YOU’RE CORDIALLY INVITED
(director/writer: Nicholas Stoller; cinematographer: John Guleserian; editors: Daniel Gabbe/Hugh Ross; music: Michael Andrews; cast: Reese Witherspoon (Margot), Will Ferrell (Jim), Meredith Hagner (Neve), Jimmy Tatro (Dixon), Geraldine Viswanathan (Jenni), Celia Weston (Flora), Leanne Morgan (Gwyneth), Jack McBrayer (Leslie), Fortune Feimster (Captain Barry); Runtime: 109; MPAA Rating: R; producers: Conor Welch, Reese Witherspoon, Nicholas Stoller, Will Ferrell, Lauren Levy Neustadter, Jessica Elbaum; Amazon Studios; 2025)
“Dumb comedy on dueling weddings.”
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
Nicholas Stoller (“Bros”/”Storks”) directs and writes this dumb comedy on dueling weddings. For its minor success as a possible crowd-pleaser, it depends on its star appeal to win you over.
The free-spirited business executive widower Jim (Will Ferrell), whose wife died a long time ago, is the caring single father to Jenni (Geraldine Viswanathan). One day she shows up in dad’s Atlanta home to introduce him to her DJ fiancé Oliver (Stony Blyden). The bossy Jim, without consulting the couple, books for them a June 1st wedding at the Palmetto House, a first-class inn on a small Georgia island. It’s the classy inn where Jim married her mother.
At the same time, the high-powered reality TV executive residing in Los Angeles, Margot (Reese Witherspoon), is planning the wedding reception of her younger sister Neve (Meredith Hagner) to her Chippendale’s dancer boyfriend Dixon (Jimmy Tatro) on the same date at the Palmetto House.
The mistaken double-booking is revealed to both wedding parties by the inn upon their island arrivals, but neither party is willing to change the date.
The inn manager negotiates a compromise between the families to be apart, who nevertheless mingle together with some open hostilities. Meanwhile the two aggressive family heads, Jim and Margot, fight with each other until in the third act suddenly realize they have romantic feelings for each other and become an item, even though onscreen they show no chemistry together. Their romance was a bore, and a big reason the pic tanked.
The funniest comedy bits were reserved for the mean-spirited spats between Margot and her bitchy Southern mother Flora (Celia Weston).
The inane wedding movie is so full of angst and tiresome characters, you’ll probably regret seeing it.
REVIEWED ON 2/15/2025 GRADE: C+
dennisschwartzreviews.com