Once you see a trailer for something five times, it gets stuck in your head.

This happened to me as every single day of the week, I would open my phone to find ads for this new movie, Ticket To Paradise. It looked somewhat interesting at face value, and I needed a new rom-com to put on replay, so I went in with a “nothing to lose” attitude. 

The movie features David and Georgia Cotton, a divorced couple brought together only by their daughter Lily. David, played by George Clooney, and Georgia, played by Julia Roberts, are both contentious people who can’t stand to be near each other, and all of their conversations end in arguments. After a series of unfortunate events involving Lily, played by Kaitlyn Dever, and her graduation and celebration trip to Bali, David and Georgia are forced to work together. Both don’t want their daughter to throw away her promising future just for a vacation fling and form a plan to sabotage the relationship. This, of course, leads to many comedic moments and still maintains the viewers’ interest through the mundane sections of the movie.

Just like the majority of rom-coms, it is incredibly predictable, with no surprises in any significant plot points. However, even with the typical predictability, it was still an interesting premise for a movie, and the unique situation made more obvious situations exciting. The acting was phenomenal, and, as per usual, Clooney and Roberts lived up to the substantial expectations that their repertoires have set. But, despite the acting, there are still many issues within the film.

The movie quickly introduced all of the characters, and because of the rushed introductions, many characters were underdeveloped and appeared to have no major roles in the film. People were often used simply as plot progressors and for nothing more than one or two meaningful scenes, only never to be seen again. 

These aren’t the only issues within the plot. The story feels hurried and incomplete, as some conversations and characters seem insignificant to the storyline. The entire backstory and setup of Georgia and David’s marriage seems unimportant and pointless. The explanation for their divorce has no rhyme or reason, and it felt more like a filler than a well-thought-out story.

Above all else, though, one of the main facets of the story, the comedic portion, was just bland. I watched this movie with my mom, and it contains many jokes that are aimed towards millennials/Gen. X. I wouldn’t say I was the target demographic for this movie, so when looking for movies applicable to my life situation or at least movies that appeal to my sense of humor, I’d skip this one. 

The ending, while predictable, was still satisfying and fitting with the story. The messy plot and undeveloped characters take away from the film, but the characters that are focused on have lovable qualities and the occasional funny moments that bring it together. All in all, it was not the worst movie I’ve seen by a long shot, but I won’t be recommending this movie to anyone anytime soon.