Movie Review: Ticket to Paradise

 

Michael's Movie Grade: C

An okay romantic comedy. 

If there is a movie that fully gets by on the talents and charisma of its stars, it is this one. The story is a very typical romantic comedy and if you have ever watched the Hallmark channel then you know everything that was going to happen. What gives this movie charm in spite of its familiarity is the likability of the stars and of the characters they play. The main characters in this film are played by George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart, TV's Last Man Standing). These three are simply overflowing with charm and enhance any film they are in. In this movie, they are at their most likable and charming and make some of the corniest most predictable moments quite a bit of fun. I also like that this film makes their characters always very likable even when they are being selfish or being angry at each other. This makes the film feel a bit like a pleasant vacation with nice people. The movie also takes good advantage of its island setting and this makes for a very visually pleasing film. While the humor never made me laugh out loud, quite a few of the jokes made me smile a little bit and there weren't many really bad jokes here. 

The problem with this film is that is extremely similar to a great number of romantic comedies and does nothing to make it stand out from the pack. As such this is one of those films that you might forget about rather quickly after watching it. Also with the movie's predictability, many of the plot points feel too painfully obvious and there are too many times when we are simply waiting for what we know is bound to happen to happen.

This film provides a pleasant trip to the movies but little more.    

Movie Review: Booksmart

Michael's Movie Grade: B

Review: Quite funny comedy and with all the raunchiness, it is surprisingly warm hearted.

People who read this blog often will know that I am often not a fan of raunchy comedies and might be surprised that I am giving this movie a good review. The thing is I am not opposed to a raunchy comedy, if it is well done. While there are moments that are simply raunchy for the sake of being raunchy (these are often the least funny moments in the film), there are plenty of times when the comedy comes out of the characters just as much as the raunchiness. Moments like talk about masturbating with a stuffed panda and the girls watching porn in a Lyft are funny not because they are crude but because they come out of the characters. Speaking of the characters our two main characters are extremely likable here, as well as magnificently played by Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever. Underneath all the over the top humor, this is a movie about the friendship between these two girls. This is held together by the perfect chemistry between the characters and actresses. You completely believe that these two are besties and inseparable. The relationship is so natural and unforced they remind us of the closest friendships we have had in our lives. I want to hug them both right now, just writing this. Because the characters are so likable and the humor centers around them, this movie successeds where many raunchy comedies fail. This is that the serious emotional moments actually work. Most raunchy comedies have such a hard time balancing these moments with the raunchiness, just making them seem forced. However since both the comedy and drama fully revolve around the characters both work together very well.

None of this is to say this is a perfect movie. Not ever joke hits and it takes a bit for the movie to truly get going. There are also some scenes that essentially feel like padding and should have been on the cutting room floor (a stop motion sequence for example).

I had my reservations about this movie. Looking at the previews I thought I wasn't going to care much for it. I was very pleasantly surprised and I hope that some of you who had the same reservations will be similarly surprised.

-Michael J. Ruhland