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I'm not opposed to a decent streaming-exclusive comedy. After all, 2024 gave us both Ricky Stanicky and Jackpot! in that regard, and I found each of those to be pretty darn funny, if I do say so myself.
(Then again, maybe it's just John Cena that I'm not opposed to)
Either way, despite the fact that the trailer looked completely uninspired, I decided to give Amazon Prime's newest offering, You're Cordially Invited, a shot to see if it could impress me as much as those other two outings from last year.
Comedies are admittedly in a weird rut. They tend to release as streaming exclusives these days and not in theaters. I'm not opposed to that, but I know a lot of folks see it as a death knell for the genre. But it's just how the world has shaken out for them in the modern era. At least we have these services buying up and producing these movies, otherwise, we would never see them at all.
The trailer for You're Cordially Invited promised a comedic spin on the ol' wedding trope in movies: two families booked a private island for the same date, and they have to figure out a way to coexist.
Will Ferrell stars as the father of bride #1, Jenni (played by Geraldine Viswanathan). He dotes on his daughter, and the two have a close, bordering on almost creepy, relationship. Reese Witherspoon is the sister of bride #2. She is a busy L.A. TV executive who has removed herself from her very Southern family, but has a special bond with her sister. Both are determined to do anything at all to give their loved one the day they deserve.
After an initial meeting goes sour, the two make peace when they see how much they care for each other's bride-to-be. Unfortunately, from there things spin out of control, and Reese's and Will's characters start a game of one-upmanship, trying to ruin the other one's day.
TWO UPS AND TWO DOWNS
+ Ferrell and Witherspoon have really good chemistry, especially when they get to go tit-for-tat at each other. There is a scene early on where they first meet each other and discover the mix-up at the wedding site where the two get to volley rapid-fire insults and attacks, and it gives you a lot of hope for the movie because they are so well-timed against each other, and they are comfortable in front of the camera together.
With how often the two of them have to interact, the movie was always going to live or die based on the chemistry of these two leads, and luckily they have it. Which is no less than you would expect from two seasoned actors with so many great comedies under their belts.
+ Geraldine Viswanathan is great in her secondary role. Despite how little I cared for last year's Drive-Away Dolls, she remains an actress I am keeping an eye on to see how she grows in Hollywood. I'm excited for her to officially join the MCU soon in Thunderbolts*.
It's a shame more of the movie isn't based around her. She really has a lot of talent and the camera loves her when she is on screen. But she is too-often pushed to the side to focus on the aforementioned Ferrell/Witherspoon drama. Which... I get it. That interaction is strong and the backbone of the movie. But I would have been here for the writers and director to find more room for the Jenni character.
- This is a really bad extended sitcom episode, with terrible whacky misunderstandings and follow-up revenge bits. It feels like a longer, more aggressive and mean-spirited episode of something like Full House. One character overhears another saying something and takes it too far. Another character sees something, but it's not what they thought they saw, and the response is out of hand. It's all just silly hi-jinx the whole way across the board.
Ultimately, it's not anything new or creative. You've seen this movie before is what I'm getting at. It's not breaking any new ground or doing anything special. It's just a fairly generic comedy.
- Speaking of being a comedy! There are a few chuckle-worthy moments, but not as many as there are groan-worthy ones. I can't lie and say I didn't laugh at all--I did, even if it was a more light laughter than anything from deep within the belly--but the amusement was few and far between. Mostly I just sighed as the film wore out the treading on overplayed tropes or characters made baffling decisions that only screenwriters could find believable.
People say straight comedies are dead. Whether they can't or just won't be made anymore, it's a decaying brand of filmmaking. I tend to argue that comedy has moved on to being as sub-genre after the 2000's killed it dead as a primary genre. That's what a decade of gay jokes and stuff like Meet The Spartans will get you! Whatever it is, though, You're Cordially Invited is not what's going to revive purely comedic movies.
OVERALL
At its worst, You're Cordially Invited is harmless. It's a perfectly fine little streaming special comedy. Unfortunately, at its best, You're Cordially Invited is... a harmless, fine streaming comedy. It's just an even-keeled, below average movie. It's a shame because with Reese, Will, and Geraldine all being perfectly game, there was the potential for a lot more. But a half-cocked, been-there-done-that screenplay just doesn't help them out at all.
🍿 SCORE = 43 / 100
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