Ticket to Paradise - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Ticket to Paradise



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:


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Movie
Rom-com’s have sort of been on the decline for the last 15 years or so. It wasn’t that long ago that you couldn’t go a year without have 2-3 major rom-com’s dominate the theaters, and usually have pretty long legs on home video as well. Gary Marshall movies seemed to be the latest big thing with his romantic version of Crash, but lately they’re really fallen off. We’re lucky if we get one major one every 2 years or so now, with Marry Me being the last major profile one that I can think of. Also, George Clooney and Julia Roberts were the kings of that genre 20 years back, so you can be sure that I was actually intrigued when I saw George and Julia headed back to familiar territories with Ticket to Paradise.

David and Georgia Cotton (George Clooney and Julia Roberts) were married 25 years ago. Only thing is, they didn’t stay married. After 5 years the couple were at each other’s throats, and have stayed that way till this day. However, they did give birth to a daughter named Lily (Kaitlyn Dever) who is graduating and going off to Bali as a gift to herself. Tempers are of course hot, but nothing so hot as when they find out that Lily has unceremoniously decided to fall in love and get married to a local boy after just a few short weeks (if that). Now it’s up to the aging couple to head out to Bali themselves and dissuade their daughter from making one of the biggest mistakes of her life.

Ticket to Paradise is pretty cliched. If you’ve ever watched a good set of rom-com films over the course of your life you’re pretty much guaranteed to catch the beats before they land. Lily and Gede (Maxime Bouttier) are head over heels in love, while David and Georgia still have a little spark inside themselves despite their 20 year bitter feud. Things happen, the young kids get cold feet, but then come back together stronger than ever while David and George slowly realize that they gave up too early when they were young. Bing, bada, boom, slap a ribbon on it and roll the credits.

HOWEVER, as a rom-com it’s also quite a quaffable experience too. There have been some utterly HORRENDOUS rom-coms put out over the last several years, but Ticket to Paradise is not one of them. Sure, the script is pretty generic, and the beats are telegraphed a mile away. But Julia and George together on screen actually make the movie rather watchable. The two have a comfortable chemistry that just works. They’re not going to win any awards or anything, but I was actually having a decent time with the story. Kaitlyn Dever (most notable for playing the youngest daughter Eve in Tim Allen’s Last Man Standing or on Justified as Loretta) is ok, and the supporting cast fairly forgettable, but really, this rides or dies with how much you like George Clooney and Julia Roberts.




Rating:

Rated PG-13 for some strong language and brief suggestive material.





Video:

The 2.39:1 framed film is quite the looker though. Shot digitally (in Queensland Australia and not actually Bali), the warm and sun drenched film looks absolutely gorgeous in 1080p. Fine details are resplendent, allowing us to see every line and crease on George and Julia’s face, while showcasing AMAZING textural clarity in the jungle areas. The film lives off of blues and greens, with a very natural color grading and said primary colors just popping out of the landscape. The scene where the 4 main characters are trapped out in the jungle is just gut wrenchingly beautiful with all of the lush green foliage all around. Blacks are strong and inky, and I didn’t notice any crush or banding at all. My only complaint is that the first 10 minutes (and a few smattering of scenes here and there) look weirdly sharpened. It goes away after the first few minutes play out, but I kept getting this weird feeling that I could pick up sharpening here and there, even though it doesn’t look like your typical digital sharpening when I freeze framed the image.








Audio:

The 7.1 DTS-HD MA track is pretty much what you’d expect for being a rom-com. It’s front loaded, filled with tons of dialog, and 99% of all surround activity is the score itself. That being said, this is still an excellent representation of the genre, filling out the warm mix with a few bits of craziness (the beer pong scene for example, or a plane roaring off) but never being anything other than a rom-com mix. Bass is decent, but always a bit anemic in my opinion, but then again, this isn’t exactly the kind of movie that calls for explosive LFE. All in all, this is a very solid track that does exactly what is asked of it, and no more.












Extras:

• Return of the Dynamic Duo – Back together at last! In this fun-loving featurette, celebrate the big screen return of two of the world’s most beloved stars, Julia Roberts and George Clooney.
• Destination Wedding – It's a beautiful day for a wedding in paradise- and you're invited! Take a deep dive into all the details of Lily's magical day.
• Production in Paradise – From Balinese marriage customs, to filming in the Whitsundays, discover how filmmakers were able to bring a slice of paradise to audiences around the world in this making-of.
• Keep a Straight Face – It's hard to keep a straight face with a best friend by your side. Spend a day on set with real life pals Kaitlyn Dever and Billie Lourd as they try not to distract each other too much.

Final Score: ​

Ticket to Paradise doesn’t blaze any new trails, nor is it a particularly good rom-com either. It just re-uses the same tried and true tropes and survives on the chemistry and acting ability of the cast. But at the end of the day it’s a rather enjoyable throw away film despite said limitations. I knew all of the beats before they even happened, but was still able to enjoy the cliched romance. The Blu-ray looks and sounds great, and while the extras aren’t exactly crazy copious, there is still more than enough to dig into. I’d give this one a rental if you’re a fan of light hearted rom-coms.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Kaitlyn Dever, Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Billie Lourd, Maxime Bouttier
Directed by: Ol Parker
Written by: Ol Parker, Daniel Pipski
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 7.1, Spanish DTS-HD HR 7.1, French DTS 5.1
Subtitles: English
Studio: Universal
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 104 minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: December 13th, 2022

Recommendation: Rental

 

[Epoxy1]

My wife and I really enjoyed it. A tad too long overall, but the first act was freaking hilarious IMO.