The following contains spoilers for You’re Cordially Invited, now streaming on Prime VideoYou’re Cordially Invited‘s big tonal shift in the third act isn’t great, but it could have easily been fixed. The Prime Video comedy, directed by Nicholas Stoller, focuses on two weddings that are booked for the same day at the same venue. Bridezilla father of the bride Jim is willing to compromise on the event with TV exec (and professional micromananger) Margot, but their competing interests and personal hangups quickly escalate into some pretty solidly funny conflict. The cast of You’re Cordially Invited do a good job with the material, delivering plenty of big laughs.

The trick to You’re Cordially Invited though is the emotional beats, which I was pleasantly surprised by. The characters actually have surprisingly three-dimensional conflicts and relationships with their respective families, which serves as the real emotional throughline of the film. However, the film gets distracted by the ending of You’re Cordially Invited, where a sudden shift into another comedic genre feels forced in comparison to the rest of the film’s more natural character growth and story.

Why You’re Cordially Invited’s Love Story Doesn’t Quite Work

There’s Not A Lot Of Reason To Think Jim And Margot Belong Together

You’re Cordially Invited has some strong emotional beats and good comedic moments, but the romantic subplot introduced late in the film between Will Ferrell’s Jim and Reese Witherspooon’s Margot doesn’t gel with the rest of the movie. For the most part, I really enjoyed how You’re Cordially Invited is focused on how the escalating conflict between Jim and Margot, especially the way it has the unintended side-effect of forcing both characters to confront long-seething conflicts within their own families. This allowed the more emotionally driven beats still feel naturally connected to the comedic aspects of the story.

In this sense, Margot and Jim make ideal foils. Both are good people at heart, whose different dysfunctional relationships highlight the flaws that the other must also overcome. However, the third act turn of the film positions them as romantically interested in one another, suggesting that this is where their “obsession” with beating one another stems from. It’s an odd choice, as it feels unnecessary and without proper set-up. Which is a shame, because there could have been ways to make the film more of a romantic comedy from the get-go.

How You’re Cordially Invited Could Have Fixed Its Romance Story Problem

Earlier Set-Up Might Have Made The Romance A More Integral Part Of You’re Cordially Invited

Having there be a concrete attraction between Jim and Margot earlier in the film might have made the late shift to romance in You’re Cordially Invited more paltable. When the pair are introduced to one another, there’s a quickly defined comedic rapport between the soft-spoken but profane Jim and the fierce Margot. This develops into a sympathetic empathy for one another at times, such as when Margot discovers Jim’s wife is ᴅᴇᴀᴅ or when when Jim feels guilty for the severity of his pranks. It keeps the characters emotionally grounded even as the comedy becomes weirder and wilder.

However, there’s little romantic tension between them before the third act. I like Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon’s performances in the movie, but You’re Cordially Invited doesn’t really need the romance. If the relationship had been teased more effectively earlier in the film, perhaps by having the pair interact more around their respective family conflicts or by having them previously know of each other. The reveal of Jim’s attraction is a funny gag, replaying otherwise intense comedic moments with a goofy smile, but it comes with little set-up and doesn’t feel as emotionally true as other beats.

You’re Cordially Invited Had To Use The Credits Scenes To Fulfill Its Rom-Com Genre Change

You’re Cordially Invited Didn’t Realize The Romcom Potential Of The Film Until The Very End

The actual romance story between Jim and Margot is reserved for the third act after both characters have more or less completed their personal arcs and improved their family relationships. The emotional arc of the film is done by the time the movie even addresses the pair as a romantic couple. The film then jumps ahead to showcase their happy relationship. Without the proper build-up, there’s no reason for the audience to root for their romance. Which is a shame, because Ferrell and Witherspoon display clear goofball chemistry together in the credits montage, which could have fueled more sparks earlier.

A version of You’re Cordially Invited that had a fully external antagonist to unite the two against may have been a way to push them together earlier, but that would have cost the film’s (pretty fun) willingness to turn both of its leads into terrible people for the sake of comedy. It might have even been better if the pair were only revealed to have just begun a romance after becoming friends, lessening the sudden nature of the romance. You’re Cordially Invited works really well as a comedy and character study, but I don’t think it’s great rom-com.