Ticket to Paradise – A Thin Popcorn Romcom (Early Review)

This year has been a very mixed bag in terms of romcoms, from the needless amount of bottom-of-the-barrel Netflix offerings that the service keep pumping out by the barrel, to the Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson lead Marry Me. Ticket to Paradise promised a fun heartfelt romcom that looked to be one of the better offerings of the year. Unfortunately, it is not the case and whilst its not a bad film nor is a bad romcom, it leaves a lot to be desired as the prowess of Julia Roberts and George Clooney can’t save this film from being forgettable. Though it may be funny, the film lacks any sense of heart and real romance and for the most part, relying heavily on the shoulders of Roberts and Clooney as well as clichés and traditional romcom tropes to mixed results. That being said, for any classic romcom fans, this is the ideal popcorn romcom.

The story sees a divorced couple named David (Clooney) and Georgia (Roberts) who truly despise one another. The two, however, are tasked to come together once again to attend their daughter Lilly’s questionable wedding to a young man named Gede (Maxime Butler) after only having been dating for two months. This quick wedding was cause for concern for David and Georgia who unsurprisingly disapproved of the wedding. In order to put an end to what they believed to be a mistake, the couple must put their differences and immense hatred towards one another aside as they attempt to work together to sabotage their daughter’s wedding.

Now when it comes to Clooney and Roberts, they are of course brilliant together. Whenever David and Georgia are at odds with one another and hating each other’s guts is where the film truly shines. The pair have an infectious chemistry and if the featured blooper reel during the film’s end credits is of any indication, they both seemed to be having a hell of a time shooting the film together. During the inevitable moments that saw the story go in the opposite direction, any potential fun and chemistry the two once had just disappears and making Ticket to Paradise feel like a completely different film. Over the course of the film, the fun and frenetic energy of its stronger first half merely devolves the more it comes to embrace classic romcom clichés, eventually leading to a forced conclusion. 

In the end, there is no denying that Ticket to Paradise is funny, primarily whenever Clooney and Roberts are on screen together which thankfully was a large part of the film. But for the moments whenever the two stars were not on screen, its jokes did not land nearly as well as the humor as a whole wore slightly thin. In spite of those issues, the film still delivers a fun time and one where audiences don’t have to think too much and simply turn off their brains and have a fun time.

All in all, Ticket to Paradise is a fun romcom that is sure to please fans of the genre for better or worse. However for those looking for a romcom that offers a little more, they will almost likely not find it here.

*still courtesy of Universal Pictures*

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Olly Dyche

Journalist, Writer, Film Critic and Professional Nerd. You will probably find Olly at the cinema chomping down on some popcorn and taking in the glorious visuals of the latest theatrical release.