"Hats off to the writer-director Nicholas Stoller", who has taken an exhausted genre (the wedding comedy) and somehow brought it to "vivid, frequently side-splitting life", said Kevin Maher in The Times.
In "You're Cordially Invited", Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell play the antagonists of a "weekend wedding nightmare" that occurs when two ceremonies are accidentally booked for the same date, on the same alligator-infested island in Georgia. Ferrell plays the overprotective dad of the first bride (Geraldine Viswanathan), Witherspoon is a high-flying TV producer whose sister (Meredith Hagner) is the other one. The script is strong for a "wacky comedy" of this sort, with an often staggering "gag-per-minute ratio", and Witherspoon, who also serves as a producer, "brings A-list smarts and a genuine performance. Like everything here, it's a cut above."
"There's a surprising amount of low-rent fun to be had" with this "simple and silly" Amazon crowdpleaser, said Benjamin Lee in The Guardian. Yes, there are misses – "some overly absurdist physical comedy, a final song and dance" – but they're "just about outdone by the hits", and it's a pleasure to watch Witherspoon and Ferrell do their thing.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Testosterone therapy in women highlights the lack of women’s health researchThe explainer There is no FDA-approved testosterone product for women
-
Magazine solutions - November 7, 2025Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - November 7, 2025
-
Magazine printables - November 7, 2025Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - November 7, 2025
-
6 trailside homes for hikersFeature Featuring a roof deck with skyline views in California and a home with access to private trails in Montana
-
Lazarus: Harlan Coben’s ‘embarrassingly compelling’ thrillerThe Week Recommends Bill Nighy and Sam Claflin play father-and-son psychiatrists in this ‘precision-engineered’ crime drama
-
The Rose Field: a ‘nail-biting’ end to The Book of Dust seriesThe Week Recommends Philip Pullman’s superb new novel brings the trilogy to a ‘fitting’ conclusion
-
Nigerian Modernism: an ‘entrancing, enlightening exhibition’The Week Recommends Tate Modern’s ‘revelatory’ show includes 250 works examining Nigerian art pre- and post independence
-
The Mastermind: Josh O’Connor stars in unconventional art heist movieThe Week Recommends Kelly Reichardt cements her status as the ‘queen of slow cinema’ with her latest film
-
Critics’ choice: Watering holes for gourmandsFeature An endless selection of Mexican spirits, a Dublin-inspired bar, and an upscale Baltimore pub
-
Film reviews: Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, Frankenstein, and Blue MoonFeature A rock star on the rise turns inward, a stressed mother begins to unravel, and more
-
Beth Macy’s 6 favorite books about living in a divided nationFeature The journalist recommends works by Nicholas Buccola, Matthew Desmond, and more
