Just when the world needs her most, Julia Roberts is making her triumphant return to the genre she basically reinvented in the 90s—the romantic comedy. In a genius stroke of casting, she will reunite with her Ocean’s 11 co-star George Clooney for Ticket to Paradise, out this October.
Ticket to Paradise hinges on the enemies-to-lovers rom-com trope. The first trailer is essentially two-and-a-half straight minutes of Roberts and Clooney exchanging hate-fueled, sexually-charged banter. In other words, it’s already our favorite movie of the year. If you don’t think it’s sexy when someone is mean to you, you need to grow up and watch Season 2 of Bridgerton.
Roberts and Clooney play a bitterly divorced couple who rushed into marriage and now must team up to save their daughter, Lily (Kaitlyn Dever), from the same mistake. Lily is set on marrying a man she just met on a post-graduation trip to Bali. Hijinks, of course, ensue as Roberts and Clooney begrudgingly travel to Bali together to stop the wedding.
When Roberts tells a flight attendant at the beginning of the trailer that she can’t sit next to Clooney because they used to be married, Clooney adds, “Worst 19 years of my life.” Roberts clarifies that they were only married for five years and, without missing a beat, her ever-charming scene partner deadpans, “I’m counting the recovery.”
There’s pretty much no way this movie could not be entertaining. Who among us wouldn’t gladly watch Julia Roberts and George Clooney verbally spar for two hours? The trailer also promises other classic rom-com elements: a stunning tropical setting, a pop soundtrack, and a drunken dance montage (wasted George Clooney doing the Running Man—need we say more?).
Lucas Bravo of Emily in Paris fame and the always hilarious Billie Lourd round out Ticket to Paradise’s supporting cast. Plus, the film’s director, Ol Parker, is responsible for the cinematic masterpiece that is Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.
This is the visionary who gave us Cher playing Meryl Streep’s mother even though they only have a three year age difference. And a truly inappropriate performance of ABBA’s “When I Kissed the Teacher” that we are meant to believe occurred at Oxford University’s graduation ceremony. Ghost Meryl dueting with Amanda Seyfriend at a baby’s christening! What were we talking about again?
Oh, right. Needless to say, Ticket to Paradise is in good hands. It hits theaters on October 21.
