Clooney and Roberts is not the only reunion “Ticket to Paradise” has us excited about. It’s also Julia Roberts’ highly anticipated return to the genre that loves her best, the rom-com. She’s spoken candidly about how she hasn’t read a script that made her want to hop back into the romantic comedy world, so the expectations are high for this one, especially since Roberts is the talent behind some of the best rom-coms in the game, including “My Best Friend’s Wedding” and “Pretty Woman.”
If you were hoping for some of the amusingly bad decisions that make a Roberts rom-com so fun, it sounds like you’re in luck. From what we saw at CinemaCon, Roberts and Clooney play long divorced parents to a daughter who is hosting a grand destination wedding in Bali. While everything sounds idyllic, both of them worry their daughter is rushing into a relationship that’s not going to last, and decide to look past their differences, team up, and stop the wedding at all costs. From there, it’s a montage of classic rom-com scenes, including Roberts standing up too quickly and hitting her head during a romantic moment, Roberts and Clooney dancing awkwardly together, the olds playing beer pong with the younger guests, and so much more. Of course, what would a rom-com be without a little rekindled love? We do see Clooney and Roberts kiss and then immediately regret the decision, but only time will tell if they end up back together in the end, or if they find their own perfect rom-com matches.
Sure, it might not reach the high highs of “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” which has enough acid to keep the genre interesting, but it’s a fun little romp with some old friends. Besides, if I could get paid to vacation in Bali, à la Adam Sandler and Kevin James and their tropically set movies, I sure as hell wouldn’t turn it down.
The film’s official log line on IMDB states that the romantic comedy follows “a divorced couple that teams up and travels to Bali to stop their daughter from making the same mistake they think they made 25 years ago.” The page also includes an expanded storyline, which reads:
The film follows Wren Butler (Lourd), a recent University of Chicago graduate who accompanies her best friend Lily to a post-graduation jaunt to Bali. Lily’s abrupt decision to marry a Balinese local triggers her parents to team to try and stop her from repeating their mistake from 25 years ago. Wren stays in Bali for the engagement/wedding festivities and, in the process, finds her own love with a local doctor.
“Ticket to Paradise” is set to release in theaters on October 21, 2022.
