TICKET TO PARADISE

US, 2022, 105 minutes, Colour.

George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Kaitlyn Dever, Maxie Bouttier, Billie Lourd, Lucas Bravo, Genevieve Lemon.

Directed by Ol Parker.

A romantic comedy, romcom, to cheer us up in these, hopefully, post-covert days. And, undermining as it is, pleasantly light weight, it does. And for the rom com – there is a romance, geared for the twentysomethings’ audience, and there is comedy, provided by the older generation. That’s it, George Clooney and Julia Roberts, the older generation.

The paradise of the title is Bali. Some of the photography was done in Indonesia but covid restrictions prevented the whole film being made there. Instead, the filmmakers went to Queensland, always attractive for tropical settings, providing plenty of opportunity in the final credits for Screen Australia, Screen Queensland…

Many remark that a romcom, is ideal as a date movie. Needs some qualification here. While there is the emphasis on the romance in Bali, the stars are the two veterans. Probably good advice is for 20 somethings audiences to check this film out as a date movie gift for their parents or in-laws for a Mother’s Day or Father’s Day outing.

Lily, Kaitlyn Dever, along with her best friend Wren, Billie Lourd, graduate with a law degree. And, proud parents, and David and Georgia (Clooney and Roberts) her cheer (literally) squad. But, we find that while they married 25 years earlier, the marriage lasted five years (with David noting that the other 19 years were full recovery). They have perfected the art of barbed quips, open hostilities – but generally avoiding each other. They say goodbye to Lily and Wren as they travel to Bali.

David and Georgia get their own ticket to Paradise when they learn Lily has fallen in love with a local, pleasant, good-looking, loyal to a large family, seaweed farmer, Gede (Maxime Bouttier) and they are to be married. Providence and the script writers put them together in their plane seats (although Genevieve Lemon, humorous as a tourist, tries to mediate). There are some turbulence troubles in flight (not just between David and Georgia), the David blaming pilot, Paul (Lucas Bravo) who is in love with Georgia. The scene is set.

Bali/Queensland looks wonderful. Lily and Gede seem an ideal couple. But, the plan is for the parents to sow doubts, be like a Trojan horse, infiltrate and disrupt.

Which means then that we are focused on David and Georgia and their manipulations, George Clooney and Julia Roberts obviously enjoying themselves, their 20+ years of films starring enabling them to be very much at ease in whatever situations their characters find themselves (he, dared to jump overboard and swim with dolphins but getting injured, the both of them experience a bit of seaweed farming, doing some celebratory drinking and, to the embarrassment of Lily, some energetically gyrating dancing).

So, humour in the exaggerated situations, and especially in the battle of the sexes and the hostile repartee. Romance with the couple trying, with the elaborate help of his parents and family, to get to the ceremony. And, what about Paul and Georgia?

With the romantic comedies, we don’t expect the unexpected. Rather, it is how much we enjoy the expected. But, the question remains throughout, what is the impact of a marriage 25 years earlier, divorce, separation, and…?

1. The title, audience expectations? Bali as paradise? Some of the setting is filmed there, otherwise Queensland?
2. Romantic comedy, the emphasis on romance for the younger generation, the emphasis on comedy for the older, estranged generation? The combination?
3. George Clooney and Julia Roberts, their screen presence, at ease on the screen, any kind of character, any kind of shenanigans, always interesting and attractive?
4. Lily, years of study, law, strong friendship with Wren, graduating, inviting her parents, aware of their antagonism, brought up by her mother, visits with her father? Asking them to not be aggressive? The graduation, their shouting and yelling? Lily and Wren going to Indonesia?
5. The girls in Bali, enjoying it, the encounter with Gede, the attraction, his farming seaweed, the background of his family? Attracted, falling in love, 37 days, announcing the engagement?
6. David and Georgia, the news about the engagement, their coming together, lockstep, against the wedding, deciding to intervene? The plane flight, champagne, antagonism, the passenger in the middle (and her later turning up and saving them from the island)? Paul, arranging to be co-pilot, the turbulence, the angry passenger at the airport?
7. The repartee and quips, barbs, between David and Georgia? The comedy? Meeting Lily, pretending to approve, yet the Trojan Horse strategy, to insinuate and break up the marriage? Gede and his realising what was happening? The meeting of his parents, translations, not always accurate? The accommodation on the island?
8. Bali, the natural beauty, the people, friendly, the extended family, celebrations, religious overtones?
9. Gede and the seaweed farming, seeing him at work, David and Georgia later doing the work, competitive?
10. Georgia, the little children playing, stealing the wedding rings, later found in her purse? The couple getting other rings after the delay of the ceremony?
11. David, the various tricks, the frank talks with Gede, out on the boat, the dolphins, his going in, injured? The game with the balls in the cups and the drinking? David and Georgia winning, the dancing, Lily’s embarrassment? The later mixup with the rooms? Paul and his puzzle?
12. The visit to the island with the curse, David’s idea, tying the boat to the log, its floating out, their being stranded? Georgia and David together, reminiscing about the past, 25 years earlier, the land, building the house, falling out of love, Georgia becoming a mother, her career and a gallery, the discovery of the George still owned the land?
13. The rescue, Paul and his arrival, with Georgia, his proposal, her hesitation?
14. The buildup to the wedding ceremony, Lily wanting her parents to consent, their agreement? The celebration?
15. Paul, proposing again, Georgia and her excuses? Going back to David?
16. On the boat, not delaying the good things till later, and jumping off the boat – into a different future?