About “Ticket to Heaven”
projected: the cinemas
genre: Romantic comedy
duration: 104 minutes
in May: Ol Parker
script: Ol Parker, Daniel Pipski
Participants: Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Lucas Bravo, Caitlin Dever, Maxime Boutier
language: English
Coming to the screens in Israel: 22.9.22
Revenue: 60 million dollars
IMDB Score:
6.4/10 (6,400 votes)
Rotten Tomatoes Score:
69%
Six years after their last appearance together (in “The Money Monster”), George Clooney and Julia Roberts return in a film written especially for them, at least that’s what the two claim, and presents their relationship in all its glory – a friendship full of thorniness.
The film was shot in Australia last year, during the Corona epidemic. It features an impressive cast of production people and actors, including Indonesian Maxim Butier, making his Hollywood debut, and Billie Lourd (“Scream Queens”), daughter of the late Carrie Fisher.
Plot summary
Lily (Caitlyn Deaver), daughter of divorced David (George Clooney) and Georgia (Julia Roberts), graduates from college and goes on vacation in Bali with her friend Wren (Billie Lord). Shortly after, she announces to her parents that she is getting married to a local young man she met on the island, whose name is Gada (Boutier). David and Georgia – who do not tolerate each other but both have the same goal, to dissuade her from choosing – meet on the flight to Bali and decide to cooperate.
Reviews from around the world
“A brilliant piece starring Hollywood royalty Julia Roberts and George Clooney. Although the film is far from a classic, it provides viewers with a chance to see Roberts and Clooney exchange poisonous barbs, before being hit by Cupid’s arrow again.” (Richard Kuipers, Variety)
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The context for reality
Although the film was shot in Queensland, in northeastern Australia, it manages to reflect well the Balinese culture, where the main religion is Shaivism-Buddhism (a combination of Hinduism and Buddhism).
During the film, Gada conducts a teeth-brushing ceremony as part of the wedding, the purpose of which, according to the culture practiced on the island of Bali, is to get rid of the “six enemies” that exist in the soul of every person – desire, greed, anger, drinking, confusion and jealousy.
The ceremony is also usually held when a girl gets her first period and when a boy’s voice changes.
The place where the heroes of the film visit before the wedding, Tana Lot, is a temple in Bali, located on a rock that juts out of the water. It was built in the 16th century and is considered one of the seven temples of the sea. The belief says that the holy water in it can heal people and is essential for fertility. The scene was not filmed in him, but in a set that simulated him.
Don’t worry my dear: the opening five
The top-grossing films on the weekend of October 7-10 (according to the IMDB website)
don’t worry my dear
An American psychological thriller whose plot takes place in the fifties. Alice (Florence Pugh) and her husband (Harry Styles) move to a seemingly perfect town where the men work at a secret testing site and the women are housewives, appropriate for the time. But when Alice insists on understanding what the men do in their work, everything starts to unravel.
Actors: Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Gemma Chan, Chris Pine • Duration of the film: 120 minutes • Screened in Israel: from October 13
the cinematic context
This is the fifth time that Clooney and Roberts have met on screen. The first time was in “Ocean’s 11” (2001), which is the most profitable film of Roberts’ career to date and also in which the two played a divorced couple. The second time was in the movie that Clooney directed, “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind”, then in the sequel “Ocean’s 12”. After a long break, they played together in the thriller “The Money Monster” (2016). They also produced the movie “Ticket to Heaven” together.
3 things you should know
● The Australian government supported “Ticket to Heaven” with a $6.4 million grant under its film incentive program. So far, it has allocated more than 216 million dollars for this purpose and thus attracted 22 productions to the continent in order to restore the economy after the corona epidemic.
● In order to film the sunrise scene in the film, Roberts had to wake up at three in the morning. In an interview with the New York Times, she said that this was the earliest time she was forced to show up on the set ever in her career.
● When Universal Studios announced the project, a year and a half ago, they announced that despite the strengthening of streaming services, the film would first be distributed in theaters as an act of support for the economic relevance of the big screen in the post-corona era.
Why did we choose him?
The production is based on the best professionals in Hollywood, whose handprint is visible in every frame: the photographer Ole Birkeland (“American Animals”) documented the spectacular landscapes, the designer Owen Patterson (“The Matrix”) designed the set and Lizzie Gardiner (“Mission: Impossible 2”) designed the costumes.
“Ticket to Heaven” is full of light and witty humor, which will make you laugh throughout. You won’t find sophisticated morality in it, but sometimes it’s probably not required.
More from the genre
● Another story, 112 minutes
An Israeli drama by director Avi Nesher from 2018, centered on a young secular woman (Joy Rieger) who decides to marry a repentant musician (Natan Goshen). Her divorced parents (Yuval Segal and Mia Dagan) and her grandfather (Shashon Gabai) band together to prevent the marriage. Available to view on yes.