Big Picture Big Sound

"Ticket to Paradise" is a movie that does exactly what it says on the box. When you have famous pals and collaborators George Clooney and Julia Roberts at the forefront, what more could you ask for?

Clooney and Roberts star as David and Georgia, who were married for five years and then went through a bitter divorce. They do their best to not have to see each other, but their daughter Lily (Kaitlyn Dever) is graduating from law school, so they must do their best to be amicable (which they don't really put much effort into). After graduation, Lily and her friend Wren (Billie Lourd, making for a nice "Booksmart" reunion between Dever and Lourd) go to Bali for some fun before the real world starts to set in.

While in Bali, Lily meets Gede (Maxime Bouttier) and falls instantly in love, and the two are immediately engaged to be married. David and Georgia don't agree on much, but they can agree that their daughter is acting irrationally, especially after spending so much time in law school, and they don't want her to make any decisions she will later regret. So, they must find a way to spend time together and go to Bali to try and deter the marriage.

Certainly you can guess how the rest of the movie plays out, but so what? Director Ol Parker has made a name for himself as the man who takes his audiences on a picturesque vacation (he directed "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again") and he makes great use out of the film's location. The escapist scenery elevates this low-stakes movie.

That's all fine and dandy, but Clooney and Roberts are the draw here. Their comfortable chemistry and sniping back-and-forth provides the true entertainment of the movie, and when you enlist two pros, you will get good returns. Clooney and Roberts don't turn out movies like they once did - they've made it to the point in their careers where they can wait for something fun like "Ticket to Paradise," and you can tell in every frame they are having the time of their lives.

A few years ago, something like "Ticket to Paradise" would have been written off as a predictable trifle (to be fair, that's exactly what it is). But in 2022 there's a wistful nostalgia watching a movie like this, which feels like an endangered species at the multiplex. Going to a movie is expensive and a time commitment, so people save their dollars for "event movies," which doesn't leave a lot of room for studio comedies, even with giant stars. In some ways, "Ticket to Paradise" feels dated, but it's a great thing that it exists.