Hallmark For All Seasons

“Two Tickets to Paradise,” starring Ashley Williams and Ryan Paevey, originally aired on June 25, 2022 during Hallmark Channel’s “Summer Nights.” The movie was filmed in Hawaii at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel on Oahu. From the looks of it, it was a miserably, ugly place to make a movie.  I kid, I kid! It looked GORGEOUS and so fun!

Tracy Andreen (Christmas with the Darlings, A Very Merry Bridesmaid) and Kevin Taft provided the very funny script, with Dustin Rikert directing.

Music: The theme song of the movie was Eddie Money’s Two Tickets to Paradise, obviously (affiliate link).

In a nutshell

Y’all.  I really, really liked this movie.  I was able to see it as a screener during a special event at this past weekend’s RomaDrama event in West Palm Beach, Florida, and it was delightful. Ashley Williams is just adorable and she brought out Ryan Paevey’s best performance I’ve seen to date.

The Plot of “Two Tickets to Paradise”

When two weddings are ruined by the bride and the other groom both getting left at the altar, they still decide to take their honeymoons, not knowing they are heading to the same resort in Hawaii.

Actors & Chemistry

First, I need to give props to Ryan Paevey.  I’ve made no secret that I am not a huge fan of his, but this is easily his best Hallmark movie to date.  Considering the last one i really liked of his was From Friend to Fiancé, I think it’s safe to say he does best when he is paired with quirky, fun co-stars like Jocelyn Hudon, or in this case, the wonderfully vivacious Ashley Williams. I thought the way they bounced dialogue off each other was fantastic and so well-timed.

I don’t know if it was the location, the script, or his co-star, but Paevey was so relaxed and open in this movie, and clearly thrilled to have the opportunity to do some real surfing for the movie to boot.  The result was that Josh was an engaging character, warm and funny.  Williams, as always, shined as Hannah – with so many throwaway funny lines I lost count.  It was almost as if the screenwriter had her in mind when the script was coming together.

Tropes

Opening drone shot of the town.  Not one but TWO Bad Fiancés. We had empty coffee cups when Hannah and Kailani had a chat about Hannah’s activity list. That was about it.

Did I Hear/See That Right?

Of all the people Marcus can talk to about his fears ahead of the wedding, he chooses his fiancé’s sister?  Why not his best man?  One of his parents? WHY NOT HANNAH?

I hope Joshy’s cellphone is waterproof.  I say that because he was on the beach with only a surfboard and his phone, clearly implying he was hitting the waves.  Where was the phone going?  It certainly wasn’t in a waterproof case.  And was he just going to slide into his pocket?  Because that’s not exactly secure while you’re hanging ten.

Cal and Nick were VERY nosy when they first met Hannah. I’m all about getting to know someone while on vacation, but I at least start with preliminaries such as “where are you from?” before I ask for somewhat intimate details about their partners.

Feelgoods

The comedic script was so well done – I loved all the jokes and one-liners throughout.

For once, Hanna’s suitcase actually looked heavy as she threw it in the back of the SUV once she arrived in Hawaii. Normally they look empty, but hers did not.  Thank you, Ashley.

The whale breach was awesome.  I’m sure it didn’t actually happen while they were in the water, but I loved the footage nonetheless.

The autocorrect text messages that Josh sent Hannah were great.  I felt seen.

Cal and Nick’s reaction to seeing Marcus, as well as Hannah’s discomfort, during the lay making was very sweet and it made up for the opening scene when they were too invasive when they met Hannah.

I very much appreciated that Hannah and Josh, while clearly attracted to each other, knew that they had to find true closure with their other relationships and figure out what they wanted to do going forward.  I’m not sure how much time passed between them going home and then running into each other at the benches, but I have to imagine it was at least a month since it takes a while to close on a house.  That meant they truly did give it at least a litte bit of time before jumping into a new relationship.

Re-watchability of “Two Tickets to Paradise”

I’ve already re-watched this one since the weekend.  It’s that much fun.

The Ranking

“Two Tickets to Paradise” has landed in the top spot for the year thus far.  Admittedly, there are still several movies between March – June that I have yet to watch, but of the ones I HAVE watched, this one tops them all.  Charming, witty, fun – it was a great movie that reminded me of old school Hallmark movies before they became extremely formulaic.

1. Two Tickets to Paradise (air date: June 25) – 664 pts – weighted score: 111.4 (78.1%)
2. Just One Kiss (air date: Apr 2) – 660 pts – weighted score: 111.2 (78.0%)
3. Love, Classified (air date: Apr 16) – 624 pts – weighted score: 106.1 (74.4%)
4. A Royal Runaway Romance (air date: Apr 9) – 617 pts – weighted score: 105.9% (74.3%)
5. A Tail of Love (air date: Apr 23) – 557 pts – weighted score: 94.4 (66.2%)
6. The Perfect Pairing (air date: Jan 15) – 563 pts – weighted score: 92.7 (65.0%)
7. The Wedding Veil Legacy (air date: ) – 543 pts – weighted score: 92.0 (64.5%)
8. Welcome to Mama’s (air date: ) – 540 pts – weighted score: 91.9 (64.5%)
9. Butlers in Love (air date: Jan 29) – 527 pts – weighted score: 91.3 (64.0%)
10. Feeling Butterflies (air date: ) – 542 pts – weighted score: 91.2 (64.0%)
11. The Wedding Veil Unveiled (air date: ) – 515 pts – weighted score: 86.9 (61.0%)
12. Don’t Forget I Love You (air date: Jan 22) – 508 pts – weighted score: 85.8 (60.2%)
13. The Wedding Veil (air date: Jan 8) – 508 pts – weighted score: 83.3 (58.4%)
14. Where the Heart Belongs (air date: Jan 1) – 435 pts – weighted score: 74.5 (52.3%)

To see where this movie lands in my overall rankings of Hallmark movies, visit my Hallmark Movie Rankings page!

What did you think of “Two Tickets to Paradise”?  Comment below and let me know!