You’re Cordially Invited | 2025
Margot (Reese Witherspoon) and Jim (Will Ferrell) in YOU’RE CORDIALLY INVITED. Photo by Glen Wilson/Prime Video.
It says something about the current state of theatrical distribution that a comedy starring Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon, directed by the filmmaker who brought us such hits as Neighbors and Forgetting Sarah Marshall, gets unceremoniously dumped on Prime Video without even a token theatrical release. And it's a shame, too, because You’re Cordially Invited is surprisingly good.
It has all the trappings of something that would have been a moderate theatrical hit 15-20 years ago, and I mean that with great affection. There's an affable, easygoing charm to its comedy, with just enough spice to keep things interesting. Ferrell is Jim, the doting father of Jenni (Geraldine Viswanathan). Jenni is getting married to Oliver (Stony Blyden), so Jim decides to throw her the wedding of her dreams at the island resort where he once got married to his late wife. Unfortunately, a mix-up in the books means that the weekend has been double booked with another wedding party organized by high-strung, high-powered TV producer Margot (Reese Witherspoon) for her more down-to-earth sister (Meredith Hagner) and her hunky fiancé, Dixon (Jimmy Tatro).
At first, the two wedding parties try to peacefully coexist in the crowded venue, but a series of mishaps soon puts the two families at odds. Jim and Margot wage all-out war against each other in an ever-escalating series of retaliations that threaten to sink both weddings entirely. There's a fun culture clash element here as well - throwing Margot's uptight southern family in with a bunch of hard-partying zoomers and Ferrell's clueless dad makes a recipe for disaster, but writer/director Nicholas Stoller cleverly pulls the rug out from under as neither Margot nor Jim's preconceived notions about their families prove to be true.
You’re Cordially Invited may not break any new ground, but it is bolstered by a terrific supporting cast that includes the likes of Celia Weston (always a treasure) as the imperious mother of the bride, Meredith Hagner, Leanne Morgan, Jimmy Tatro, Keyla Monterroso Mejia, Fortune Feimster, and Jack McBrayer, giving us a delightfully kooky cast of characters who feel fully grounded in this world. That's what really sets this apart - while obviously exaggerated, these characters feel lovingly drawn from life. We all have an aunt or a cousin like Morgan's over-sharing "Debbie Downer," or an overly critical elder like Weston who is well versed in the art of the polite southern backhanded compliment.
It threatens to veer into some overly silly territory in the final stretch (Will Ferrell wrestling an alligator feels like something straight out of one of his early 2000s comedies), but there's just something so agreeable about You’re Cordially Invited that's hard to resist. It's a sassy and warm-hearted throwback to another era of mid-budget comedies (there's even an extended end-credit musical number - with bloopers!) whose solid writing and eager cast make it an unexpected winner.
