‘You’re Cordially Invited’ Thrives on Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon’s Slapstick Rivalry

Alci Rengifo

Nicholas Stoller’s “You’re Cordially Invited” has the feel of a familiar joke you know by heart but don’t mind repeating at a party. This director’s name teamed with Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon might initially raise intrigued eyebrows. There was a time when Stoller was best known for comedies that combined raunch with fluff. This new comedy has small bits of the former and more of the latter. Ferrell and Witherspoon tag team with seasoned skill, refreshing old tropes for a distractingly enough charmer. Wedding planning lends itself easily to slapstick since walking down the aisle can entail lots of bad choices and unbearable family members. 

Ferrell is Jim, a single father and widower who is very attached to daughter Jenni (Geraldine Viswanathan). To his shock, the college-age offspring announces she is going to marry boyfriend Oliver (Stony Blyden). Despite Jim’s intense reservations, he decides to splurge on an island inn, Palmetto House, for their wedding. Over in Los Angeles, reality TV producer Margot (Witherspoon) is estranged from her Georgia family but is willing to help out with the wedding of her sister, Neve (Meredith Hagner), who is marrying male stripper Dixon (Jimmy Tatro). As fate would have it, a deadly twist at the inn results in Jim and Margot having the locale booked at the same time. When the wedding parties arrive, the setting is apt for a farcical clash.

Has time eased out Nicholas Stoller? “You’re Cordially Invited” is certainly tame when ranked next to the director’s famous titles like “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Neighbors.” Even his groundbreaking and underappreciated 2022 gay rom-com, “Bros,” packed more raunch. There is no full frontal nudity or loud sex here. That doesn’t mean this isn’t an overall entertaining film. It features a slightly more elegant turn, divided into title card sections following the structured progression of a wedding. The cinematography by John Guleserian and music by Michael Andrews recall the look and sound of a Nicholas Sparks date flick. The Palmetto House looks dreamy enough to want you to vacation there, whether you’re tying the knot or not. 

As for the laughs, Stoller’s screenplay is clearly a star vehicle for its leads as it plays familiar notes. Jim and Margot must of course start off as enemies, first attempting to negotiate a way to share the inn before descending into sabotage. There’s also the rule of opposites attracting. Ferrell is the lovable dad prone to wacky outbursts that include wrestling a crocodile and finding ways to ruin Margot’s plans, like hogging the much coveted sunset for the nuptials. Margot in contrast is the more uptight, serious rival. Her family is a colorful parade of Southern oddballs, including horny sister Gwyneth (Leanne Morgan), misogynist brother Colton (Rory Scovel) and hypercritical mother Flora (Celia Weston). Jim and Jenni also have their curiosities. In classic Stoller humor, everyone’s eyebrows are raised by father and daughter singing “Islands in the Stream” together. Needless to say, the sexually-charged Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers duet is a very strange choice (though the movie later offers a heartfelt explanation). 

Even if the movie never gets too wild, Stoller still manages to include some funny social humor. Jenni’s maid of honor Heather (Keyla Monterroso Mejia) is a roaring takedown of Gen Z, constantly drowning in anxiety and triggers. Jim can’t even call Margot “that lady” without provoking a lecture wave on misogynist lingo. This material makes up for how unconvincing the developing love story between Jim and Margot feels as the story progresses. They’re good as rivals, but the cliché of an emerging attraction never really takes off. We prefer they keep escalating the rage as piers collapse, embarrassing drunk toasts are made and misunderstandings lead to vengeful acts of sabotage. Geraldine Viswanathan proves a worthy co-star for the two veterans, at times capturing some of the zany energy of early Stoller movies. 

There was a time when “You’re Cordially Invited” would have opened wide in theaters but now this kind of movie might become more of a streaming item. It certainly plays better with an audience responding to Ferrell and Witherspoon’s antics. While some of Stoller’s original boldness may be tempered, he’s still good at providing goofy escapism. His material has never lacked some meaning, even at its most absurd. There are themes buried here about rushing onto the altar and what commitment genuinely means. Rom-coms are more of a pill against the heartbreak of the real world, yet this team makes this a reception you don’t regret getting invited into.

“You’re Cordially Invited” begins streaming Jan. 30 on Prime Video.