Picturehouse Blog

Six years after we last saw Hollywood heavyweights Julia Roberts and George Clooney together on screen, they are finally reunited for this new adventure, which promises to be the hottest film of the year.  

That's not just because the story unfolds in the exquisite tropical paradise of Bali. Roberts and Clooney have always had a particular chemistry, as seen in Ocean's Eleven and its sequel, Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind and Money Monster, and here they get another chance to play against each other in a film that leans into their natural flair for comedy.

They are a divorced couple whose daughter, Lily (Kaitlyn Dever), is planning to get married in Bali, to a local man, Gede (breakout star Maxime Bouttier), whom she has only just met. Worried that Lily may be making a big mistake, her estranged parents decide to try and team up to sabotage the wedding, and save their daughter's future.

That premise provides plenty of opportunities for mischief, something at which director Ol Parker is a dab hand. Having written both The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again – the latter of which he also directed – Parker knows exactly how to harness that heady mix of energy and escapism. He also knows how to get the very best out of an A-list cast.

They don't get more A-list than Clooney and Roberts, who have been wowing audiences on the big and small screens for more than three decades.

After breaking out as Doug Ross in medical drama ER in the mid-'90s, Clooney has gone on to become a powerhouse of Hollywood, producing, directing and acting in myriad films, from the Oceans franchise to Up In The Air and Tomorrowland: A World Beyond.

Similarly, in the 30 years since she rose to fame in early-'90s hits like Pretty Woman and Flatliners, Roberts has shown her dramatic prowess and comedy timing in Notting Hill, America's Sweethearts and Eat Pray Love, among others.

The pair also have several Oscar nominations and three wins between them: Clooney for producing Best Picture winner Argo in 2013 and for Best Actor in Syriana, and Roberts for Best Actress in Erin Brockovich.

Although the idea of Clooney and Roberts letting the sparks fly as sworn enemies forced to team up is surely one of the biggest draws in Ticket To Paradise, there are plenty of other talents in the cast.

Dever, a 2020 BAFTA Rising Star nominee, has proved herself to be one of Hollywood's most intriguing young stars in projects like TV's Unbelievable and Dopesick – for which she was recently nominated for a Primetime Emmy for Best Supporting Actress, Limited Series – and films including Dear Evan Hansen and Booksmart. Dever's Booksmart co-star, Billie Lourd, joins her in Ticket To Paradise, as does Lucas Bravo, who has enjoyed huge success with the hit Netflix show Emily In Paris.

They are joined by some equally stellar behind-the-camera talent, including production designer Owen Paterson (Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle, Captain America: Civil War, The Matrix) and cinematographer Ole Bratt Birkeland (Judy and TV's Pieces Of Her), who captures both the stunning beauty of Bali and the surefire star power of Clooney and Roberts.     Nikki Baughan

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Ticket To Paradise is in cinemas from Tuesday 20 September — Book Now