Ticket to Paradise

There are certainly a few scenes at the start of this film (mostly those seen in the trailers) when there is a spark of chemistry between Julia Roberts ("Georgia") and George Clooney ("David"). Formerly married, this couple have to dash to Bali when their twenty-five year old daughter "Lily" (Kaitlyn Dever) announces her intention to marry her Indonesian boyfriend of ten minutes "Gede" (Maxime Bouttier). Even on the flight over, it's clear that they cannot stand one and other, but they must ally and work together if they are to stop their lass's moment of madness. What happens now reminded me a little of "Mamma Mia" (2008) only without the ABBA songs and instead of Greece, we are in more Oriental surroundings. The photography is beautiful and "Visit Bali" must be hoping that tourists will flock to the gorgeous sandy beaches where you can readily farm seaweed and swim with some pretty brutal dolphins! The storyline here, though, is as predictable as one of the many sunsets we see as this decently paced lightweight comedy steers inevitably towards a conclusion that is never in doubt. Sadly it is the bitchy humour between Clooney and Roberts that holds this otherwise unremarkable film together, and as the story develops that is soon on the wain and we are left with a good looking but rather insubstantial movie. This raises a smile rather than a laugh, and slots neatly into the romcom category. It's a nice film, you probably won't hate it - but you won't ever remember it either.