Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Ticket to Paradise 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Justin Dekker February 23, 2024

George Clooney and Julia Roberts star in 'Ticket to Paradise' which makes its 4K UHD debut courtesy of Universal. Featuring a stellar video transfer and an engaging Dolby Atmos audio track, it's sure to appeal to fans of the two actors, specifically, and romantic comedies in general. Four brief special features are found on the disc. This release does not come with a slipcover, but a Blu-ray disc and a Digital Code are included.

Romance is all about taking chances. Stepping into the unknown and working up the courage to talk to that certain someone. Going out on the first date. Trying to find the right things to say at the right time. Figuring out when to call or text and when not to. Picking the moment to introduce that person to friends and family and hoping everyone gets along. It's a long list of milestones, major and minor, and all are fraught with some degree of peril both real and imagined. Terrifying at times, to be sure, but also exciting. And it's that excitement that comes from taking those risks that makes it all worthwhile.

George Clooney and Julia Roberts have an obvious chemistry. They've worked together on numerous occasions in the past and over the years have kindled a friendship that goes well beyond on-screen pairings. That friendship and that familiarity, to a great extent, makes the production easier. They know each others' strengths, tendencies, and senses of humor, affording them the chance to improvise together on line readings throughout the course of the film. The level of comfort that they have on day one is something many actors cannot create until well into shooting if it ever materializes at all. But that level of comfort, as talented as the two leads are, brings with it a definite downside - it removes risk. There isn't a natural tension born of two strangers put in a situation together to provide an edge to the relationship. No one has to worry about picking the wrong moment to deviate from the script, and no one has to worry about saying the wrong thing.

That familiarity is exactly what Director/Co-writer Ol Parker and Co-writer Daniel Pipski were after. It was revealed during the special features that the roles of David and Georgia were expressly written for them, and it shows. Neither Roberts nor Clooney had to work very hard in these roles, nor were they challenged to do anything we've not seen them do any number of times before. Their performances seem easy and effortless. After spending a few minutes watching outtakes, one rapidly gets the sense that there is very little distinction between the pair's on-screen or off-screen behavior, with the roles of David and Georgia essentially resulting in them having to play themselves. This is excellent for their fans as the two are clearly enjoying themselves and each other in some very beautiful and lush locations. What they're doing with their characters and in their roles never really feels like work. It's comfortable. It's a known commodity. There's no risk.

The film's plot is where the only element of risk comes into play. David and Georgia's daughter, Lily (Kaitlyn Dever) has just graduated from law school and her parents are sending her and her best friend, Wren (Billie Lourd), to Bali as a graduation present. When an excursion doesn't go as planned, the pair end up hitching a ride back to land with Gede (Maxime Bouttier), the son of a local seaweed farmer, and it's love at first sight for him and Lily. Upon hearing a wedding is imminent after little more than a month and that the happy couple intends to stay in Bali, David and Georgia, acrimoniously divorced for years, must set aside their hostile feelings and differences and race to Bali to break up the nuptials, thereby restoring their daughter to her proper path as a lawyer back in the States. That Lily would so quickly deviate from her life's plan to marry and stay in Bali as a seaweed farmer after such a short amount of time, is the single biggest "risk" in the film. But it's a plot point, a setup, not a real risk.

David and Georgia's marriage lasted five years - essentially just long enough to welcome Lily into the world. But for a pair that seems so high-toned and sophisticated, their strategy to derail the wedding is pedestrian at best. Clooney tries to sow the seeds of doubt with Gede, Roberts uses a birthday party magic trick to try to sabotage a pre-wedding ceremony, and Clooney seeks to leverage a local curse. As a viewer, we know full well that none of it has the slightest possible chance of working. Their antics amount to little more than trying to ruin a neighborhood progressive dinner party by hiding the olive forks. But the viewer forgives those minor transgressions as we watch David and Georgia dance to the classic college house party hits of their youth while challenging Lily and Gede to a quick game of beer pong. How could one possibly stay mad after seeing their rusty vintage moves performed with such obvious joy? And then there's the obligatory awkward morning after. Can we look into those faces and be angry? Nope. Not when their silliness is bringing them back together as well.

And it's the film's desire to keep the stakes low that hampers it the most. There's never the harsh conversation that devolves into yelling and ultimatums where Roberts might have tried to threaten, emotionally manipulate, or even forbid her daughter from marrying. Clooney never channels Danny Ocean to concoct an elaborate plan to have Gede seduced away from Lily, undermine or destroy the seaweed farm, or leverage his network to present Lily with some sort of bribe that would compel her to return to the States. In short, the film plays it very safe. It doesn't allow our two eternally charming leads to utter a word or take an action that ever leaves them as anything less than likable. Without some action or scheme to really put the wedding in jeopardy, to make us think they've gone too far, to take a risk and make them unlikable even for a few moments, we're never worried, never on the edge of our seats, never squirming. What's that you say? No olive forks? So terribly sorry. Here a some colorful toothpicks, those little plastic swords, and some salad forks. Take your pick, and let's get back to the party. Crisis. Averted.

Ticket to Paradise 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The 2160p presentation the film receives is top-notch. Even in early domestic US scenes, viewers will notice an incredible level of detail in the closeups of Clooney's eternally stubble-laden visage, and medium to wider shots of cityscapes and Lily's school. But it's once we arrive to film's primary island shooting locations that the film truly has a chance to shine. Ticket to Paradise 4K is an unmitigated and nonstop barrage of color. Balinese decorations dominated by reds and yellows are nicely saturated and pop from the screen. The lush leafy and flowering foliage that is inescapable in our island paradise likewise boasts rich, realistic greens. And it's here, on the island, that the level of detail on display can truly be appreciated as we move from jungle, to beach, to homes and hotel rooms, to bustling markets. Everything is rendered with pinpoint precision enabling the viewer to pick out precise leaves and flower petals, pebbles on the beach, intricate and age-related particulars on woodwork and decorations, and various nick-nacks and goods for sale in overcrowded and cluttered market stalls. Skin tones are universally healthy and realistic, and black levels are satisfying. (Please note, all screenshots are sourced from the included 1080p Blu-ray disc.)

Ticket to Paradise 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Ticket to Paradise 4K checks in with a very capable Dolby Atmos audio track. Rarely going for the big grand gesture, like a person on a first date this track aims to be mostly steady and even while cautiously picking its moments. Immersion levels are satisfying but not omnipresent and are never overwhelming. Background music, aquatic sounds, wedding party chatter, and environmental sounds such as wind, birds, and the like, suggest and finesse us into the world of the film without dynamically and energetically thrusting us into it. The most sonically dramatic moments arise during a rainstorm that confidently and assertively engulfs us, and a bar scene featuring a boisterous and pivotal game of beer pong that is set to such classics as Run DMC's "It's Like That" and House of Pain's "Jump Around". Dialogue is handled well, it's properly prioritized, balanced, and lives front and center. Bass is sufficient to provide enough depth to the showcased and background music, and it delivers enough convincing rumble to the in-flight turbulence as to engender authenticity while closing out one of the film's more entertaining scenes. It won't test the limits of anyone's gear, but it handily shepherds us through our trip to paradise.

Ticket to Paradise 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Four quick and breezy supplemental features tag along on Ticket to Paradise 4K.

• Return of the Dynamic Duo (4:36) - A very light behind-the-scenes feature where we learn that the lead roles were intended for Roberts and Clooney from the very first draft and how much the pair improvised.

• Destination Wedding (3:38) - A quick discussion of locations used, costumes, and traditional Balinese marriage customs and traditions.

• Production in Paradise (3:44) - Cast and crew talk about shooting in Queensland, Australia, and the remote Honeymoon Bay on Hamilton Island as stand-ins for Bali.

• Keep a Straight Face (2:35) - Go behind the scenes with Kaitlyn Dever and Billie Lourd as they talk about their friendship and working together.

Ticket to Paradise 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I don't watch romantic comedies frequently, but I must admit that I was excited to see Ticket to Paradise 4K based on having another opportunity to watch Julia Roberts and George Clooney work together again. The pair have an undeniable and irresistible presence, chemistry, and collective sense of humor. Roberts even participates in a very self-aware joke when meeting Gede's family for the first time in an incredibly unexpected moment. The Australian locations are gorgeous and the film is competently acted and lensed. I was very much hoping that this film would rival some of the best romantic comedies of the 1990s and early 2000s, however, the purposeful absence of any real edge or risk impedes its ascension to those lofty heights. Those looking for a safe romantic comedy anchored by two enduring (and endearing) cinema stars where the couples' outcomes are never really in doubt and the peril is mild at best, will find this one is just the ticket. To coin a phrase, it's a hug in a mug. Technical merits are strong for those considering a purchase.