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This isn't exactly a groundbreaking movie, but it WAS nice to have something old-fashioned on the screen inbetween all the various superheroes like Black Adam, Black Panther, Black Widow, and so on.
Anyway, the movie has a somewhat predictable story. I mean, c'mon, you know the ending before you even walk in the door. Just once I wish they'd make a movie like this where it's really funny, but then George Clooney gets killed in a car wreck halfway through, or maybe Julia Roberts gets a disease that leaves half of her face paralyzed. Then you've got something original, although the comedy might suffer a bit I guess. But I digress.
This is a typical romantic comedy, in this case involving an ex-married couple (George and Julia) who now can't stand each other, trying to keep their daughter, Lily, (Kaitlyn Dever) from making the same mistake they did (getting married too quickly). Their plan: Try to act civilized with each other and talk sense into their daughter, and failing that, come up with a diabolical plan to stop the wedding. All of this works poorly, until they do the standard rom-com "bar scene" where the two principals embarrass everyone by dancing like idiots. Then wackiness ensues including another standard rom-com trope of someone stealing the wedding rings, because everyone knows you can't get married unless you have these exact rings, or maybe it IS a law in Bali. By the end everyone realizes they would rather all live on a tropical island than go back to whatever their jobs were anyway and they all live happily ever after.
The best part of the movie is the banter between Clooney and Roberts. A bunch of it was improvised, as illustrated by a slew of outtakes that are played over the closing credits. Beyond that, the rest of the cast is forgettable. The Lily character has a roommate, played by Billie Lourd, who was hilarious, I was hoping she'd have more of a part of the movie, but her role is largely wasted. She's mainly there to facilitate other stuff happening in the story. Other fun scenes include the flight to Bali, which features a hilarious "middle seat passenger" who says "I like to make friends with my seatmates, so if we crash, they'll pull me out of the wreckage."
One thing that bugged me the most about this particular movie was its trailer, which gives away most of the whole damn story, including strongly hinting at the ending, which as mentioned previously, you already know anyway. So at the end of the day this movie is just an exercise in escapism, not a study in how to make a great film.
By and large, it's one of those movies that's pleasant to watch but won't be a classic next year. People are liking it though, we've had good crowds for it. I'll give it 3 out of 5 stars.
Anyway, the movie has a somewhat predictable story. I mean, c'mon, you know the ending before you even walk in the door. Just once I wish they'd make a movie like this where it's really funny, but then George Clooney gets killed in a car wreck halfway through, or maybe Julia Roberts gets a disease that leaves half of her face paralyzed. Then you've got something original, although the comedy might suffer a bit I guess. But I digress.
This is a typical romantic comedy, in this case involving an ex-married couple (George and Julia) who now can't stand each other, trying to keep their daughter, Lily, (Kaitlyn Dever) from making the same mistake they did (getting married too quickly). Their plan: Try to act civilized with each other and talk sense into their daughter, and failing that, come up with a diabolical plan to stop the wedding. All of this works poorly, until they do the standard rom-com "bar scene" where the two principals embarrass everyone by dancing like idiots. Then wackiness ensues including another standard rom-com trope of someone stealing the wedding rings, because everyone knows you can't get married unless you have these exact rings, or maybe it IS a law in Bali. By the end everyone realizes they would rather all live on a tropical island than go back to whatever their jobs were anyway and they all live happily ever after.
The best part of the movie is the banter between Clooney and Roberts. A bunch of it was improvised, as illustrated by a slew of outtakes that are played over the closing credits. Beyond that, the rest of the cast is forgettable. The Lily character has a roommate, played by Billie Lourd, who was hilarious, I was hoping she'd have more of a part of the movie, but her role is largely wasted. She's mainly there to facilitate other stuff happening in the story. Other fun scenes include the flight to Bali, which features a hilarious "middle seat passenger" who says "I like to make friends with my seatmates, so if we crash, they'll pull me out of the wreckage."
One thing that bugged me the most about this particular movie was its trailer, which gives away most of the whole damn story, including strongly hinting at the ending, which as mentioned previously, you already know anyway. So at the end of the day this movie is just an exercise in escapism, not a study in how to make a great film.
By and large, it's one of those movies that's pleasant to watch but won't be a classic next year. People are liking it though, we've had good crowds for it. I'll give it 3 out of 5 stars.
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