Review: You’re Cordially Invited

Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon are a potent comedic duo.

Just 10 years ago, You’re Cordially Invited would have been released in theaters around Valentine’s Day and probably been a sizable hit. Instead, in a perfect example of how much times have changed, it was released directly to Amazon Prime and will be experienced at home or (sigh) on a phone.

That’s a shame. While it’s not revolutionary, You’re Cordially Invited is the type of comedy that would have been a blast to see in a packed theater, laughing alongside strangers in the dark. It’s the type of star-driven comedy they don’t make much anymore, and while several of its gags are broad and stupid, I’ll admit I laughed several times.

Will Ferrell is Jim, a doting widower who has made his daughter, Jenni, his entire life. When she announces her engagement, he tries to live up to his aspirations of Best Dad Ever by booking her wedding at the same island hotel where he and his wife had held theirs. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond his control, Jim arrives to find that the wedding has been double booked by Margot (Reese Witherspoon), a hotshot TV producer who is organizing the big day for her beloved sister. Despite the fact that the small hotel only has room for one wedding and reception, Jim and Margot strike a tentative truce and decide to share the venue. It, of course, does not go well.

Your enjoyment of You’re Cordially Invited will depend on your tolerance for Ferrell, who spends much of the film vacillating between loving father and shouting madman. Enjoyment of the funnyman’s antics is subjective, but I found this to be his best lead performance in a very long time. Ferrell is very funny playing both overly sensitive men and raging lunatics, and the film allows him to play up both sides. There’s real heart in Jim’s relationship with his daughter, and it helps sell the crazier moments, such as when Jim wrestles an alligator (even in those broad moments, Ferrell is able to find a very specific joke, such as complaining about the alligator’s very strong “torque.”). Ferrell understands when Jim’s cheesiness is a joke and when to go for sincerity, and his willingness to dive into the film’s R rating and unleash a torrent of F-bombs when pushed delivers several big laughs.

Witherspoon hasn’t brought her comedic side out to play much lately, but You’re Cordially Invited is a reminder that the Legally Blonde actress can go toe to toe for laughs. She’s great with a withering insult or put-down, and handles some of Margot’s broader moments – such as a drunken toast – well. There’s a subplot that Margot doesn’t feel at home with her family that leads to several fun jokes and provides the character with an emotional anchor that keeps her sympathetic even when she’s deeply unlikeable. Her and Ferrell have a fun anti-chemistry, and are both really funny pushing each other's' buttons.

Nicholas Stoller cut his teeth in several Judd Apatow productions, and while You’re Cordially Invited can’t quite hit the highs of Forgetting Sarah Marshall, this lands firmly alongside Neighbors and The Five-Year Engagement in terms of enjoyment. Stoller packs the film with fun supporting characters and gives them just enough shading to provoke laughs. I particularly liked the passive aggressiveness Celia Weston brings as Margot’s mother, the jibes at Millennial culture around Jenni’s friends, Leanne Morgan’s Southern lustiness as Margot’s other sister (who brags about an upcoming feature in Gardens and Guns magazine), and Rory Scovel as the right-wing brother who only refers to his spouse as “the wife.” Jimmy Tatro, as usual, gets some good laughs as one of the groomsmen (a Chippendales dancer who’s also a former field medic) and Jack McBrayer’s dopey niceness is always welcome.

The film tries to pack in a few too many subplots and, even at under two hours, feels long, and there’s a last-minute obligatory romance that probably should have been canned. And it’s probably worth noting that it’s easy to laugh at something silly when I’ve been able to watch it included on streaming for free; would I have laughed as often had I plunked down money to see this in a theater? I’d like to think so, but I don’t know.

It’s probably damning with faint praise to say “your mileage may vary” and that it’s pretty good for free. But such is the case. If you like Ferrell and can abide some big, broad humor, you’ll likely get a few good laughs with You’re Cordially Invited. If that sounds like a pain even for no charge, feel free to RSVP “no.”