A romantic comedy from 2022 is now a streaming hit on Netflix and although the film remains underrated, it makes sense that it found a home for success on a streaming service. The movie features two of the biggest stars of the past few decades and people tend to flock to anything that includes George Clooney and Julia Roberts. They actually did that for this film, which grossed over $165 million at the worldwide box office, yet even just after a few years, it has been mostly forgotten by many.
That’s why it’s so cool to learn that it has found its way into the trending top 10 charts for movies on Netflix. One of the best things about a streaming platform like Netflix is that it offers an opportunity for films to find new life and gain an unforeseen appreciation years after its initial release. It happened with films like The Nice Guys and Long Shot and TV shows like Suits, which became such a hit that it spawned a new spinoff series.
Right now, the rom-com Ticket to Paradise is what’s gaining new traction in 2026, giving the partnership of Clooney and Roberts another success in their incredible careers.
Ticket To Paradise Is An Underrated Gem
As noted, Ticket to Paradise performed well on a commercial level and is one of the more successful romantic comedies of the past few years. That’s in large part due to the aforementioned pairing of Julia Roberts and George Clooney, who are engaging on screen in all of their roles. In Ticket to Paradise, they play a divorced couple who come back together to sabotage the impending wedding of their daughter, Lily.
Lily was on a planned path after graduating from college and went on a vacation to Bali before the rest of her life started. However, she meets a seaweed farmer named Gabe and falls in love with him, setting up an unexpected wedding. The parents, David and Georgia Cotton, head to Bali to stop their daughter from making what they believe is a mistake and along the way, they ultimately start to have feelings for each other rekindled.
While Ticket to Paradise was a solid box office hit, it seems like the movie faded away quickly and nobody talksa bout it when discussing the best modern rom-coms. However, it’s clear that it belongs in the conversation. Reviews were somewhat mixed from critics, sitting at 57% on Rotten Tomatoes, but the audience score on the Popcornmeter is much higher at 87%. That’s proof that the charisma of Roberts and Clooney was more than enough for audiences to truly enjoy this film.
It’s not often that a romantic comedy can gross more than $150 million and still be considered an underrated or hidden gem of sorts, yet Ticket to Paradise shows that it’s possible. Even if you think aspects of the plot are overly predictable, you can’t help but be pulled into whatever Clooney and Roberts are doing on screen together. They’re a combination that has worked several times in the past as well.
This Is The 5th Collaboration Between Clooney & Roberts
Ticket to Paradise actually marks the fifth time that Julia Roberts and George Clooney have starred in the same film. The first time they shared the screen was way back in 2002 in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. The spy movie stars Sam Rockwell as a game show host who claims to have a second career in the CIA. Clooney appears as a real CIA agent named Jim Byrd, while Roberts plays an operative named Patricia Watson in one of either actor’s most intriguing projects.
The most notable partnership between Roberts and Clooney came next as they starred in Ocean’s Eleven and Ocean’s Twelve in 2001 and 2004. They’re much closer in that franchise as they play Tess and Danny Ocean, a divorced couple much like in Ticket to Paradise. Their relationship is central to the plot of these fantastic heist films and their chemistry is great. Plus, there’s a scene where Tess talks to Julia Roberts on the phone, making for a meta sequence.
The fourth collaboration between Roberts and Clooney came in 2016 with Money Monster. Directed by Jodie Foster, the tense thriller sees Clooney portray TV host Lee Gates and Roberts play his producer Patty Finn as they get caught up in a dangerous scenario where an angry investor takes their entire crew hostage. Like Ticket to Paradise, reviews were relatively mixed, yet the performances of Clooney and Roberts were praised.
Ticket To Paradise Has A Strong Supporting Cast
Obviously, the selling point of Ticket to Paradise was seeing Clooney and Roberts together on the big screen again. However, the strength of the film goes beyond that because the rest of the cast is also really good. For starters, their daughter Lily is played by Kaitlyn Dever, who is one of the most impressive young actors in Hollywood. She broke out in Booksmart but has been great in Short Term 12, No One Will Save You, and Unbelievable, while also securing Emmy nominations for Dopesick and The Last of Us.
Lily’s friend Wren Butler is portrayed by Billie Lourd, the daughter of Carrie Fisher. Lourd has carved out her own solid career with roles in Booksmart, American Horror Story, and The Last Showgirl. She and Dever are great in their scenes together in Ticket to Paradise. Maxime Bouttier plays Gabe, Lily’s soon-to-be husband, and while this is his only major American movie, he’s appeared in several notable French projects. Lucas Bravo rounds out the main cast as Paul, and he’s best known for a long-running role on Netflix’s Emily in Paris.
That combination of two extremely charismatic leads in George Clooney and Julie Roberts, a great supporting cast of rising stars, a fun premise, and a beautiful setting for the main story makes Ticket to Paradise a romantic comedy that any fan of the genre should check out. In fact, everyone should give it a chance on Netflix because it’s just a good time from start to finish. We could all use more movies like that.
- Release Date
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October 21, 2022
- Runtime
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104 minutes
- Director
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Ol Parker