides to get married to the handsome seaweed farmer
Gede (Maxime Bouttier) she’s somehow rapidly fallen in love with, after
the laziest meet-cute sequence imaginable. (It’s more appropriate to call that
scene just plain meet and drop the cute entirely.) So instead of enjoying her time with Wren,
having some wild nights out and returning home for the bright future that
awaits—you know, like any intelligent young woman of her caliber would do—Lily
dedicates her entire being to Gede. There is of course nothing wrong with
love-at-first-sight in life or in movies, the kind that this critic is
shamelessly in favor of, especially in cinematic contexts. But to make the
massive life decision of marriage and deciding to stay in Bali for it on a
whim? Even the rugged ice harvester Kristoff of “Frozen” laughed at this idea: “You mean to tell me you
got engaged to someone you just met that day?” And that was a Disney movie in a
19th Century setting.
Objectively speaking, Lily doesn’t decide on the marriage that day exactly. But the film is so lacking in building the
couple’s romance and chemistry that it feels like a same-day verdict. What
co-writers Parker and Daniel Pipski instead do is use Lily’s storyline as an
excuse to bring Clooney’s David and Roberts’ Georgia together, Lily’s parents
and each other’s exes that hate one another. But the duty calls and the duo
embarks on a mission to Bali in order to end this ridiculous fling as a pair of
responsible parents.
In fairness, “Ticket to Paradise” earns some goodwill during the
David-Georgia scenes and give the two some sharp moments of squabble, several
of which the film’s trailer unfortunately spoils. But the ex-couple’s sexual
tension and natural ease at hating each other earn the admission price, even
when the momentary bliss we feel in their presence fades away with Lily and
Gede reappearing frequently and a present-day romantic interest of Georgia
(played by Lucas Bravo) taking up too much time. It would have been one
thing if “Ticket to Paradise” spent some real time thinking through the young
fiancés, helping us understand what makes them interesting and right for each
other. But in the aftermath, you’ll be shocked at how little you’ll learn about
either, apart from their vast affection for the locale they often call
beautiful. Well, of course it is beautiful because what we see is mostly a
luxury resort, a fact that makes the “I understand why she likes it here” quote
from the parents painfully funny when they show empathy towards Lily’s decision
to stay. Doesn’t everyone like a luxury resort?
We do get to see some things outside of the resort, like the lovely
grounds of Gede’s supportive family and a pair of touristic sites. But “Ticket
to Paradise” seems oddly disinterested in any family dynamics or anything that
has to do with Bali, save for a couple of nuptial traditions cartoonishly
represented. In the world of this film, everything is background noise and an
item on a list of excuses to bring George and Julia together. The saddest
casualty of this disposition is Wren. But with her P.J. Soles vibes, Billie
Lourd still runs with it enchantingly, committing the cardinal sin of being far
more memorable than the bride herself. Perhaps in revenge, the film
periodically forgets about her existence.
Bless the old school
stars Roberts and Clooney for elevating this lackluster mélange and in certain
instances, even making you forget about the non-sensical film that surrounds
them. But that’s hardly enough, especially if you are hoping for a homecoming
for the rom-coms of yore.
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