After two decades, rom-com for Julia Roberts, George Clooney
Pairing George Clooney and Julia Roberts anew is a no-brainer for any film producer. They have been paired a number of times, starting in Ocean’s Eleven in 2001. Julia even appeared in the sequel Ocean’s Twelve. They have their chemistry on and off screen, undoubtedly.
They previously teamed up in Jodie Foster’s crime-drama Money Monster (2016). Both Hollywood superstars have not done a rom-com in more than two decades. George’s last rom-com was One Fine Day (1996), opposite Michelle Pfeiffer, while Julia was last seen in America’s Sweethearts (2001), where she worked with John Cusack.
So, when George and Julia were offered to do Ticket To Paradise, with British director Ol Parker at the helm — he earlier megged Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again (2018) — they immediately gave their nod to the project.
The scene of “boy meets girl and they fall in love” for this film was not for George and Julia, who play bickering exes, architect David Cotton and his wife, art gallery owner Georgia.
The divorced couple were married for only five years after college, but were compelled to reunite for their daughter’s graduation from law school.
Their daughter, Lily (played by Kaitlyn Dever), would then meet a charming seaweed farmer, Gede (Indonesian-French actor Maxime Bouttier, the newest Hollywood heartthrob), while on vacation in Bali, Indonesia with her best friend, Wren (Billie Lourd, daughter of the late Carrie Fisher). He rescued them on the sea when their boat left them.
However, after only 37 days of staying in Bali, Lily called on both her estranged parents since she decided to tie the knot to the guy who lives half-way across the globe from her. The parents agreed to fly to Bali with an evil scheme, to sabotage their daughter’s wedding.
They simply pretended to be happy for Lily. In truth, they also had their own sneaky plans, to the point of hiding the wedding rings of the young couple, so the rites would not happen.
Is it possible for an un-couple to fall in love again after two decades of not being together? Too good to be true, but David and Georgia surprisingly rekindled old feelings in the process of showing up for their daughter’s wedding.
“Do you still snore?” Georgia asked David when they saw each other again in Bali. To which he answered her with another question. “Do you know anyone who snores less when he’s older?”
The familiar plot may already be used time and again in the past, but when you’re with two veteran, bankable superstars with star power still stronger than ever, you can hardly go wrong.
“Loving is different than being loved,” Georgia explained to her daughter Lily. The former was attempting to sway the latter before making the biggest decision in her life.
Unexpectedly, Georgia’s pilot-boyfriend, Paul (Lucas Bravo), showed up in Bali with an engagement ring to boot. Yet, he was unsuccessful in winning the heart of his lady love.
George is 61, but he makes no bones doing a shirtless scene on the beach when his character got bitten by a dolphin. Even in his button-down polos, he looked amazingly buff and charming. He was all the more handsome with his salt-and-pepper hair and in his tuxedo.
The gorgeous, tropical setting of Ticket To Paradise might remind Julia’s fans about her 2010 film, Eat, Pray, Love, where Bali was also a memorable locale. There is also a character interestingly named Ketut (inspired by Eat, Pray, Love?), although this one in Ticket To Love is a precocious, young girl.
This time, however, idyllic Bali was amazingly recreated in Australia because of COVID restrictions in Indonesia. As Georgia repeatedly said in the film, “Bali is the most beautiful place on earth.” Well, that is definitely a big boost to Bali’s tourism.
Even Balinese wedding rituals were featured in Ticket To Paradise, as Lily and Gede exchanged marriage vows. She embraced his lineage and everything Indonesian about him, obviously including the seaweed, which she allowed her parents to also discover.
The chemistry of George and Julia, after more than two decades, is still undeniable. Their smiles on full wattage ignited the big screen, even if they were merely bickering with their characters.
In the bar scene where they got drunk, they even did their amusing, unchoreographed moves to Everybody Dance Now, as earlier reported.
Ticket To Paradise proves why George and Julia remain two of the biggest stars around. They managed to radiate their natural aura on and off camera, eliciting a consistently winning chemistry for their partnership. For a change, rom-com is an ideal project for them.
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