‘You’re Cordially Invited’ Review: Iconic Duo, Less Iconic Product

Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon teamed up for the first time in “You’re Cordially Invited.” With two of the biggest names in entertainment, the movie poster sets a high standard which the film ultimately fails to live up to.

Produced by Reese Witherspoon’s iconic production company, Hello Sunshine, the film follows Jim (Will Ferrell) and Margot (Reese Witherspoon) through a chaotic series of events. Jim's daughter Jenni (Geraldine Viswanathan) and Margot's sister Neve (Meredith Hagner) are double-booked for their weddings at an inn on an island in Georgia, ensuing in a chain of moments which — while often comedic or touching — fail to come together into a strong cohesive framework.

The movie explores family dynamics by contrasting Jim and Margot’s families with each other, sparking nuanced reflection on the importance of family and what it means when one is too far — or too close — to it. The comparison of Jim’s small family and his love of it with Margot’s large family and her initial denouncement of it makes a touching plea to hold family close. Towards the end of the film, moments within the families offer satisfyingly vulnerable moments of closeness, highlighted by mid shots and tearful apologies from all parties involved.

However, emotional interactions in the middle of the movie lack the same impact. Instead of being shot with both characters in the same frame as seen towards the end of the film, these emotional scenes are shot with only one person shown at a time. Although this choice could be a reflection of the tension of characters at odds with each other at this point in the film, the visual divide makes it difficult to feel an emotional connection between the characters.

The best moments of the film are hilariously funny, from wrestling matches with live alligators to dancing zebras and wedding cake disasters. While Ferrell certainly shines in this area, so do others, such as Leanne Morgan as Margot’s aunt Gwyneth with her raspy Southern drawl and keen eye for attractive young men.

Although Jim and Margot have many interesting parallels, their romance at the end of the film is unconvincing. Margot realizes that Jim is interested in her only after other people let her in on it. Furthermore, she thinks back to a series of Jim’s awkward half smiles at her as proof. The enemies to lovers trope feels forced and rushed, as these half smiles don’t seem to justify to the viewer why she falls for a man who sabotaged her sister’s wedding weekend. Instead, it feels like the couple got together to fill the void after the people who mean the most to them in the world no longer relied on them as much.

Like in Stoller’s 2008 film “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” the music throughout “You’re Cordially Invited” is an absolute blast. Whether it’s Jim listening to “Isn’t She Lovely” while thinking about Jenni or the pair singing their duet of “Islands in the Stream,” the song choices successfully highlighted the awkward closeness of the father-daughter relationship. The laughably emotional performances also help to better define this awkward closeness as dependence rather than creepiness, making the overall effect illuminative rather than weird. And, in moments of tension between Jim and Margot, the operatic soundtrack adds to the comedic effect with its out-of-place feel, successfully mirroring the irrational fixation that Jim and Margot had on making the weekend perfect.

Despite the lack of romantic chemistry between the main characters, the emotional family moments and off-the-rails comedy make the movie worth watching, at least for its short 109 minute runtime.

—Staff writer Hannah M. Wilkoff can be reached at hannah.wilkoff@thecrimson.com.