Posted by Jonathan Klotz | Published
They don't make movies like they used to. The complete lack of romantic comedies in movie theaters is proof that the genre has declined from the heights it reached in the late 90s and 2000s. That didn't stop George Clooney and Julia Roberts, two of the most famous stars in history, from doing the worst to bring it back by force of will. in 2022 A ticket to Paradise did the impossible by earning over $150 million at the box office, and is now available on Netflix for everyone who missed a lost era of cinema.
An excuse for Clooney and Roberts to go on Vacation
Clooney and Roberts play David and Georgia, a divorced couple, forced back into each other's lives when their daughter Lily (I The Last of Us star Kaitlyn Dever) has a whirlwind romance in Bali with Gede (French model Maxime Bouttier), which leads to an impromptu wedding. David and Georgia both agree that this marriage is a mistake and work to destroy it while pretending to support their daughter. If you think you know every single line from that two-sentence definition, congratulations, you've seen a romantic comedy before, because you're right.
A ticket to Paradise throws a few problems into the family, including the Georgia driver's boyfriend, Paul (Emily in Paris star Lucas Bravo), who decides he should go along for the ride, and Lily's best friend, Wren (Billy Lourd) is attached to the wedding. The plot is a loose excuse to show the picturesque countryside of Bali, even if it's Hamilton Island, Australia, and to give Clooney and Roberts an excuse to work together on screen again.
This is the kind of movie where reviews don't matter. A ticket to Paradise it's not a good movie. This is the cinematic equivalent of a bubble burst: a moment of fun when all the fears and bonds of the world melt away, combined with the desire to be new again. You don't need a review to tell you how, in 2026, you will feel about George Clooney and Julia Roberts romantic comedies. You already know.
Ticket to Paradise Is the Best Rom-Com of the Decade
A ticket to Paradise it wasn't destined to be a box office success, though, easily clearing its $60 million budget. The film was planned to be a hit. As part of Universal's new partnership with Netflix, the film left Peacock to find a new audience on a streaming platform that people actually use. Since it first appeared on Netflix, it has been counted among the top five, proving that George Clooney and Julia Roberts can still bring audiences like no other.
Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell tried to bring back the rom-com the following year Anyone But Youand again, it was a huge hit, grossing over $220 million in theaters. If famous Hollywood stars and new, up-and-coming stars of tomorrow can both find success with romantic comedies, why aren't they coming to theaters? Where is the continuation of the light-hearted, down-to-earth storytelling that defined much of the 90s and 2000s?
Instead of kicking off a rom-com revival, Tin Paradise it's a puzzle. It's a film with no violence, the lowest score imaginable, and it's entirely based on raw chemicals in its two sources. It's also one of the best rom-coms of the decade and a great watch if you have and need something that everyone will love or at least, put up with.
A ticket to Paradise now on Netflix.
