Ticket to Paradise (2022) [Blu-ray review]

Ticket to Paradise is the kind of romantic comedy that used to dominate the late 1950s and early 1960s. Y’know, that other time where the studio system was slowly dying.

Ticket to Paradise is a throwback Romantic Comedy, but was it thrown back to a great era?

The romantic comedy has been with film fans since the beginning. I don’t care what corner of the world you originate, your film history is lined with these movies about couples, lovers, parents and other beings trying to make sense of their lives and love. An older couple coming together to help their child is pretty basic. However, this time we already have a built-in interest for the couple and their kid is doing something stupid.

But, how stupid is marrying the first guy you meet in Bali on a girls’ post-graduation trip? Well, it’s not that stupid because it gets handled in 1 hr and 44 mins. As Hollywood attempts to use movies like Ticket to Paradise to get things back to normal, the shocking reality of a changed landscape comes into play. Do audiences still care about the romantic comedy?

While we know the historical importance of romantic comedies, the X factor at play is what movies are people enjoying anymore. As streaming and long form content has shaped what people expect out of modern stories and where they want to enjoy them, it boxes out Ticket to Paradise. I can’t count the number of people who keep asking me when Ticket to Paradise is coming to Home Video because they don’t want to see it in theaters.

Why do we care about Roberts and Clooney anymore?

Julia Roberts and George Clooney represent this weird paradigm in celebrity culture. They were some of the last superstars to get in under the wire. But, the era of the superstar is effectively done. Well, for awhile. Much like where I left off above, the world is feet first in the realm of convenience. No matter how many studios want to go back to theaters, Nicole Kidman commercials aren’t going to overpower a customer base where the balance of power has tipped.

Naturally, I watch films that don’t speak to me with a target audience closer to whom the movie will play better. As I sat in the AV Theater with people that have been desperately wanting to see Ticket to Paradise for awhile, I noticed something. They could only focus on moments and not the overall story. What’s crazy about Ticket to Paradise is how much it leans into that mindset.

To say the film doesn’t have much of a point is to undersell its structure. It is designed to establish a thin plot, give the audience moments and hope that they can remember what they liked for at least two weeks to tell their other pals.

How can you tell when a romantic comedy is perfectly adequate?

The romantic comedy is one of the oldest and most abused subgenres of film. However, you very rarely hear anyone say if one is good enough. There are plenty of casual viewers that will come out of the woodwork to exclaim what they like in the moment, but there are enough a ton of audience members to claim any lasting love for them. Well, save for the classics.

The romantic comedy by its nature is designed to be a light trifle. In that sense, Ticket to Paradise is terrific and will make audiences happy. But, is it good? It depends on your audience. A Michelin Chef will not care for Arbys just because they got the meats. However, it’s going to keep your grubby local guy happy. That being said, the Big Beef and Cheddar knows what it is and plays to those that don’t mind warm cheese on their Roast Beef. Don’t worry, we’ll revisit this on the hub.

What did Universal bring to the Blu-ray?

The Ticket to Paradise Blu-ray looks amazing for a recent release. However, it keeps making you wonder why Universal didn’t just go ahead and do a 4K. I get the economics of it, but if you have the master ready…just give people the best A/V Quality that you can. But, this is a movie that is going to go onto your mom or aunt’s media cabinet and get brought out at random.

They won’t notice the robust 1080p transfer or rather supportive DTS-HD 5.1 master audio track. Those viewers with a working home theater system will be shocked at how much the back channels get used for the Bali sequences. Hell, there’s even excellent sound design in the airport.

What about those special features? You get behind-the-scenes content, featurettes and deeper looks at the production. If you’re interested, go ahead and pick up Ticket to Paradise for the Holidays and beyond.

Ticket to Paradise arrives on Blu-ray on December 13th

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