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Julia Roberts and George Clooney are embarking on a new adventure with their Ticket to Paradise. The Ocean’s Eleven alums are back and fabulously so in the all-new tropical rom-com, playing a divorced couple at odds. Ticket to Paradise is directed by Oliver Parker, who is known for previously writing and directing Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. Parker is also the writer of the movie, along with Daniel Pipski. Roberts and Clooney also serve as producers on the movie, along with Tim Bevans, Eric Fellner, and others.
The story follows two divorced parents who are traveling to Bali to stop their daughter from a spontaneous wedding because they think she’s throwing her life away for love and making the same mistakes as her parents did years ago. And to do that, the couple must work together and hatch a plan to disrupt the wedding and probably get it canceled, except, things don’t go as they planned.
Ahead of the movie’s release this fall, check out everything we know so far about Ticket to Paradise. From the plot to the cast and characters, and the trailer, you can get all the details below.
Editor's Note: This article was last updated on October 19, 2022.
When Is Ticket to Paradise’s Release Date?
Ticket to Paradise was originally scheduled to be released in the United States on September 30, 2022, but got postponed. Now, the movie is releasing in theaters across the United States on October 21, 2022. It will release in Australia on September 15, 2022, and in the UK on September 16, 2022. As a Universal Pictures film, Ticket to Paradise is also expected to be available for streaming on Peacock, 45 days after the theatrical premiere.
Watch the Ticket to Paradise Trailer
Universal Pictures released the official trailer for Ticket to Paradise in June 2022 and from the first look, it appears gorgeous and colorful, thanks to the tropical island setting of Bali. The nearly three-minute trailer sets, not just the expectation, but also the entire plot of the movie. From the moment they encounter each other on the plane, there’s endless bickering and passive-aggressive exchange between the couple, which of course becomes the premise for these characters. But that also defines the story’s appeal. Their interactions are hilarious and sometimes, cute, as they try to work towards their plan of “saving” their 20-something daughter, and it makes the characters more endearing. The major highlight of the movie though, as is obvious from the trailer, is the dynamic duo of Roberts and Clooney, looking as charming and funny as they did in their last on-screen appearance.
The trailer practically lays out the entire plot and what to expect, since there’s no big surprise that would need to be hidden. What we can look forward to in the movie is how far the parents would go with their plan and whether they will fail or succeed in their attempt to thwart the wedding.
Who Is in the Cast of Ticket to Paradise?
As of now, the details of all the characters of Ticket to Paradise are not available. However, from what we have learned from the trailer and promos, here’s the list of main cast members and the characters they're playing:
Julia Roberts and George Clooney are headlining the cast of Ticket to Paradise. The duo has a long history of co-starring, starting with Ocean’s Eleven and its sequel, Ocean’s Twelve, where they play each other’s love interests. The actors also appeared together in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, and Money Monster. Julia Roberts plays Lily’s mother and George Clooney plays the father. Further details about their characters have not been revealed yet. But we do know that they are a divorced couple who simply despise being in each other’s presence. They are in Bali only to stop their daughter’s wedding.
Ahead of the movie's release, Roberts and Clooney sat down with Collider's Steve Weintraub for a talk about how they prepare for playing drunk on camera, getting ready to film something emotional, and also revealed the first thing you should watch if you've never seen their work before. Check out the video here:
Besides the reunion of these two Hollywood legends, the cast of Ticket to Paradise also includes Kaitlyn Dever as Lily, the 25-year-old daughter of Clooney and Roberts's characters. She fell in love with a guy in Bali on her graduation trip and decided to get married there, which is the reason why her parents, despite all the odds between them, are in Bali together. Maxime Bouttier plays Gede, the young man from Bali who Lily is in love with and wants to marry. He seems to be a nice guy and even Lily’s dysfunctional parents seem to like him. Billie Lourd plays Wren Butler; Lily’s friend who is in Bali with her and Gede for the wedding.
Other cast members include Lucas Bravo, Rowan Chapman, Sean Lynch, Romi Paulier, and Murran Kain, among many others.
When and Where Was Ticket to Paradise Filmed?
The principal photography for Ticket to Paradise was conducted in Queensland, Australia, between November 2021 and February 2022. The romantic comedy-drama has been filmed across various locations in Australia including the Whitsunday Islands, the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Tangalooma Island Resort on Moreton Island, and The Palm Bay Resort on Long Island.
What Is Ticket to Paradise About?
Ticket to Paradise is not one story, but several stories overlapping each other. For starters, it does seem to be about two parents trying to help their daughter save herself from a life-changing mistake. Once married for five years, and been in and out of each other’s lives for 19 years, Lily’s parents cannot stand the sight of each other. In simple words, they just hate being in each other’s presence. Yet, they are trying hard to get through this vacation so they can sabotage the wedding that they think is wrong for their child. Yes, there are some parallels to HBO Max's 2022 version of Father of the Bride. But that’s not all that there is in this movie.
This is Lily’s story as well. She is marrying a guy she met only a few weeks earlier. After graduation, she spent some time in Bali and fell in love with a guy she believes can give her all the happiness in the world. No matter what her parents think, she is in love and all she expects from them is to be a part of the wedding without any drama or disaster. While the parents do their best and try to work as a team to put a stop to the wedding, Lily and Gede go about their lives, preparing for their big day. And seeing their determination, her parents could also be having second thoughts about their plans, and who knows, the circumstances might turn around and bring them closer.
Read an Excerpt From Collider's Review of Ticket to Paradise
Ticket to Paradise currently holds a 66% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and 6.4/10 on IMDb. Read on for an excerpt from our review of the film written by Emma Kiely, who has given the movie a C- rating, or check out the full article here.
Despite its faults, one thing is for certain: Julia Roberts and George Clooney are having the time of their lives and there has to be something said for that. So often we see big stars doing movies that pay well, but they see it as beneath them - and it’s obvious that they’re not even trying to immerse themselves in the project. Roberts and Clooney - three Oscars between them and monikers as two of the best actors working today - do not fall into this category. They give it their all. Whether it's Georgia being disgustingly cutesy with her younger pilot beau (Emily in Paris’s Lucas Bravo is undoubtedly the comedic highlight of the movie) or David getting hit by a CGI dolphin, the two legends are game.