Are you with the bride or the groom? Hold on, scratch that. Are you with or ?
a new comedy directed by Nicholas Stoller, brings together two stars whose movie worlds are nearly as divided as wedding guests on separate sides of the aisle. Ferrell is most closely associated with broad comedies and Witherspoon the more romantic variety. And while both have expanded beyond their wheelhouses, they are each A-list refugees from movie genres 香蕉视频直播� laugh-out-loud comedies, rom-coms 香蕉视频直播� that have largely faded from theaters in recent years.
香蕉视频直播淵ou香蕉视频直播檙e Cordially Invited,香蕉视频直播� which debuts Thursday on Prime Video, unites these two once-ubiquitous box-office forces in a streaming-only wedding comedy that cross-pollinates 香蕉视频直播淔ather of the Bride香蕉视频直播� with 香蕉视频直播淲edding Crashers.香蕉视频直播� The combination works well enough, though it香蕉视频直播檇 be fairer to deem 香蕉视频直播淵ou香蕉视频直播檙e Cordially Invited香蕉视频直播� a funnier-than-average wedding movie than it would be a top-grade Ferrell comedy.
It香蕉视频直播檚 been two decades since, in 香蕉视频直播淲edding Crashers,香蕉视频直播� Ferrell so gently called to his mother, 香蕉视频直播淗ey, Mom! Can we get some meatloaf!香蕉视频直播� But a whole era has passed. 香蕉视频直播淵ou香蕉视频直播檙e Cordially Invited香蕉视频直播� is an attempt to rekindle some of the spirit of those early 香蕉视频直播�00s comedies while growing it up a little, and roping in a new generation of funny people. Here, Ferrell plays the overly doting father to Jenni (Geraldine Viswanathan). He香蕉视频直播檚 a widower whose happiness rests to an unsound degree on his daughter. Jim steams her clothes and styles her hair. He香蕉视频直播檚 not crashing the wedding this time; he香蕉视频直播檚 baking the cake.
When Jenni returns home with a ring on her finger and her now-fianc茅 (Stony Blyden) in tow, Jim experiences the happy news more like a nightmare. Still, he gathers himself together and books a destination wedding on the small Georgia island where he and his wife were married.
Meanwhile, we香蕉视频直播檙e introduced to Margot (Witherspoon) a high-powered reality TV executive in Los Angeles whose younger sister (Meredith Hagner) is getting married to her boyfriend (Jimmy Tatro). Her abiding issue is a disconnect with her Atlanta-era family and their disapproving mother (Celia Weston), a fissure that the wedding, which Margot opts to plan herself, quickly exacerbates.
When, a year later, these two groups arrive on the island, Jim and Margot eye each other suspiciously right up until they each attempt to check in at the same time. Thanks to the untimely death of the inn香蕉视频直播檚 longtime owner, the place has been double-booked for the weekend 香蕉视频直播� a particularly awkward situation given the island can only accommodate one wedding at a time. The supporting roles throughout 香蕉视频直播淵ou香蕉视频直播檙e Cordially Invited香蕉视频直播� are well cast, including the inn香蕉视频直播檚 new, very apologetic manager, played by
After some hesitation, Margot and Jim resolve to share the venue. This, of course, is the not particularly subtle concept of 香蕉视频直播淵ou香蕉视频直播檙e Cordially Invited.香蕉视频直播� The arrangement is momentarily copacetic but gradually devolves into an all-out war between Margot and Jim, while the two very different wedding parties 香蕉视频直播� one a multicultural DJ-ing crew, the other longtime Southerners 香蕉视频直播� mingle congenially.
The main deficiency of 香蕉视频直播淵ou香蕉视频直播檙e Cordially Invited,香蕉视频直播� also scripted by Stoller (香蕉视频直播淣eighbors,香蕉视频直播� 香蕉视频直播淔orgetting Sarah Marshall香蕉视频直播�), is that everything about it proceeds from its concept. The characters feel engineered to suit it, and everything in its plot is orchestrated to serve the rival wedding feud. Nothing in how things evolve will surprise you or feel particularly organic. For a not especially long movie, 香蕉视频直播淵ou香蕉视频直播檙e Cordially Invited香蕉视频直播� drags, a byproduct of its artificial conception. This is the kind of film where the post-credits sing-along feels forced.
That said, there香蕉视频直播檚 a wide array of comic talent throughout Stoller香蕉视频直播檚 film that enlivens it. That includes Keyla Monterroso Mejia, Rory Scovel, Leanne Morgan and even, briefly, This should be a showcase for Viswanathan, the talented star of 香蕉视频直播淏lockers香蕉视频直播� and 香蕉视频直播淏ad Education,香蕉视频直播� but her character, while primary, doesn香蕉视频直播檛 give her much to work with beyond shedding an overly dependent dad. The highlight of the cast, really, is Weston, who is so good as a hard-to-impress matriarch that you could just as easily drop her into a family drama.
Ferrell, who has made unadjusted fathers a specialty since finds more ways to make Jim a compelling comic character than most anyone could. Having the chance to see him in a big studio comedy has gotten so foolishly infrequent that 香蕉视频直播淵ou香蕉视频直播檙e Cordially Invited香蕉视频直播� is worth RSVP香蕉视频直播檌ng to for that too-rare opportunity, in itself.
Somewhat surprisingly, 香蕉视频直播淵ou香蕉视频直播檙e Cordially Invited香蕉视频直播� doesn香蕉视频直播檛 culminate in a big comic set piece but puts much 香蕉视频直播� maybe too much 香蕉视频直播� of its energy into talking through Jim and Margot香蕉视频直播檚 hang-ups. There香蕉视频直播檚 a clever, self-aware theme of honesty: too little of it in Jim and Jenni香蕉视频直播檚 performative dynamic, and too much of it in Margot香蕉视频直播檚 cynical family relationships. That all of this hangs together is a testament, most of all, to Witherspoon deftness as a performer. In a movie in which Ferrell wrestles an alligator and cameos (winningly) as a singing pastor, you don香蕉视频直播檛 doubt Witherspoon for a moment.
香蕉视频直播淵ou香蕉视频直播檙e Cordially Invited,香蕉视频直播� an Amazon MGM Studios release is rated R by the Motion Picture Association for 香蕉视频直播渓anguage throughout and some sexual references.香蕉视频直播� Running time: 109 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.
