Ticket to Paradise: The Revival or the Retirement of Romantic Comedies?

The 90s and 00s are widely viewed as the ‘golden era’ of romantic comedies, with the leading lady of them all being the iconic Julia Roberts (Notting Hill, Pretty Woman, Valentine’s Day). The announcement that she, along with Ocean’s Eleven co-star George Clooney (From Dusk Til Dawn, Burn After Reading), in his first rom-com since One Fine Day in 1996, would reunite after their many projects together was met with one general question; was this the return of the romantic comedy?

It's safe to say, the last 15 years of the rom-com have not provided audiences with the same warm feeling they used to; the feeling you need when wrapped in blankets on the sofa with a tub of ice cream after a heartbreak (yes, Bridget Jones style). The ‘Netflix Original’ is often considered the cause of this downfall, with its constant output of films often considered ‘money making schemes’ with repeated plots and cliched characters, but most importantly, the absence of the staple actors who shaped the genre. So, is a film with two of the most acclaimed figures in the genre what rom-com needs to spike its revival? Or is it only proof that the only selling points remaining of the genre are these icons?

Roberts and Clooney reunite to play, yet again, a divorced couple, Georgia and David, a role they had already perfected with Soderbergh’s Ocean’s trilogy. Attempting to stop their daughter Lily (Kaitlyn Dever; Booksmart, Beautiful Boy) from marrying Gede (Maxime Bouttier) whom she met on a trip to Bali, the constantly arguing Georgia and David are forced relive their own ‘mistake’ of marrying each other 25 years ago.

Similarities between director Ol Parker’s Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again and his latest romantic comedy are uncanny. The beautiful sceneries, the feeling Lily gets of ‘belonging’ when she arrives in Bali and Donna’s love for Kalokairi, along with the matter of parent/daughter relationships, prove how Ol Parker’s ability to transport us to paradise, and make us feel emotionally involved in these families, is unmatched.

The damsel in distress ‘meet-cute’ and first kiss between Lily and Gede are, to put it simply; entirely cringe-worthy. But isn’t that what romantic comedies are all about? A story about a girl who has her heart set on becoming a lawyer goes on a trip to Bali where she falls in love with a boy and suddenly decides to give up her dreams and marry him? And then is shocked when it is revealed to her that her parents aren’t happy about it? Yes; absolutely classic rom-com. Isn’t the unbelievable nature of it all just what makes the genre so great?

While in modern cinema we are constantly searching for new ideas and change, I often find that when the rom-com genre is freed of its stereotypes, and the cliched plotlines and predictability are no more, the films tend to fall flat. The rom-com differs to other genres as it thrives on similarity; the predictability of it is what defines it; but is this why modern audiences are getting tiresome of it? Because we are constantly fed a stream of media from platforms such as Netflix? Ticket To Paradise is the perfect example of a film which fits the stereotype, but the only reason it doesn’t fall flat in a generation of other failed rom coms is because of Clooney and Roberts’ chemistry which is familiar and nostalgic to audiences.

The ‘comedy’ aspect of the film however, is mostly limited to Clooney and Robert’s interactions, and we therefore find ourselves more partial to their relationship than to Lily and Gede's, despite Dever's warmth allowing the audience to believe in the authenticity in their short relationship. Without the chemistry and the nostalgia Roberts and Clooney bring, the film's jokes fall short of hitting the right places. However, all the real highlights of the film are included in the trailer. Simply watching the trailer alone is more than enough to get not only the funniest moments in the film (my highlight was the drunken beer pong) but its full storyline leaving nothing to the imagination; except its conclusion, which considering the genre, isn’t exactly a surprise.

If you’re just here to watch a cliche light-hearted rom-com starring our favourite movie divorcees Julia Roberts and George Clooney; honestly? I would just give the trailer a watch. However, if you have 100 minutes to spare, the blooper reel and classic freeze-frame ending make the remainder of the film entirely worth it. Ticket To Paradise may not become a staple in the genre, but it is a great reminder that the end of romantic comedies isn’t upon us yet.

Ticket to Paradise is currently being shown in cinemas.