Ticket To Paradise (Blu-ray Review)
Does star power still carry weight these days? The movie theater world is dominated by fast-paced, epic-length superhero fare. Comedies are almost non-existent, and even worse, romantic comedies, once a source of great box office strength, are like the cinematic dinosaur. What’s sad, is that these movies were often enduring, sweet, and easy to revisit. The announcement of Ticket To Paradise led me to an instant smile. Julia Roberts, George Clooney, and an exotic locale? I’m in. With all that said, get deeper into my thoughts on Ticket To Paradise below and if you’re so inclined, there’s a paid Amazon link at the end for you to get yourself a copy!
Film: 
David and Georgia (George and Julia) are a long-divorced couple who have a daughter, Lily (Kaitlyn Dever), who has just graduated college. She has big plans to jump right into her lawyer job, but first, she has plans to visit Bali with her best friend Wren (Billie Lourd). Upon arrival, she meets Gede (Maxime Bouttier), a humble seaweed farmer. The pair hit it off immediately, and of course, a romance blossoms quickly.
Once the love bond is sealed, the marriage is inevitable. When David and Georgia receive the word that a wedding in Bali is being held, the two must team up to try and stop the wedding. Why? Because the pair sees parallels to their own relationship and in that way, they have no desire to see their daughter have the same issues they did. No marriage, no problem, right? So, David and Georgia plan to be in sync to plan a “Trojan Horse” situation to break the two up.
Ticket To Paradise has the makings of a typical romantic comedy right from the onset. The characters we’ve seen before. The storyline has been done and re-done a time or two as well. Sometimes, even in better ways (My Best Friend’s Wedding, a favorite Roberts film of mine, is a great example of this storyline done the best.) The saving grace for this incarnation is the glow of it all. George Clooney and Julia Roberts still truly light up the screen. Seeing them, ageless and engaged as they are here is a true movie joy. This is something we’ve missed in recent times. Kaitlyn Dever continues to be a similar light on the screen, shining just a brightly as she did in Booksmart, with a smaller role, more reserved, but just as adorable and energetic… and then there’s Billie Lourd. We know she’s Carrie Fisher’s daughter, but what she has done in the last few films we’ve seen her in, she’s such a bright spot. Lourd is truly etching herself a great place in the annals of character actresses. I look forward to her moments every time she pops up on screen.
In the end, Ticket To Paradise has its heart in the right place. It’s a predictable, mellow, smiling more than laughing comedy, but to see this “old Hollywood” aesthetic come back to theaters and now home is somehow refreshing and wonderful. This is a solid film that should leave fans of the genre warm and waiting for the next foray into Romcom territory.
Video:
Encoding: MPEG-4 AVC
Resolution: 1080p
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Layers: BD-50
Details: Judging from the 4K UHD presentation that’s readily available on Peacock, this one was made for UHD. Unfortunately, the lukewarm reception at the box office prevented Universal from showing this one the 4K Blu-ray love this time around. What we have is a 1080p presentation that is overall marvelous. From the interior spaces to the gorgeous Bali setting, we are treated to some colorful eye candy throughout. The image is sharp, the colors are rich, and one can only imagine what a proper UHD presentation would’ve yielded.
Clarity/Detail: Terrific throughout, the clarity comes through especially on location. The greens, blues and beiges pop and moments where the sun is setting, things have a residual glow that is truly something special.
Depth: Depth is great for a 1080p presentation. Things look widespread and meant for the most nit-picking viewer. Overall, this is a flawless film in the depth department.
Black Levels: The black levels in this film are flawless as well. There are no elements of crush, and the little bit of time the movie spends in dark areas are only aided by the love put into the color grading that I’ll go into below.
Color Reproduction: This is a lush color presentation. Things are clean, immersive, and lovingly colorful. Gorgeous greens, blues, reds, and yellows abound. I love the look of this film.
Flesh Tones: Heard me say this before? Flawless. Yet another place for Universal to take a victory lap in this presentation. Everyone looks proper, beautiful, and exactly as they should.
Noise/Artifacts: Perfect digital crisp!
Audio:
Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD MA 7.1, Spanish DTS-HD HR 7.1, French DTS 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Details: The English DTS-HD MA 7.1 soundtrack is equal parts immersive, serviceable and way more than I expected. Overall, there is a lot of love put into source cues, dialogue and light surround activity in the front and back surrounds.
Dynamics: Dynamically speaking we have a very well-rounded track here. The dialogue and sound effects and music all sound even and complimentary. There is no real need for a 7.1 track here, but to have it is a testament. It’s also clear that there is probably a DTS:X or Dolby Atmos mix somewhere too.
Low-Frequency Extension: Bass is reserved for some effects having to do with a scene on an airplane and some other sound effects spread throughout. Music would be the next place you’ll find bass going to work.
Surround Sound Presentation: The sounds of Bali abound in the surround channels. The ocean, the family noise, the boats, the ambience overall… What wonderful work was done overall.
Dialogue Reproduction: The dialogue is always perfectly intelligible, and lovingly reproduced. Nothing is lost or hard to hear.
Extras:
Extras for Ticket To Paradise are of the light variety. EPK pieces broken up into tiny vignettes.
Return Of The Dynamic Duo (HD, 4:38) is the longest, lightheartedly discussing the reunion of Clooney and Roberts in a film; Destination Wedding (HD, 3:38) discusses the wedding at the heart of the film, Production In Paradise (HD, 3:44) is about the production itself, how it came to be a based in Bali, and how It was filmed in Australia where Ol Parker is from, and Keep A Straight Face (HD, 2:35) is about Kaitlyn Dever and Billie Lourd and their friendship feeding into a spot on friends’ performance – and how hard it was to keep serious when the chemistry produced tons of laughs!
Rounding out the package is the “Collector’s Edition” slipcover and digital code. A part of me wishes that Universal would stop with the Collector’s Edition tag, seeing as we get about 14 minutes’ worth of special features, and that’s not that special in truth. There’s nothing wrong with the features, but overall, there’s nothing here that screams Collector’s Edition to me personally.
Summary:
Ticket To Paradise didn’t set the box office on fire in the states. It brought enough people out to see it, and the mixed response makes sense considering the predictability at play with the film. That being said, the film is warm, comforting and feather light. This is a great showcase for classic actors, a familiar and easy story, and something just to relax to overall. I personally love movies like this, and feel like this is one that could gain some more love for itself with repeat viewings. Worth a look for romantic comedy fans, and a gorgeous transfer makes it even more worth recommending!
