Long years passed before Julia Roberts decided to return to romantic comedies. Make the decision with Passage to paradise, a movie he shares with George Clooney; and in which, unlike his previous contributions to the genre, she explores love from an angle unknown to the pair.
After her graduation Lily (Kaitlyn Dever) decides to take a well-deserved break in Bali with her friend Wren (Billie Lourd). There she meets Gede (Maxime Bouttier) and unexpectedly finds love. The next thing her parents know, her daughter is engaged and that the wedding will take place very soon on the paradise island.
After years of divorce, Georgia (Julia Roberts) and David (George Clooney) finally agree on one thing: their daughter is about to make a mistake. Rather than allow her to go wrong the way they have in the past, they hatch a plan. They will flock to their little girl days before the wedding to express their support, while quietly doing everything they can to cause her cancellation.
passage to paradise it’s that kind of movie that doesn’t seek to make discoveries or deliver grand speeches. His mission is to bring together two Hollywood superstars within the framework of a story with measured doses of tenderness, love and comedy. A combo in which he performs quite well and where the actors shine without any kind of complication.
However, from the film directed by Ol Parker (mama Mine! Let’s go again) interesting reading can also be extracted. Especially since their mission isn’t to simply talk about romance, or make two divorced parents the making of a back-and-forth comedy block.
Instead passage to paradise it’s really about looking back and reflecting on the mistakes that define us. Although on paper the script by Daniel Pipski and Ol Parker tells us about a wedding that must be interrupted, everything is a pretext to show that the characters of George and David gave up their marriage too quickly and that since then they observe life from the fear.
It is appropriate that actors like George Clooney and Julia Roberts be used for a story that speaks of romance, but from a more specific quadrant. This is not about finding love for the first time; or to find the ideal person in the least unexpected place. It is about placing two characters in the middle of maturity, who shared a story and discover how children they really are.
A tale of romance seen since middle age, it’s exactly why Clooney and Roberts pull off so well. The gag about old age, or experiences in relationships work perfectly. They speak adequately to the public with faces that could well tell us about these issues.
In that sense passage to paradise It is a film that is unscathed on many occasions, despite the clichés and repeated situations plagued by predictable resolutions. Especially since the chemistry between the acting duo is manifest and effective.
The comedy is sometimes free and it is intended that the viewer laugh out loud with forced situations. But in other moments it is also successful, especially when the laughter comes from sincere and moving places. It is a bittersweet comedy because its characters look at life with regret. And therefore it is easier for the viewer to empathize at almost all times.
The tape is full of images to remember. The natural locations in Bali fill the entire optimistic narrative of the film with magic. In addition, in a modest way, it offers an interesting reading on intercultural relations. Here there is a wedding involved, as the axis of the entire story, but it shows us its development in a different culture where such a ceremony is full of various stages and various activities that are refreshing for Western custom.
To tell the truth, the film is set up almost like a trip comfort. You have a good time, you know different looks and you are accompanied by your trusted friends. He knows how to tick the right boxes that will hook the audience. Laughter, romance, incredible locations and a handful of stars that guarantee the cost of admission.
passage to paradise it is a pleasant trip that offers a break, although not many new and unforgettable things. No one will waste their time watching it, but you won’t get that reward that resonates importantly in the future either.
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Luis Angel H Mora My Hogwarts letter never came, so I focused my life on movies. I like to write, Harry Potter, Doctor Who and parties where I wear an astrologer. John Williams and The Killers musicalize the drama of my life.