You’re Cordially Invited

Grade: B

You’re Cordially Invited starts off being about two weddings that were accidentally double-booked on this small, remote island that can typically accommodate only one event at a time. Less than 25 minutes in, this issue is resolved, and more conflicts are ushered in. A couple of fellow critics on a podcast took You’re Cordially Invited to task for solving this dilemma so early. I didn’t see the problem, personally. There’s no reason to expect it to be the one and only plot point. 

In the beginning, we meet Jim (Will Ferrell). He is a widower who raised his only child Jenni (Geraldine Viswanathan, from Drive-Away Dolls) by himself for most of her life. The mother got sick and died when Jenni was about 6. They have a cute friendship/relationship, and he considers her the love of his life. Now a young adult, she and her boyfriend Oliver (Stony Blyden) come home with the announcement of a surprise engagement. This is followed by a minute or two of sitcommy business; the usual Father of the Bride type apprehensiveness. It is very funny, providing me with big laughs. Once that subsides, Jim calls in the reservation at Jenni’s venue of choice: The Palmetto House, where her parents got married decades before.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, is Margot (Reese Witherspoon), an executive producer for reality shows such as Is This Dead? (where people have to determine if something is…never mind) and Masquerade, that features unknown costumed/masked dancers. Though funny, these aren’t just throwaway jokes. They both set up their own callback/payoff. Margot’s sister Neve (Meredith Hagner from Joy Ride and Palm Springs) shows up, newly engaged to Dixon (Jimmy Tatro from Strays, The Machine, and Theater Camp). It’s a “hurry up” wedding, as Neve is with child – a detail she’s trying to keep from the family. Margot calls in a reservation at Neve’s venue of choice: The Palmetto House, where their mom and grandmother grew up.

A scheduling snafu has both weddings happening on the same weekend. After a little bit of conflict, where each party tries to kick the other one out, they decide it’s all good and nobody has to leave. They will just share the property and stagger their times. This leaves a good hour and 20 minutes on the table for more complications, and this is a rich, eventful, film. It’s part romantic comedy, part dysfunctional family comedy, and part disaster movie. Roger Ebert used to say that when he gets ready to watch a movie, he’d always think of an empty room in his brain that’s about to be filled. You’re Cordially Invited stuffs that room and decorates it to the brim. Some of the events of the plot won’t win any plausibility awards, but there is much to unpack, appreciate and think about – so on that level, it does its job as entertainment.

The large supporting cast is effective. Viswanathan is awesome as Jenni, and has a convincing rapport with Ferrell as her dad. As the other groom, Dixon, Tatro is great, giving us a character who is too often dismissed and looked down upon by the family, but is one of the biggest voices of reason. When he says “let’s not have the wedding on the dock,” they should have listened to him. Our two stars don’t disappoint in giving us exactly what we expect from them, in among the better quality. Ferrell is a sneaky-talented actor, and many of his jokes land well. I’ve had a crush on Reese Witherspoon for years, and she’s still a doll. Plus, she has comedic timing and a nice singing voice.

The shenanigans over the end credits long outstay their welcome. It’s a continuation of the trend where the cast is filmed – during various scenes – singing and dancing to the same song, and it’s spliced together. However, when all is said and done, I got the ending I wanted. You’re Cordially Invited beats us to the punch with self-aware references to how busy and character-heavy it is. When someone jumps in with their first line of the scene, Ferrell says “I’m sorry, who are you?” Their answer sounds like a character description from the script. And I can imagine a lesser movie giving us an expository information dump, where we find out what Ferrell does for a living early on. Here, we don’t hear about it until 10 minutes before the end. It’s a big job, and quite humorous how casually and late in the movie it’s tossed out. There was no reason for us to know it sooner.

Grade: B