In the age of cinema and streaming, it seems romantic comedies have taken a bit of a back seat to superhero blockbusters and gritty dramas.
However, some of the most quotable films of all time fall into the rom-com genre, so are they gone forever?
The 1990s were a booming era for rom-coms – with Julia Roberts at the helm of some of the best. The Oscar-winning actress, who starred in hits such as Notting Hill, Runaway Bride and My Best Friend’s Wedding has previously defended the genre by saying that while the concept may look easy, it’s “hard to get right”.
And, yes, she believes there’s plenty of space in cinema for the romantics – including her recent offering, Ticket To Paradise, in which she co-stars with George Clooney.
Director Ol Parker wrote the film specifically with George and Julia in mind, so the pressure was on for the A-list duo to agree to it.
(Image: Supplied)“[George and I] are motivated to make people laugh, so this environment was incredibly joyful, and [the rom-com genre] gives people a holiday. We were on an island with nowhere to run, so we spent sweet time together as a cast which isn’t always afforded to you,” Julia, 54, tells TV WEEK.
Director Ol Parker wrote the film specifically with George and Julia in mind, so the pressure was on for the A-list duo to agree to it. But it didn’t take long, with George, 61, adding: “it was a great script and nothing but fun every day on set, which is quite rare.”
Ticket To Paradise follows a bitterly divorced couple, David and Georgia, who have to put their differences aside to stop daughter Lily (Kaitlyn Dever) from getting married in Bali to a man she’s just met.
As long-time friends, the two have been making each other laugh since they first met on the set of Ocean’s Eleven.
(Image: Supplied)The comedic jabs come thick and fast, but not just on screen. As long-time friends, the two have been making each other laugh since they first met on the set of Ocean’s Eleven.
“We sat on the floor of a hotel room and made jokes for about five hours,” George recalls. Having the chance to ham it up once more in Australia, where this production took place, was an added bonus.
“The chance to be snarky to George really jumped out at me,” she laughs as George quips back: “I wanted to work with the queen of sitcoms and romantic comedies, but she wasn’t available, so I worked with Julia instead.”
The shoot took place in Queensland’s Hamilton Island during heavy COVID-19 restrictions. But George insists the “inconveniences” they faced were nothing compared to those in lockdown.
“It’s important to remember that what we got to do in this film compared to what everyone else is going through is nothing. The citizens of Australia really put their head down and got through this. They took a big sacrifice,” George says.
“Had we, in the United States, done that we would have more people alive today. So what they did is incredibly brave and was hard on their economy.
“For us, coming in, that was nothing. We had inconveniences, maybe, [but] we felt honoured to be around people who were dealing with [the pandemic] seriously.”
Ticket To Paradise follows a divorced couple who have to stop their daughter from getting married in Bali to a man she’s just met.
(Image: Getty)Billie Lourd, 30, who plays Wren, Lily’s best friend, describes the experience of making the movie in Australia as “the most incredible few months of my life”, while Kaitlyn, 25, was enamoured by her A-list co-stars.
“I’ve never done a rom-com before and watching George and Julia work was a masterclass,” she says.
However, it seems not everything was perfect in paradise. George jokes, “everything is huge [in Australia]”. While Julia chimes in, “Everything is trying to kill you, [the film should be called] Ticket To The Hospital!”
