“Ticket to Paradise” is by no means great or perfect; but unless you’re a die-hard curmudgeon, it’s hard to imagine seriously disliking it.
If nothing else, this upbeat rom-com starring Julia Roberts and George Clooney offers its patrons exactly what they came for: a few good laughs, some engaging drama, a lot of great scenery and a letter-perfect finale.
The veteran leads play David and Georgia Cotton; their daughter, Lily, is a recent law-school grad who falls in love on vacation in Bali—at which point, the nascent attorney decides to ditch her costly career and settle forever in tropical paradise. So the Cottons fly down together, hoping to quash the nuptials and reverse this apparently impulsive decision.
Problem is, Georgia and David have been divorced for years and cannot stand each other.
Nationwide critics—many of whom certainly qualify as curmudgeons—were not too fond of this film, and I suppose its predictability is one thing they didn’t care for. But as I have observed many times in these reviews, “predictable” doesn’t have to be a problem if the viewers really like and want what they’re foreseeing.
In this case, we can tell not only that Georgia and David still like each other, but also that this trip will likely rekindle their affection—despite the fact that Mrs. Cotton has a handsome young boyfriend. And of course, we can also see that Lily’s beau and his back-to-basics lifestyle are well worth sacrificing an expensive law-school education.
Roberts and Clooney are solid, though it takes Clooney a while to settle in; the early and somewhat silly “love-to-hate” antics aren’t well-suited to his acting style. Indeed, the film doesn’t really pick up until the two Cottons start grappling more seriously with their relationship—and with their ill-fated interference in Lily’s love life.
Somewhat comically regarding her daughter, Georgia declares, “I won’t let her throw away her life on a guy who’s insanely handsome and just happens to live in the most beautiful place on earth.”
But then later: “Turns out a parent would do anything in the world for their kid—except let them be exactly who they are.”
Another good line occurs early on, when David complains, “For once you could back me up,” to which is ex-wife naturally responds: “I could—but then I’d be wrong too.”
And here’s David explaining how their relationship hit the rocks: “Same thing that happens in every relationship: It started out unreal, and then it got real.”
Lily is beautifully fleshed out by Golden Globe nominee Kaitlyn Dever, who starred in TV’s “Dopesick” and “Last Man Standing,” along with such films as “Dear Evan Hansen” and the masterful under-the-radar drama “Short Term 12.” And the Cotton family trio gets excellent support from Maxime Bouttier as Lily’s flame and
Billie Lourd as a long-time gal-pal.
(If the latter looks curiously familiar, consider that she’s the only child of actress Carrie Fisher; since Fisher was Debbie Reynolds’ daughter, that makes Lourd a rare third-generation Hollywood star.)
And as for that final shot: Together with the inevitable feel-good plot developments, this nifty freeze-frame is so satisfying that there was a smattering of applause in modest midweek matinee crowd.
Here’s hoping George and Julia didn’t have to do that shot more than once.
