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For more than 30 years, John Kiesewetter has been the source for information about all things in local media — comings and goings, local people appearing on the big or small screen, special programs, and much more. Contact John at johnkiese@yahoo.com.

Trailer released for George Clooney-Julia Roberts romantic comedy

George Clooney and Julia Roberts star in "Ticket To Paradise" opening in theaters Oct. 21, 2022.
Courtesy Universal Pictures
George Clooney and Julia Roberts star in "Ticket To Paradise" opening in theaters Oct. 21, 2022.

'Ticket To Paradise' stars long-time friends Clooney and Roberts as divorced parents trying to stop their daughter from marrying impulsively, as they did.

By George, they've still got it.

The on-screen chemistry of George Clooney and Julia Roberts, first seen in Ocean's Eleven (2001), is still wonderful to watch in Universal's trailer for their new romantic comedy, Ticket To Paradise.

Roberts and Clooney, who grew up in Fort Mitchell, Mason and Augusta, play a feuding long-divorced couple who fly to Bali to prevent their daughter Lily (Kaitlyn Dever from Last Man Standing. Justified, Booksmart) from impulsively marrying and "throwing her career away," says Clooney's character.

"Just like her mother did," Roberts responds. "So I'm the only one who can stop her. She shouldn't listen to him."

The Today show says it's "a match made in romcom heaven." Clooney told Deadline the film is "something special … it's sort of an old-fashioned film." The movie is scheduled for release Oct. 21.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkP4tVTdsz8

The two minute forty-five second trailer released Wednesday is filled with their verbal jabs. The lines quoted in stories about the trailer are their exchange when they unexpectedly find themselves on the same airliner headed to Bali.

After Clooney's character declares that their marriage was the "worst 19 years of my life,” Roberts quickly corrects him by saying, "We were only married for five." Clooney promptly notes, "I’m counting the recovery.”

On the way to the island, Roberts recommends they work in unison to stop the wedding. "As much as this will pain us both, we have to call a truce to make this work." Then Lily greets them on the island by saying, "Did you make a pact to not murder each other until you murder me?"

When Roberts greets her prospective son-in-law in his native language, Clooney complains that she "learned that to make me look bad." Roberts replies, "You don't need any help there."

The promotional film shows them riding in boats, swimming with dolphins (Clooney gets bit), celebrating over meals and drinks, and playing beer pong. When her parents take over the dance floor, Lily says, "Oh, no, no. Dad, please stop doing that. Oh my God. I am praying for an asteroid!"

Clooney, 61, and Roberts, 54, have been friends for decades. After Ocean's Eleven, they appeared in Clooney's Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002), Ocean's Twelve (2004) and Money Monster (2016). It's Clooney's first romantic comedy in 26 years, since One Fine Day with Michelle Pfeiffer in 1996.

"I’ve done some sort of snarky ones (romantic comedies), you know, and in this one Julia and I just get to be mean to each other in the funniest way," he told Deadline during a break in filming in January. "It’s going great, man. We’re having the time of our lives. Julia is just fantastic in it."

Ticket To Paradise was written and directed by Ol Parker (Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again).

"The minute I read it," Clooney told Deadline, "I called Julia, and I said, ‘Did you get this?’ and she said, ‘Yeah,’ and I said ‘Are you going to do it?’ and she goes, ‘Are you going to do it? and I said, ‘Yeah, if you do it.’ So, it was just one of those very lucky things."

Ticket to Paradise will stream on Peacock 45 days after its theatrical premiere, Variety says.

Clooney and Roberts are producing the film through Clooney's Smokehouse Pictures with Grant Heslov, Roberts' Red Om Films and Working Title Films, with Universal Pictures handling distribution, according to Variety.

John Kiesewetter, who has covered television and media for more than 35 years, has been working for Cincinnati Public Radio and WVXU-FM since 2015.