You’re Cordially Invited Review: Funny but Forgettable

While You’re Cordially Invited has some funny moments, it’s yet another forgettable romantic comedy that relies heavily on tropes and clichés.

To make matters worse, only one wedding can happen each weekend. In Nicholas Stoller’s You’re Cordially Invited, this is the predicament Jim (Will Ferrell) and Margot (Reese Witherspoon) find themselves in. After meeting and starting off on the wrong foot, things only go downhill for the duo.

From the moment You’re Cordially Invited begins, the film establishes its intentionally over-the-top nature and fully embraces it. By the time both families arrive at the venue, all logic goes completely out the window. We see individuals behaving in outlandish ways that don’t reflect reality and situations that wouldn’t arise in the real world. But this is a comedy film meant to entertain, and it accomplishes that to some extent.

Much of the humor that resonates is demonstrated through Margot’s interactions with her family. During the movie, we learn that our leading lady is far removed from her other relatives, and her life vastly differs from theirs. Margot is single, a successful producer of a hit television show, and lives across the country. On the other hand, her siblings and mother live close to one another in the same state, so Margot is an independent outsider.

Viewers know the pain of attending a wedding and being forced to hold awkward conversations with family members you rarely see and have absolutely nothing in common with, and You’re Cordially Invited depicts such moments exceptionally well. Margot’s family consists of distinctive, utterly hilarious characters, particularly her bored-in-life, no-filter older sister, Gwyneth (Leanne Morgan), and her overly critical mother, Flora (Celia Weston). Their inability to use their inner voices reminds the audience of that one family member who always tells it like it is and never holds back.

Witherspoon and Ferrell complement one another’s performances, especially during the phase of the film when Jim and Margot constantly try to outdo one another. This back-and-forth rivalry plays into the mismatched couple and enemy-to-lovers tropes, widely overused in rom-coms. However, You’re Cordially Invited elicits some laugh-out-loud one-liners from our leads, and during such instances, the narrative takes full advantage of such moments. This is a testament to Ferrell’s physically comedic performance and Witherspoon’s sharp, quick-witted line deliveries, as this dynamic might not have worked as well with other actors in these roles.

Unfortunately, for every joke that lands, another misses the mark. Much of the film’s humor relies on clichés, which feel repetitive considering its 109 minute runtime. With so many random gags thrown into the storyline, it feels as though You’re Cordially Invited is grasping at straws and throwing everything at the wall, hoping something will stick.

The most glaring issue is that the romance between Jim and Margot doesn’t feel justified by the time the credits roll. This is because we don’t see any signs of the pair being remotely interested in one another throughout most of the film’s runtime. Instead, at the end of the movie, You’re Cordially Invited introduces a few flashback moments that are supposed to sell us on the idea, only they aren’t the least bit convincing.

Among the plethora of romantic comedies released on streaming services during the last few months, You’re Cordially Invited is another to add to the forgettable pile. Still, if nothing else, it offers a few chuckles.

You’re Cordially Invited will be available to stream globally on Prime Video from January 30, 2025.