Film Review: You’re Cordially Invited

You’re Cordially Invited
Director: Nicholas Stoller
Stoller Global Solutions, Hello Sunshine, Gloria Sanchez Productions
Streaming on Prime Video: 1.31.25

If you’re going into a Will Ferrell comedy that’s released in January expecting to see a great movie, then you’re either hopelessly optimistic or just enough of a die-hard fan of Ferrell or of Reese Witherspoon that you won’t find You’re Cordially Invited to be a disappointment, and truthfully, it could be a lot worse. It could also be a lot better.

When Jim (Ferrell, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Talladega Nights) books the same island venue where he once married his late wife for his daughter Jenni’s (Geraldine Viswanathan, Drive Away Dolls, Oh, Hi!) wedding, he doesn’t realize a clerical error has left his reservation unrecorded. Meanwhile, high-powered TV producer Margot (Witherspoon, Walk The Line, Legally Blonde) unknowingly secures the same weekend for her sister Neve (Meredith Hagner, Vacation Friends) to get married. When both parties arrive, a compromise seems possible — until chaos erupts. As Jim and Margot’s competitive natures clash, pranks escalate into all-out sabotage, turning a picturesque celebration into a battle of wills. With family, love and pride on the line, they must decide what truly matters before their feuding ruins both weddings.

Writer-director Nicholas Stoller (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, The Muppets) is a talented comic filmmaker with an inconsistent filmography, but he’s giving us some genuinely great work. You’re Cordially Invited entertains when it’s being cute, flails when it’s trying to be too outrageous and falls painfully flat when trying to do both at the same time. There’s a place for light comedy and even a need for it, especially at a time like now, as an escape from the troubles in the world. The premise is solid enough, and dynamics between father and daughter, as well as sister and sister, are sold solidly enough to give the audience some reason to feel invested in the proceedings. The machiavellian machinations of Jim and Margot are amusing at times, especially when they’re kept within the realm of “heightened for the sake of comedic effect.” Once it gets Jim wrestling a live alligator and bringing it back to Margot’s room, the movie has gone completely off the rails and there’s little that can be done to salvage it, apart from relying on that charm of the cast.

Ferrell is far better as the doting father than he is as the petty, scheming lunatic, and the chemistry he shares with the always delightful Viswanathan is easily the film’s greatest strength. Witherspoon is also quite strong when the film is focusing on her separately, but the movie hits a major obstacle in the total lack of sparks between Ferrell and Witherspoon whenever they come together. This is especially problematic when (it feels unnecessary to give a spoiler alert, yet I’ll do so anyway) they develop a romantic connection in the third act. While anyone could see this coming from the film’s setup and the constant dialogue beating into the ground how lonely both would be without their respective younger counterparts, there’s not a single moment in the script — or in either performance — that organically sets up any kind of attraction between them, and to say that it doesn’t play would be a major understatement.

You’re Cordially Invited is a straight-to-streaming film that’s pleasant enough to be worth watching once (if for no other reason than Viswanathan), but it’s at best an utterly disposable and surprisingly lazy comedy. There’s no particular harm in accepting this invitation, especially since you can do so from your couch, but don’t bother with a gift. —Patrick Gibbs

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