I’ve never been much for Will Ferrell. His brand of comedy never really resonated with me. I always just found it too ridiculous and outlandish. I suppose You’re Cordially Invited will be the exception to that rule. While the film does play right into Ferrell’s wheelhouse with the over-the-top antics such as wrestling an alligator, it is actually the dynamic, should I say the rivalry, between Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon that is the highlight of the movie. The film is similar to Bride Wars and the Neighbors, which makes a measure of sense as the director of the latter film is actually the director of this film as well. Further aiding the film’s success is that, like Ferrell and Witherspoon, a majority of the cast all have established comedy backgrounds. Joining Ferrell and Witherspoon was Geraldine Viswanathan (Blockers) as Ferrell daughter and one of the brides-to-be, Meredith Hagner (Vacation Friends) as Witherspoon’s sister and the other bride-to-be, Stony Blyden (Hunter Street) as one of the grooms-to-be, and Jimmy Tatro (Home Economics) as the other groom-to-be.
Ferrell plays Jim, a widower compensating as a single father by being overattentive to his daughter Jenni (Viswanathan). Despite initially being shocked by her wedding announcement, he remains supportive and attempts to book a small inn on Palmetto Island, Georgia, the same place where he and Jenni’s mother were married. Meanwhile, television producer Margot (Witherspoon) finds out that her sister Neve (Hagner) plans to marry her boyfriend Dixon. She also volunteers to plan the wedding, also booking Palmetto Island, where she and Neve visited their grandmother as children. Due to the island’s size, the inn is only able to book one wedding per weekend. However, through a series of unfortunate events, that is exactly what happens.
On the weekend of the weddings, both parties arrive and discover the double booking. Since the island is too small to accommodate two weddings, and some hostilities on both ends, the pair eventually agree to share the island by alternating between indoor and outdoor events. And so begins the fun when circumstances force the two to continuous but heads, leading to a all-out-war that threatens both weddings.
To his credit, Ferrell was more subtle and muted than he usually is in his films. At least until that whole gator wrestling thing occurred, and even that is handled in a matter that, despite being ridiculous, didn’t turn things into a spectacle. I enjoyed seeing Ferrell in this matter and it should be that he was capable of more subtle antics, which was as nice change from his yelling tirades. Witherspoon’s character role was the most developed in my opinion. She had the most significant character arc of the cast and the most to do. On the one hand, she had to battle with Ferrell’s Jim in a manner that translated comedic on screen. Then she also had to address her own feelings about her sister getting married and the change in their relationship, as well as confronting her own insecurities and estrangement from her immediate family. For me, Margot was the most interesting character, essentially because of all the development she goes through. Witherspoon handles each circumstance with the grace that I’ve grown accustomed to seeing she bring to every role. She is vulnerable in the right moments, such as when finally confronting her family, shows moral character after observing something questionable and feeling compelled to do the right thing despite her relationship with the characters involved, and she even manages to play dirty and be obnoxious when engaging in her pity war with Ferrell. There was a wide spectrum of things her character needed to display, and she did it all with relative ease while keeping the character likeable and funny.
The film did lose me towards the end by attempting to introduce romance at the eleventh hour, which to my mind was a necessary aspect for the characters or the film at all. The characters had already come to a place of mutual respect without the introduction of romance. I can understand the reasoning behind thinking it was necessary; two characters whose whole life revolved around a single individual, learning to let go and live their own lives. And I will also agree that there was some sexual tension between the characters that I at one point think was going to culminate in a night of passion. However, I do not believe the romance highlighted that, but rather suggested that both characters were desperate to fill a hole left by the relinquishing of their person. In my opinion, if romance was going to be pursued, it needed to be introduced earlier in the film or culminate from that night of passion. I actually wouldn’t’ have hated the night of passion, I think if handled properly it would have added to the comedic experience.
Other than that, I very much enjoyed You’re Cordially Invited and found it very funny. It was also a unique experience for me. I don’t usually get theatrical screenings for streaming movies. I can see why this opportunity was provided. You’re Cordially Invited could have easily been a theatrical release given its cast and quality. And I encourage everyone to give it a watch, as they can do right now on Amazon Prime Video.
