Ever seen a completely forgettable movie with bankable stars in a beautiful location and wondered why they agreed to make the film?  These are often nothing more than paid vacations for the lead actors.  Adam Sandler has confirmed that most of his movies are just paid vacations. “Ticket to Paradise” is a perfect example of this type of movie.  A tedious collection of cliches, it has no other reason to exist.

David (George Clooney) and Georgia (Julia Roberts) are bitter exes who do their best to live on opposite sides of the U.S.  They are pulled back into each other’s vicinity when their daughter Lily (Kaitlyn Dever) graduates college, and then while on a post-graduation trip to Bali becomes engaged.  David and Georgia believe their early marriage was the biggest mistake of their lives and destroyed their dreams. (Even though they both seem quite successful now.)  Like any loving parents would do, the two decide to put aside their differences and team up to sabotage their daughter’s wedding by any means necessary.

What follows is a nauseating collection of scenes that are supposed to alternate between sweet and funny.  The chemistry between Clooney and Roberts is undeniable, unfortunately, David and Georgia are detestable humans.  They are immature, annoying, cruel, selfish, and worst of all, stupid.  The film obviously wants to be a modern “His Girl Friday” but even though George Clooney can deliver dialog nearly as well as Cary Grant, it doesn’t work if the script is as dull as an old butter knife.

The plot continues down a well-worn path with the only delight coming from unexpected physical comedy bits of lovesick Sean Lynch and some fun throwaway scenes with the under-utilized Billie Lourd.

2022 has had an impressive spectrum of films, but I wasn’t expecting to see a movie that made me wish I was watching “Morbius” again.  “Ticket to Paradise?”  More like a sentence to purgatory.

Ticket to Paradise
1.5