Ticket ins Paradies

Oh don't listen to the negative reviews. This is a movie to just sit back and enjoy without overthinking. Can't people do just that anymore? You're spending almost 2 hours in a paradise with Julia Roberts and George Clooney, so the acting is guaranteed. The rest of the cast is awesome as well. So what if the story is predictable? Sometimes it's ok for our guess to be right when everything else is right. I laughed at the simple jokes and felt wonderful after watching this movie. This is the perfect movie if you want to take a break from trying to be the most intelligent person you know. I don't think the producers intended for it to be other than that.

I love the actors, loved the location and loved an older romance getting a look in for a change. However, the plot was lazy and it kind of felt like an opportunity was missed, it was only okay when it could have been great. It felt like the actors just sleepwalked through the movie and the script wasted their talents.

Also, what stopped me from enjoying the movie more was the dumbness of the supposedly very intelligent daughter. I mean, what is the rush to marry someone you have known for only 30 days? Maybe she had been binge-watching 30 day fiancé. I get that he's a hunk and it's a paradise island but after a couple of years of picking seaweed even that will get old.

There was great chemistry between George and Julia and it kind of felt like we were cheated out of a proper smooch between them! It is worthwhile for the nostalgia factor but not a classic and probably not even a re-watch.

"Ticket to Paradise" is the clear example that the trailer is better than the movie itself. The script does not bring anything new to romantic comedies, it rushes to take the already known formula and fill the plot with the typical clichés. Julia Roberts and George Clooney offer simple performances without much charm, the secondary characters are more endearing as is the case with Wren Butler played by Billie Lourd. The filming locations are extraordinary and the cinematography makes them look even more beautiful. Returning to the script, it fails to catch on and as entertainment it doesn't go that far either. One of the worst moments is the terrible CGI with which a dolphin that appears on the screen for a few seconds was created. Movie to see once and not repeat.

Following their tempestuous relationship of 19 years (including the recovery), an acrimonious divorced couple travel millions of miles from home, then enter a momentary truce to stop the pending nuptials of their only daughter who just recently graduated from college and got engaged on a whim in Bali. Lazy star vehicle doesn't offer much in the way of surprise or originality, it's also light on laughs and ineffective on drama, thus it's mostly a chance to witness the snap, crackle, and pop repartee of a well-matched Roberts and Clooney. The scenery is good too, making it even more comfortable to sit through. **

You have to imagine Clooney and Roberts, two people who are good pals in real life, read this script and saw the chance to have a holiday in an exotic location with a buddy, all the while being paid for it. Even when they aren't really trying both are very charismatic, and they aren't really trying here, unfortunately. The film has a promising start, as the bickering between the divorcees is top-notch screwball comedy fare. But once we get to Bali and they unite forces, it all turns dull and formulaic. The young lovers never really seem real and so never appear genuinely under threat, and the attempts to introduce Balinese life and culture is saccharine sweet.

In short, meh.