You're Cordially Invited Review: Reese Witherspoon & Will Ferrell Shine In Charming Rom-Com

RATING : 8 / 10
Pros
  • Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell are fantastic, and many of the other actors have stand-out moments too
  • Hilarious
  • The premise is kinder and gentler but not without bite
Cons
  • The filmmaking can be lazy
  • Some shots are too dark or have other problems

If you're even tangentially interested in entertainment today, you've heard of Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell. The two have been on screens big and small forever. Witherspoon has switched effortlessly between comedy and drama with her best onscreen performances including "Cruel Intentions," "Legally Blonde," and "Walk the Line," which she won an Oscar for. Ferrell, considered a comedy genius, started on "Saturday Night Live" and then quickly moved into movies, bringing both hilarity and heart to things like "Elf," "Anchorman," and "The Lego Movie." Both have been at the top of their game for almost 30 years. In addition, they both have great careers as producers, even for projects they don't star in. These are two powerhouses of modern film and television, so perhaps it's no surprise that "You're Cordially Invited" is better than it has any right to be.

Written and directed by Nicholas Stoller, the movie isn't the best thing you've ever seen. The timing of the wedding and the reception are purely for the sake of the film's pacing because no wedding in real life would put up with such a long gap at night; it conveniently forgets that Jenni (Geraldine Viswanathan), Ferrell's character's daughter, has a black eye that couldn't have gone away in a day. Plus, it has some terrible shots, such as Ferrell's character having a meltdown in a dark hallway that had me scratching my head at why it couldn't be better lit. However, even though rom-coms have become almost exclusive to streaming services over the past few years because they don't do well in theaters, this one just might have. For that reason, anyone sitting at home wondering what to watch could do much worse than this feature.

This is largely because Witherspoon, as Margot, and Ferrell, as Jim, are pros, and their scenes have a spark that only the best actors can bring. But there are bright spots elsewhere too. For example, Jenni has some great moments. And Margot's family — which includes Meredith Hagner as Neve, Leanne Morgan as Gwyneth, Rory Scovel as Colton, and Celia Weston as her mother, Flora — have their moments too. There are even a smattering of big stars in cameos, such as Bobby Moynihan and Wyatt Russell as hosts of the reality shows, that make this even more fun.

A kinder, gentler premise

The plot centers around two couples, Jenni and Oliver (Stony Blyden) and Neve and Dixon (Jimmy Tatro), who both want to get married at a hotel on an island in Georgia. Through a mixup, the place has been double booked for both of them, even though it can only handle one wedding a weekend. So Jim, who is Jenni's father, and Margot, who is Neve's sister, negotiate on behalf of their respective weddings to share the space. But things quickly go south. There's rain on the rehearsal dinner night, and it drives all of Jenni and Oliver's guests indoors to where Neve and Dixon's guests are. Later, Margot delivers a drunken speech while celebrating Neve. Then the next day, Jim overhears Margot saying mean things about him and runs out the clock on the sunset so Neve and Dixon will end up getting married in the dark.

This kind of thing happens throughout the wedding weekend, driven primarily by Margot and Jim's ire for one another. But the nice thing about this story is that everyone (mostly) attempts to come from a good place. Though Jim, Margot, and their loved ones make mistakes, they attempt to fix them, even if they don't do the best job. As a result, the action never shades into too much meanness. It's a kinder, gentler take on the dual wedding battles in movies past such as "Bride Wars" — so it's easy to love both Jim and Margot along with the respective brides. Plus, to their surprise, both Jim and Margot have things to learn about their families, and the wedding weekend does this for both of them. But don't mistake that to mean the comedy doesn't have bite. It has plenty, just not too personal. 

Rom-coms only get so much respect

Of course, this is still a rom-com, which means it only gets so much respect. I've rated it so highly, in part, because of this. "You're Cordially Invited" is good at what it does, even if you won't be thinking about it long after the credits roll. And if you do think of it, all you'll do is laugh. It isn't trying to say anything deeper about the human condition or introduce us to existential concerns. But though it would be frowned on in a drama, the familiarity of the premise here is kind of the point. After all, romantic comedies tend to traffic in the familiar. It's the twists to the premise that are of interest, and "You're Cordially Invited" has plenty. I won't spoil them here, but suffice it to say that there are a lot of funny bits that will have you laughing, even if you're folding laundry or paying attention to a second screen as you let this unspool.

Nicholas Stoller, the writer and director, is an ace at comedies. His include "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," "The Five-Year Engagement," and "Bros" (which Looper reviewed previously), and he shows his expertise here, especially in the script department. And I'm sure having Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell as producers on this helped, too. That, along with an engaged cast that was ready to deliver their best performances, make this work surprisingly well. While "You're Cordially Invited" can't live up to the standards set by some of this year's Academy Award nominees, it will probably be streamed by more people, plus more people will probably enjoy it. That — in my book, at least — makes this a winner. Despite some problems, rom-com fans will love "You're Cordially Invited." 

"You're Cordially Invited" premieres on Prime Video on January 30.