In You’re Cordially Invited, Nicholas Stoller writes and directs Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon in a breezy comedy of manners, boosted by a standout supporting cast and some ‘yes they went there’ moments.
Ferrell is Jim, a single dad and widower who’s built his world around his daughter Jenni (Geraldine Viswanathan), a recent college grad who plans to marry her boyfriend Oliver (Stony Blyden). Jim is unsure about their nebulous future plans but agrees to book an exclusive spot where he married his wife. The call goes great–except something unforeseen leaves matters incomplete…
Cut to Margot (Witherspoon), producer of truly awful reality shows such as a Masked Singer show and “Is It Dead?” She’s devoted to her little sister Neve (Meredith Hagner) but has no contact with the rest of her family; she doesn’t even know the names of her nephews and nieces, much less what her mother is doing. When Neve said she intends to marry Dixon (a hilariously low-key Jimmy Tatro), Margot springs into action, reserving a weekend on the island where they spent summers with their grandmother.
Come the date of the wedding, hotel concierge Leslie (Jack McBrayer) finds to everyone’s dismay that they are double-booked; both parties have a legitimate claim to the site but the small location can’t accommodate two weddings. Jim and Margot are at loggerheads at first but then work out a deal… which is where things start to go badly wrong.
Ferrell is transitioning smoothly into being an “older dad” generation of actor, tamping down his usual manic energy (for the most part) in service of a dad who goes overboard to make his daughter happy. His duet with Viswanathan (herself a pretty fair comic actor herself) is jaw-dropping funny. He also handles the quiet moments with greater authority than usual, showcasing his growth as an actor.
Witherspoon matches Ferrell’s energy and intensity with Margot’s single-minded but narrow focus on Neve, to the detriment of a relationship with siblings Colton (Rory Scovel) and Gwyneth (a standout Leanne Morgan). Her growing awareness of where Margot is not blameless in all this is a tremendous moment, giving Witherspoon some terrific moments as the hijinks unfold around them.
We should also call out Celia Weston as Flora, Margot’s mom, who has a great scene unpacking what exactly has gone on between them, and Blyden, who makes a lot out of a part that could easily have been a throwaway.
Stoller, whose filmography includes writing THE MUPPETS and developing the GOOSEBUMPS TV series, gets a great opportunity here. He brings to life two people who have put the happiness of one person above all else without understanding what that’s done to their lives. And if you think there’s a few twists, well… you’re not wrong.
We give this eight alligators out of ten.
