I like a fluffy feel-good film as much as the next guy, and this film certainly ticks all the fluffy feel-good boxes. However, it is so sweet, so saccharine, and so undemanding, that the final feeling is one not quite of disappointment, but of a vague sense of missing something.
The partnering of George Clooney and Julia Roberts as the bickering parents is superb. The first part of the film, when they hurl vicious wisecracks at each other, is quite splendid. Their vigorous attempts at point-scoring keep the film humming along very nicely.
In the second half, set in Bali (but shot in Queensland, in northern Australia) is slow going in comparison. It's all very pretty, with the wondrous scenery you'd expect, but the characters all seem to slow down. The islanders themselves are portrayed with a sort of insouciant patronising as happy-go-lucky people who simply enjoy the benefits of good weather and a bountiful ocean, but who are clearly never bothered with any deeper thoughts.
The "unbickering" of the parents meant that there is little humour in the second half, and any small unpleasantness is glossed over quickly. This half actually dragged a bit.
So this is a film with a delightful first half, and a somewhat slow second half. On average, it probably comes out as just all right. It will never be anybody's favourite film, but it's not bad; certainly worth watching as long as you can put your brain into a sort of mental and emotional neutral.
The partnering of George Clooney and Julia Roberts as the bickering parents is superb. The first part of the film, when they hurl vicious wisecracks at each other, is quite splendid. Their vigorous attempts at point-scoring keep the film humming along very nicely.
In the second half, set in Bali (but shot in Queensland, in northern Australia) is slow going in comparison. It's all very pretty, with the wondrous scenery you'd expect, but the characters all seem to slow down. The islanders themselves are portrayed with a sort of insouciant patronising as happy-go-lucky people who simply enjoy the benefits of good weather and a bountiful ocean, but who are clearly never bothered with any deeper thoughts.
The "unbickering" of the parents meant that there is little humour in the second half, and any small unpleasantness is glossed over quickly. This half actually dragged a bit.
So this is a film with a delightful first half, and a somewhat slow second half. On average, it probably comes out as just all right. It will never be anybody's favourite film, but it's not bad; certainly worth watching as long as you can put your brain into a sort of mental and emotional neutral.