YOU'RE CORDIALLY INVITED (AMAZON PRIME) (2025) |
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SYNOPSIS: When two weddings are accidentally booked on the same day at the same venue, each bridal party is challenged with preserving their family’s special moment while making the most of the unanticipated tight quarters. In a hilarious battle of determination and grit, the father of the bride (Will Ferrell) and sister of the other bride (Reese Witherspoon) chaotically go head-to-head as they stop at nothing to uphold an unforgettable celebration for their loved ones.
MOVIE REVIEW:
You’re Cordially Invited is a comedy which Judd Apatow never made. Crude, convoluted and equally sentimental. Not a surprise consider it’s written and directed by Apatow’s once collaborator, Nicolas Stoller who brought us Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Neighbors.
For Stoller’s latest self-penned and directorial effort, stars Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon joins in the fun as an overprotective single dad, Jim and controlling TV executive, Margot. Both have booked the same venue for the wedding of Jim’s daughter, Jenni (Geraldine Viswanathan) and Margot’s sister, Neve (Meredith Hagner). And now, they have to make do sharing the same wedding location leading to expected mayhem, mishaps and misunderstandings.
Initially, Jim and Margot tries to get along but as the days go or as the movie goes, patience between the two starts to wane. There won’t be much fun if everything comes together right? Thus Stoller throws in a couple of hilarious gags including a rowdy collapsed dock sequence and Jim wresting an ultra-fake alligator for no reason. With that, unintentionally stretches the comedy to close to two hours.
There are plenty of well-meaning messages hidden between all the goofiness and hilarity. For example, Jim keeping secrets from her daughter and vice versa, Margot’s estranged relationship with her own mother and siblings, Jenni feeling unsure about getting married at a young age etc. At least the life lessons help to keep the comedy stay afloat since the constant squabbling between Jim and Margot starts to get weary by the end of the second act.
The fault of course doesn’t lies in Ferrell and Witherspoon who gamely plays off each other with much enthusiasm. Ferrell hasn’t been that active in recent years and it’s great to see him getting back to doing his chaotic humour acts. He evens puts in a more than decent vocal performance of Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers’ Islands in the Stream. Similar to Ferrell, Witherspoon returns to the screen with a rejuvenated comedic energy.
You’re Cordially Invited is strictly a profanity-filled comedy although Stoller attempts to shoe in some romance in the very last minute. It’s not one of Stoller’s best and definitely merely a warm-up for the two stars. Yet the predictable humour and conflicts are enough to garner a chuckle or two in the comfort of your living room.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
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