You're Cordially Invited

Summary

Pop Culture Happy Hour: "You're Cordially Invited" Episode Summary

Release Date: February 5, 2025

NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour hosted a vibrant and in-depth discussion on the romantic comedy film "You're Cordially Invited", featuring Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon. The episode delved into various aspects of the movie, including its plot, character dynamics, execution, and overall reception. Hosts Linda Holmes, Aisha Harris, and guest Candace Lim provided their perspectives, enriched with insightful critiques and memorable quotes from the episode.

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1. Episode Introduction

Aisha Harris kicked off the discussion by introducing the central premise of "You're Cordially Invited". She provided a succinct overview of the film:

"[The] raunchy movie You're Cordially Invited, Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon face a mortifying conundrum. Their family's destination weddings have been double booked for the same weekend."
— Aisha Harris (00:20)

She highlighted the film's nostalgic nod to early 2000s romantic comedies and mentioned the director, Nicholas Stoller, known for hits like Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Neighbors.

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2. Movie Synopsis and Initial Impressions

The hosts elaborated on the movie's storyline, emphasizing the chaotic clash of two families attempting to share the same wedding venue:

"They reluctantly agree to share the venue, but unsurprisingly, nothing goes smoothly as planned."
— Aisha Harris (03:20)

Linda Holmes expressed her initial expectations and subsequent reception of the film:

"I felt a little bit underwhelmed by this film. I just didn't think it quite came together... something like this always needs a certain amount of convoluted business going on in order to create whatever the central conflict is."
— Linda Holmes (04:25)

She pointed out the film's believability issues, questioning why the venue couldn't accommodate both weddings seamlessly, thereby undermining the central conflict.

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3. Character Dynamics and Casting

Candace Lim and Linda Holmes delved into the casting choices and character dynamics, particularly focusing on the leads and supporting cast:

"I think they were trying to capture magic in a bottle here. But I'm with you. Where it's like, I didn't love this movie..."
— Candace Lim (07:20)

Candace admired the potential chemistry between Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon, comparing it to the successful pairing in The Proposal:

"...the movie had a cast that, on paper, should work. But I think my first thought is press notes for this film."
— Linda Holmes (07:20)

However, both hosts noted that the supporting cast, including Geraldine Viswanathan and Jack McBrayer, delivered strong performances that partially salvaged the film:

"They keep saying this is Rhys's first wedding comedy. I would argue it's not. She's been in a great one called Sweet Home Alabama."
— Candace Lim (07:20)

"Best scene."
— Candace Lim (09:53)
Referring to a standout moment with Jimmy Tatro's character.

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4. Execution and Storytelling

The discussion turned to the film’s execution, particularly its pacing and storytelling techniques. Linda Holmes critiqued the lack of interconnectedness between the dual wedding plots:

"One of the reasons I think this is not that satisfying is that these two stories of these two weddings don't really have anything to do with each other."
— Linda Holmes (10:58)

Candace Lim highlighted issues with character development and narrative cohesion:

"I think what’s missing is like, we don't have that, like Kristen Wiig, Rose Byrne singing that's what friends are for moment."
— Candace Lim (08:16)

"I think this movie had a cast that, on paper, should work. But I think my first thought is press notes for this film."
— Linda Holmes (07:20)

Additionally, both hosts felt the romantic subplot between the leads was unearned and poorly developed:

"We are only halfway through the film. I needed more hijinks. I needed more saboteurs."
— Candace Lim (13:56)

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5. Supporting Cast and Memorable Moments

Despite criticisms, the hosts praised several supporting characters and specific scenes that stood out:

"I want to shout out someone who has come up several times on this show... Kayla Monterosso Mejia, who is playing Heather, she's the one who kind of screws us up for everyone."
— Aisha Harris (09:17)

"There's a moment where they realize that she screwed it up. And her and Will Ferrell are yelling at each other about her not confirming. It's so great."
— Linda Holmes (09:17)

The interaction between Jimmy Tatro’s stripper-turned-medic character and Will Ferrell provided notable comedic relief:

"Jimmy Tatro plays a medic turned stripper... he had the one scene of the film that made me laugh out loud where he, like, is about to strip at the wedding, and then Will Ferrell runs in and, like, interrupts it."
— Candace Lim (12:01)

Additionally, the hosts appreciated the unique sibling relationship portrayed between Reese Witherspoon and Meredith Hagner’s characters, adding depth to the narrative:

"To see them kind of like dealing with that and their mothers, Flora, who's played by Celia Weston. I enjoyed those moments."
— Aisha Harris (10:04)

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6. Thematic Elements and Personal Reflections

Aisha Harris shared her personal connection to the film, finding comfort in its familiar tropes despite its shortcomings:

"It was very much a comfort watch for me more than anything else."
— Aisha Harris (15:32)

She also touched upon the generational nuances between the leads, adding another layer to her appreciation:

"...an interesting way of looking at both sort of generational, micro generational differences between people and how they approach relationships and love."
— Aisha Harris (08:49)

Linda Holmes acknowledged the movie’s genuine effort, noting that it didn’t feel like a mere cash grab:

"I've always said you can tell when a movie is made and nobody cared about it. And I do not necessarily get that feel from this film at all."
— Linda Holmes (17:37)

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7. Conclusion and Final Thoughts

In wrapping up, the hosts emphasized that while "You're Cordially Invited" may not reach the heights of iconic romantic comedies like Bridesmaids or The Proposal, it offers enjoyable moments and strong performances, particularly from its supporting cast. They acknowledged the film's imperfections but appreciated its genuine attempt to entertain and evoke nostalgic feelings.

"It's not going to hold a candle to something like Bridesmaids or Neighbors."
— Aisha Harris (08:49)

"It feels like everyone was just having fun and, you know, they were doing their best."
— Aisha Harris (17:08)

Aisha Harris concluded by encouraging listeners to share their thoughts and engage with the podcast through social media platforms, reinforcing the community aspect of Pop Culture Happy Hour.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Aisha Harris (00:20): Introduction to the movie's premise.
• Linda Holmes (04:25): "I felt a little bit underwhelmed by this film. I just didn't think it quite came together."
• Candace Lim (07:20): "I didn’t love this movie, and if I'm going to, like, place it in the wedding film canon..."
• Candace Lim (09:53): "Best scene."
• Candace Lim (12:01): "Jimmy Tatro plays a medic turned stripper..."
• Aisha Harris (15:32): "It was very much a comfort watch for me more than anything else."

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Final Remarks

The episode of Pop Culture Happy Hour provided a comprehensive exploration of "You're Cordially Invited", balancing critique with appreciation. The hosts' candid discussions offer listeners a nuanced perspective, making the summary valuable for those who haven't watched the episode or the film itself. Whether you're a fan of romantic comedies or curious about the latest releases, this episode serves as an insightful guide to understanding the film's strengths and areas for improvement.

For more discussions and detailed reviews, tune into Pop Culture Happy Hour on NPR and join the conversation on Facebook.com/PCHH and Letterboxd.

Transcript

[Aisha Harris]

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In the raunchy movie you're cordially invited, Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon face a mortifying conundrum. Their family's destination weddings have been double booked for the same weekend.

[Linda Holmes]

The movie feels like a familiar throwback to the 2000s, and it's directed by Nicholas Stoller, who made Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Neighbors. I'm Linda Holmes.

[Aisha Harris]

And I'm Aisha Harris. And today we're talking about you're cordially invited on Pop Culture Happy Hour from npr.

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Co host of Slate's ICYMI podcast and former PCHHH producer Candace Lim. It's so lovely to have you back, Candace. Hello.

[Candace Lim]

Oh my gosh. Hello.

[Aisha Harris]

Yay. So nice to have this little mini reunion especially for this kind of low stakes but high stakes according to the characters movies. So you're cordially invited. Stars Will Ferrell as Jim a Widower whose daughter Jenny announces her engagement. She's played by Geraldine Viswanath. And Reese Witherspoon is Margot, whose sister Nev is also getting married. She's played by Meredith Hagner. Now, through a series of misfortunate events, both families wind up being double booked for the same location on the same weekend.

[Unknown]

Whose credit card do you have on file?

Let me finish explaining yours.

So the place is legally yours. So whose credit card's on file?

You know damn well whose credit card he has on file. Stop saying credit card.

Credit card. Credit card. Credit card.

[Aisha Harris]

The horror.

[Linda Holmes]

The horror.

[Aisha Harris]

They reluctantly agree to share the venue, but unsurprisingly, nothing goes smoothly as planned. You're cordially invited to streaming now on Prime Video. And of course, we have to mention that Amazon supports NPR and pays to distribute some of our content. So, Linda, let's start with you. How did this movie feel for you?

[Linda Holmes]

Yeah, I am sort of the obvious consumer for this movie because a lot of these people are people I have liked a lot in other things. I like a wedding comedy. I even liked the one where Jennifer Lopez wound up having to fight a bunch of violent criminals. I mean, I felt a little bit underwhelmed by this film. I just didn't think it quite came together. I mean, something like this always needs a certain amount of convoluted business going on in order to create whatever the central conflict is. In this case, I think it winds up feeling pretty obvious that they can accommodate both of these weddings at this inn. And it's not completely clear why everybody was trying to be like the only one ceremony.

[Unknown]

Oh, gonna need the dock. Well, okay. We're willing to split the dock.

It's too tiny and narrow. I don't think we can split it.

[Aisha Harris]

He's correct about that.

[Unknown]

Maybe we could split it by time.

[Candace Lim]

Yes.

[Unknown]

We'll take the first half of sunset.

And we'll take the second half.

[Aisha Harris]

Is timing the sunset even a thing?

I think it's fun.

[Linda Holmes]

And the fact that nobody had been in contact with the venue at any time about anything for one of the two weddings. I don't think they did a good enough job making the convoluted, unbelievable stuff believable enough to kind of make it just flow through the movie. I like the idea of a kind of rom com element with Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon. They're both funny. She is obviously a rom com goddess of some renown. I don't think this works as a. As a romantic comedy at all with that Said there are elements of it that I think are fun. I think the supporting cast is fun. I very much like Geraldine Viswanathan, who was also in Blockers, which is a movie that we really liked. Yeah, I typ like Stoller stuff as well. This was not my speed, but at the same time, I kind of had a fine time sitting around watching it on, like, a Friday night. It was fine.

[Aisha Harris]

Yeah. Yeah. The one question I had when they were like, okay, we're gonna share their venue was, okay, are they doubling the staff? Like, how is this going to work? Or are the staff going to just have to work extra hard to accommodate twice as many people? Questions, labor questions that are not asked in the script and definitely not answered. But, Candace, I'm curious what your thoughts on this.

[Candace Lim]

I mean, I lean with you, Linda, where it's like, I walk into this thinking, I should have liked this. I really liked Nicholas Stoller's work. I love Neighbors. I really liked Friends From College, and I really liked bros. And so, to me, I'm kind of like, this guy is here for a good reason. I wonder if they cast Will Ferrell to kind of bring the calm and Reese Witherspoon to bring the rom, which is, like, a good idea in theory. Right? Because the movie I'm thinking of immediately is like, the Proposal, where it's like Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds. You don't exactly expect them to work, and that movie is perfect. And so I think they were trying to capture magic in a bottle here. But I'm with you. Where it's like, I didn't love this movie, and if I'm going to, like, place it in the wedding film canon, for me, I am going to say I do think it is better than Shotgun Wedding, which is the 2022 movie with Jlo and Joshua Mel. It is not better than Marry Me. Okay. Which has been stubbed multiple times in the Best original Song category. But I think, like, in this pyramid, for me, the very top, the apex is Bridesmaids in the Proposal. I think those are two movies that, like, use the premise of wedding, but they're not really about weddings. And I love that. And I think this movie had, like, a cast that, on paper, should work. But I think my first thought is press notes for this film. They keep saying this is Rhys's first wedding comedy. I would argue it's not. She's been in a great one called Sweet Home Alabama.

[Linda Holmes]

I was gonna say Sweet Home Alabama is enough of a wedding comedy. It's certainly a kind of, like, married or marrying people comedy.

[Candace Lim]

Yeah. And the themes are very similar. Right. Where it's like, southern girl in the city, comes home, has to interact with her Southern ness and kind of have this question of, like, am I really of my family? Am I someone else? Da, da da da. And then Will Ferrell, I'm also going to argue, has been in a wedding adjacent movie called Stepbrothers. And that is my favorite film of all time. And so I'm mentioning all these movies because I think what they have that this one doesn't is like cleverness and hijinks and a conflict that feels high stakes enough. Or even if it's stupid, even if you're bringing alligators into people's rooms, it's funny that you're like, I'm bought in. I'm bought in. I'm bought in. I think what's missing is like, we don't have that, like Kristen Wiig, Rose Byrne singing that's what friends are for moment. We don't have something to kind of like land onto to be like, whoa, those are stars. In fact, I'm gonna argue I think the supporting cast carried this movie, but that's where I stand.

[Aisha Harris]

Okay, interesting. I hear you, and I agree with pretty much everything you say. And yet I think I had way more fun at this than either you did.

[Candace Lim]

Yeah. You love this movie.

[Aisha Harris]

Okay, I don't. I don't love it. Like, is this going to be a. I watch it every year or every few years. No. But would I return to this? I think so. I think that the issue that comes up with them trying to sort of pigeonhole this rom, making this like a ROM comedy between Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon is the fact that there's just like so much other stuff happening there.

[Linda Holmes]

Yes.

[Aisha Harris]

This movie, it hits the hour long mark and then I was like, wait.

[Candace Lim]

It'S too long first off.

[Aisha Harris]

Yeah, it's too long. And it like, there's all these twists and turns and reveals and fake outs that happen where I was just like, oh, this could have been a tight 90 and it would have. And we say this all the time, but I do think to some extent the way we're supposed to believe at the end that Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon had any sort of interest in each other beyond trying to get their respective weddings off the ground.

[Linda Holmes]

Didn't come through.

[Aisha Harris]

No, did not come through at all. And so they kind of retcon it in a weird way that is supposed to be funny but does not land. Yeah, that Being said, I agree with you, Candace, that the supporting cast definitely, to a large extent, carries this. I want to shout out someone who has come up several times on this show. I feel like I'm actually usually the one who brings it up. But Kayla Monterosso Mejia, who is playing Heather, she's the one who kind of screws us up for everyone. And there's a moment where they realize that she screwed it up. And her and Will Ferrell are yelling at each other about her not confirming. It's so great.

[Candace Lim]

Best scene.

[Unknown]

You said you handled it. Why didn't you just give him your credit card?

Well, you said it was reserved.

[Linda Holmes]

I didn't know I had to double check.

[Unknown]

So you never even called this place?

[Linda Holmes]

I have social anxiety, so I just send emails.

[Unknown]

You get anxiety from dialing a phone?

[Aisha Harris]

I can do anything that doesn't require a phone call. I love those little moments. I also enjoyed seeing Jack McBrayer from 30 Rock playing Leslie. His mother was the former owner of the inn, and now he's taken over. He's fun. It's just great to see those relationships. And if it had just been, like, a little bit shorter, I think it would have really kind of, like, crackled, because there are moments, there are scenes, there is chemistry. I also just appreciated seeing a relationship between Margot and Nev, the sisters Reese Witherspoon and Meredith Hagner, and the fact that they are the siblings who are, like, attached to the hip. And then they don't really like the rest of the family, which is something. It's a dynamic we don't often see in movies. To see them kind of like dealing with that and their mothers, Flora, who's played by Celia Weston. I enjoyed those moments. It was fun for me.

[Linda Holmes]

One of the reasons I think this is not that satisfying is that these two stories of these two weddings don't really have anything to do with each other. All these people are not connected to each other.

[Candace Lim]

Right.

[Linda Holmes]

So you have essentially a wedding plot over here that involves a whole family and a whole set of conflicts that they're trying to serve. Another one on the other side that involves a whole family and a whole set of conflicts they're trying to serve. Plus they're trying to build up this potential romantic connection between Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell. It's interesting because we've mentioned several Nicholas Stoller projects that people liked. I would call out another one. He was one of the creators of Platonic on Apple tv.

[Aisha Harris]

So good.

[Linda Holmes]

Which I love. I think there are Too many stories. All these people know what they're doing. All these people are good at doing this kind of thing that they're doing. But I just think the story didn't quite land for me. Another person that I would shout out that we have not talked about yet is Jimmy Tatron, who is kind of our leading cultural lunkhead. He was in American Vandal, and then he was in Theater Camp.

[Aisha Harris]

Theater Camp.

[Linda Holmes]

And he is so good. And here he is a little bit different, Right? He's still a lunkhead, but there's a kinder twist on it. But he still is just, to me, super charming and funny. I'm always happy to see him. There are tons of things to like about this movie. I just didn't think it coalesced. And Aisha kind of, you know, alluded to it. They try to kind of retcon this romance by ultimately kind of, you know, it's a montage where it's like, look back on all these moments where we were in the process of being into each other. But none of those moments were presented that way at the time. And it's done for comedic purposes, but it's all. Also makes the romantic element of it not make sense. Just didn't quite come together. But it's not unpleasurable for its individual elements.

[Candace Lim]

Yeah, I think it's really funny that you're not mentioning that Jimmy Tatro plays a medic turned stripper. That is very important to me. And I really think he had the one scene of the film that made me laugh out loud where he, like, is about to strip at the wedding, and then Will Ferrell runs in and, like, interrupts it. And Jimmy's just like, ugh. And I'm just like, been there. But, Linda, I agree. I think my big issue with this film, I'm seeing a lot of telling not showing. And the scene that irked me is when Reese Witherspoon is kind of, like, getting her anger out. Very, like, Ryan Reynolds proposal style. She's like, hitting golf balls into the water. Well, Farrell comes up to her to console her, and within, like, two minutes, they kind of just, like, say exactly what the real underlying motivations and issues are. My thing is that I don't think these two characters had earned it by that point. We are only halfway through the film. I needed more hijinks. I needed more saboteurs. I needed more, like, hidd manifestations of motivation to get us to that place. And what's really funny is I walk out of that scene being like, well, Those people are never gonna kiss. I was wrong. Lol.

[Unknown]

Right.

[Candace Lim]

But that's the thing. I mean, you're even referring to the montage at the end where it's Will Ferrell's face, I guess, smiling multiple times to me. That is also telling. Not it is, because if you were really showing it, you would have planted it slowly throughout the movie. I'm also gonna make the argument, I think Will likes Rhys. I do not think Rhys liked Will's character. Even towards the end I was like, I think this is a one side.

[Aisha Harris]

Yeah, again, I hear you. It's all. It was not very well executed and yet I think what I. I just found it very comforting to see that this kind of movie is still getting made, even if it is of the lesser quality. And it's like not going to hold a candle to something like Bridesmaids or Neighbor Neighbors. I also just thought it was kind of fun to see these two actors who, they feel like a different generation to me. Although he's only like nine or ten years older than her, which is strange. But I guess I found this to be an interesting way of looking at both sort of generational, micro generational differences between people and how they approach relationships and love. And it's low hanging fruit. But again, I enjoyed the sort of Southern person who comes back and has to deal with like. There's a funny scene where her family, Reese Witherspoon's family is all asking her questions about California. It hit a little close to home.

[Unknown]

Have you been affected by the floods? No, no, no.

[Aisha Harris]

Have you been affected by taxes?

[Unknown]

What?

Have you been affected by the homeless?

[Aisha Harris]

I don't know.

[Unknown]

Mom, how's Atlanta? Are you affected by the racism?

[Aisha Harris]

It was very much a comfort watch for me more than anything else.

[Candace Lim]

Something I love about comedies and I'm really thinking about like the stepbrother genre is the fact that like all of those movies are always great first times and exposures to people you end up loving. I'm thinking about Katherine Hahn and Stepbrothers. That was a role that was probably a few lines and she was so dynamic. She kind of pretty much became one of my favorite supporting characters from then.

[Aisha Harris]

Yeah.

[Candace Lim]

And I think for this film it's going to be a great kind of like portfolio for people who don't know Geraldine as much or people who don't know Kayla as much. And I think I'm gonna give it up to Leanne Morgan, who plays Gwyneth, who is recently his sister in the movie. She's so funny and sharp and she's a comedian. And I was like, oh, like that's a person I Google after all of this is done. And so I think if anything, maybe come into this film not for the leads but for the supporting because I bet you love someone, you know.

[Aisha Harris]

Yes.

[Linda Holmes]

And I will say, like, when you're talking about the supporting cast, one of the things comedically that did sort of work for me was this, these interactions between Will Ferrell and all of his daughter's friends who he has a couple of confrontations not just with Heather, but with kind of this whole group of friends. I did think those things were quite entertaining and I enjoyed.

[Aisha Harris]

I was also kind of shocked that the Will Ferrell wedding party seemed to be mostly children and young adults and barely any adults. I was like, where is this?

[Candace Lim]

Just like, also she had so many bridesmaids. And basically that's your wedding attendee guest list. Interesting. Interesting.

[Aisha Harris]

There was a lot going on here. And I will say, just to add, I do think what I admire about this is even if it doesn't all work, it doesn't feel like a wholly cynical exercise. Like it feels like everyone was just having fun and, you know, they were doing their best. And I will always be in the be in the tank for any movie that like, even if it doesn't work, feels at least that it was like made from something real, something that doesn't feel just like very cash grabby.

[Linda Holmes]

So amen to that. I've always said you can tell when a movie is made and nobody cared about it. And I do not necessarily get that feel from this film at all.

[Aisha Harris]

Yeah, look, they can't all be Barb and star. Oh my God, they just can't. Well, we want to know what you think about your cordially invited. I'm sure a lot of you have heard watched it. Find us at Facebook.com PCHH and on [e-mail] NPR PopCulture. We'll include a link in our episode description that brings us to the end of our show. Candice Lim, Linda Holmes, thanks so much for being here. This was so much fun.

[Candace Lim]

Oh, thank you.

[Linda Holmes]

Thank you, Aisha.

[Aisha Harris]

This episode was produced by Hafsa Fathoma and Lennon Sherburn and edited by Mike Katsif. Our supervising producer is Jessica Reedy and hello. Kamin provides our theme music. Thanks so much for listening to Pop Culture Happy hour from npr. I'm Aisha Harris. We'll see you all next time.

[Unknown]

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