Ticket to Paradise | A romantic comedy as we like them

They fell in love, they had a child, a long time ago. Today, they no longer endure. To prevent their daughter from getting married, and from giving in to love at first sight like them when they were younger – the worst blunder there is, isn’t it – two exes try everything for everything. For worse and for better.

Silvia Galipeau
The Press

It’s the return of the duo of Hollywood megastars, who we haven’t seen together on the big screen for too long (with Money Monster, six years ago). And they have lost none of their complicity, on the contrary. In Ticket to Paradise (ticket to paradise), the brilliant Julia Roberts and the priceless George Clooney, friends in real life, form in the new comedy by Ol Parker (Mama Mia! Here We Go Again) a larger-than-life ex-couple.

Julia Roberts (in Georgia, a gallery owner), with her ever-contagious smile, bursts the screen. The sentimental comedy (Pretty Woman, Notting Hill, name them) is a genre that fits her like a glove (or a combination, a garment that she declines with class throughout the trip, since it is one too, on the paradisiacal island of Bali). As for George Clooney (in David Cotton, architect), always seriously attractive with his white hair, he plays the acerbic and grumpy ex marvelously, with a bite that suits him quite naturally.

It must be said that the replicas fuse between these two lovers of yesterday (or 20 years ago, very exactly). The thunderbolt was short-lived, and they don’t miss one to machine-gun the other. It’s stupid and mean, always free, and we want more. Obviously. Because it’s also just to die for (laughs). We would have taken more.

Now the two parents have to come together in spite of themselves for their daughter’s graduation (Kaitlyn Dever as Lily, with a very fair game too, although undoubtedly under-exploited). Rebelote 37 days later when the latter, on a trip to Bali, therefore, announces to them straight out that she wishes to marry a local algae grower (Maxime Bouttier, in Gede, firecracker a bit erased). Our two exes, convinced that she is making the mistake of her life here, jump on a plane (piloted by David, Georgia’s new flame, played by Lucas Bravo, fromEmily in Paris, true to form) to sabotage his nuptial plans. Big ? Without a doubt. Toxic ? Certainly. Burlesque? You understood everything.

Nevertheless, the magic works, in this postcard setting (coconut palms, white sand, starry nights), swimming with the dolphins included (not to mention a memorable binge, which will change the course of things). Of course it’s sewn with white thread (neon pink!), it is to be expected with a comedy of the genre. But we won’t complain about laughing heartily from the very beginning to the very (very!) end of this very pretty film, with candy morals, to do with his daughter, well (but maybe not his ex!) .

Romantic comedy

Ticket to Paradise
(VF: ticket to paradise)

Ol Parker

With George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Kaitlyn Dever, Maxime Bouttier, Lucas Bravo

1:44

7.5/10