Warning! Spoilers for Prime Video’s You’re Cordially Invited ahead!

The song “Islands in the Stream” is frequently used throughout You’re Cordially Invited, but what does it actually mean to the story? The Prime Video comedy movie stars Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon as two characters desperate to throw their loved ones the best weddings possible. Ferrell’s Jim booked the same venue he and his late wife had gotten married in for his daughter Jenni, and Reese Witherspoon’s Margot booked the same place for her sister Neve. Jim and Margot battle it out throughout You’re Cordially Invited until they naturally fall in love.

The ending of You’re Cordially Invited sees Jim and Margot finally admit their feelings for one another, with an end-credits scene where they sing the song “Islands in the Stream” together. This wasn’t the first time the 1983 Dolly Parton and Kenny Roger’s song played in the comedy movie. It was previously performed by Jim and his daughter Jenni at the latter’s rehearsal dinner—a rather uncomfortable moment for everyone, considering the Sєxual nature of the song. While this added to the overall comedy of You’re Cordially Invited, the song served a deeper purpose.

You’re Cordially Invited Uses “Islands In The Stream” As A Major Motif

The Song Is Significant From Beginning To End

The song “Islands in the Stream” is a constant backdrop throughout You’re Cordially Invited. It’s used to represent Jim and Jenni’s relationship, though it’s ultimately revealed that the song had sentimental value within Jim’s marriage. Since Jenni’s mother died when she was six years old, Jim had transferred all his love and attention to his daughter, and “Islands in the Stream” was the perfect way for You’re Cordially Invited to demonstrate this. Of course, while the lyrics of this song are fitting when applied to a romantic partner, they are rather inappropriate between a father and daughter:

Baby, when I met you there was peace unknown

I set out to get you with a fine tooth comb

I was soft inside

There was something going on

You do something to me that I can’t explain

Hold me closer and I feel no pain

Every beat of my heart

We got something going on

Tender love is blind

It requires a dedication

All this love we feel needs no conversation

We ride it together, ah ha

Making love with each other, ah ha

Islands in the stream

That is what we are

No one in between

How can we be wrong?

Sail away with me

To another world

And we rely on each other, ah ha

From one lover to another, ah ha

I can’t live without you if the love was gone

Everything is nothing if you got no one

And you did walk in the night

Slowly losing sight of the real thing

But that won’t happen to us and we got no doubt

Too deep in love and we got no way out

And the message is clear

This could be the year for the real thing

No more will you cry

Baby, I will hurt you never

We start and end as one

In love forever

We can ride it together, ah ha

Making love with each other, ah ha

You’re Cordially Invited Makes “Islands In The Stream” Surprisingly Sad

The Song’s Importance To Jim Is Heartbreaking

Though Jim and Jenni’s awkward performance of “Islands in the Stream” was hilarious, You’re Cordially Invited took this moment and made it rather sad. Jim later admitted that singing this song with his daughter was weird, but it was important to him because he and his wife used to sing it to Jenni to put her to sleep. Near the end of You’re Cordially Invited, a montage plays out of a young Jenni growing up while Ferrell’s Jim softly sings the Dolly Parton and Kenny Roger song like a lullaby. What had started as a ridiculous and inappropriate moment turned into a sweet homage to the father-daughter relationship.

Of course, this doesn’t change the fact that Jim and Jenni’s dynamic at the beginning of You’re Cordially Invited was unhealthy. After Jim’s wife’s death, he essentially replaced this romantic connection with his father-daughter relationship. This put a lot of pressure on Jenni since her father’s happiness depended on her remaining impossibly happy all the time. Lyrics like “Islands in the stream that is what we are. No one in between, how can we be wrong?” perfectly reflect this. It was long past time that Jim and Jenni formed this type of connection in other, more appropriate relationships.

“Islands In The Stream” Playing In You’re Cordially Invited’s Credits Reflects The Song’s Real Meaning In The Movie

The Song Was A Better Fit For Jim & Margot

Through the chaotic weddings in You’re Cordially Invited, Jim came to realize the sort of impossible pressure he was putting on his daughter. The movie’s ending saw him finally loosen the apron strings, admitting that he had depended entirely on Jenni for his happiness. Of course, this wasn’t done out of selfishness. Jim had once been forced to break his daughter’s heart by telling her that her mother had pᴀssed away, and from then on, he was determined never to have to do such a thing again. Unfortunately, this led to complete chaos in Jenni’s adult life.

After Jim freed Jenni from their unhealthy relationship, he became free himself to admit his feelings for Witherspoon’s Margot. The pair predictably ended up together at the end of You’re Cordially Invited, and the credits scene saw them singing “Islands in the Stream” together, much like Jim and Jenni did at the movie’s start. This time around, however, the song was a far better fit. It’s much healthier for Jim and Margot to “rely on each other“ in the way the song describes. Overall, it was the perfect (though somewhat strange) conclusion to a surprisingly touching story.