Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon are in a movie together? “Turn it on,” says every millennial in the room. Or at least that’s what they would have done if they had heard aboutYou’re Cordially Invited, an Amazon Prime original comedy released on August 17, 2025. From director Nicholas Stoller, who, as anyone born between the early 1980s and late 1990s should know, is one of our premiere millennial directors, with severalmovies in the same vein asYou’re Cordially Invited.Forgetting Sarah Marshallanyone?Neighborsanyone?Storksanyone? Maybe not that last one.
The film follows widowed father Jim (Ferrell), whose daughter Jenni (Geraldine Viswanathan) is marrying her boyfriend, Oliver (Stony Blyden), on Palmetto Island in Georgia. Parallelly, single LA TV producer Margot (Witherspoon) books Palmetto Island for her sister Neve (Meredith Hagner) and her fiancé Dixon’s (Jimmy Tatro) wedding. Naturally, the resort makes a mistake, and we have a weekend with two weddings trying to operate simultaneously, with Jim and Margot competing to ensure their family is happy. Not only isYou’re Cordially Invitedan underrated comedy, it’salso a core millennial movie.
Will Ferrell And Reese Witherspoon Are Millennial Royalty
Some Of The Best Movies Of The 2000s Star These Two
Nicholas Stoller alone is enough to makeYou’re Cordially Inviteda millennial movie, butit’s Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell who push it over the top into pure millennial territory. These actors, despite not being millennials themselves, have been key parts of many, my own included, millennial movie diets. Reese Witherspoon’s career from the 1990s to the 2000s is unimpeachable.Witherspoon’s roles include staplessuch as Elle Woods inLegally Blonde, Tracy Flick inElection, June Carter Cash inWalk the Line, and much more.
Every Celebrity Cameo in Prime Video’s You’re Cordially Invited
You’re Cordially Invited is the latest comedy to debut on Prime Video, and alongside its principal cast are a whole host of celebrity cameos.
She was one of the first actors I recognized as being “good”, as in, if I told my parents about a movie, I knew her name would carry weight when encouraging them to check it out. As for Will Ferrell,as a guy growing up in the 2000s, I likely absorbed way, way too much Ferrell-style humor. I used quips fromRon Burgundy inAnchormanso much that I’m sure people started to wonder if I just had the film on a loop back at home (I did).
You’re Cordially Invitedis the only collaboration between Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon besides the time Witherspoon hostedSNLin 2001.
FromOld SchooltoElftoBlades of GlorytoThe Other Guysand everything in between, Ferrell has dominated the millennial comedy era. Sure, Apatow,The Hangoverfilms, and Sandler have made notable inroads into comedy during this period, but Ferrell holds the crown. Even now, in the 2020s, his presence is a millennial call to action. Put him next to Reese Witherspoon? It’s a match made in flannel heaven.
You’re Cordially Invited Is More Worthwhile Than Critics Gave It Credit For
It’s A Light On Its Feet, Heartfelt Classic Comedy
Now for the elephant in the room, isYou’re Cordially Invitedactually any good? With a 46% onRotten Tomatoes, you might be bracing yourself for more straight-to-streaming slop that has sadly become the norm in the last ten years. I’m here to tell you it’s much better than that.While it’s noAnchorman,Sweet Home Alabama, or evenSemi-Pro, it’s still quite goodand exists on a plane higher than most recent comedies to come out. There is something just so easy aboutYou’re Cordially Invited.
It’s a joke machine with a cute, surprisingly moving story about trust and love.
It does not have anything in the way of a grand statement about life or serve as an allegory about some part of culture or society. It’s a joke machine with a cute, surprisingly moving story about trust and love. It’s an appropriately simple style of comedy that used to be more in vogue. Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon are also doing some of their best work in years. Ferrell avoids going too broad, which has upended some of his recent comedy movies likeSpiritedandHolmes & Watsonwhen it’s not called for.
It’s a performance more in line withEverything Must GoorThe Campaign, buthe still has his moments of outsized, Ferrell-style humor. Witherspoon is totally game for any and all comedy sequences, and she brings a gravity and hilarious straight-woman performance that works perfectly against Ferrell’s character. She has plenty of her own comic moments, too, and owns them as well as she ever does.
You’re Cordially Invited Will Leave A Greater Legacy Than Other Recent Comedies
Most Comedies Post-2015 Have Struggled To Leave An Impact
I thinkYou’re Cordially Invitedis going to hold up much better than similar comedy movies of the recent era. Comedy has been in a rough spot since the mid-2000s.Movies seem to be divided into giant blockbuster fare and tiny independent moviesthat can be made on the cheap. The best comedies operate in that middleground, however, because they don’t often make the huge amount of returns necessary to justify an MCU-sized movie, but the star-power often required to make comedies work requires a budget larger than independent films can afford.
Television still has some good comedies, but the movie landscape for the genre has been lacking.
So we’re stuck with cheaply and quickly made comedies that hit streaming or flail at the box office. Television still has some good comedies, but the movie landscape for the genre has been lacking.Hubie Halloween,Palm Springs,Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar, andSpiritedwere exciting movies when they were first announced, and some even turned out excellent, but they left little cultural footprint afterward.You’re Cordially Invitedhas a chance to age well, thanks to its relatable storylineand generational talents at the center.
Will Ferrell said aboutYou’re Cordially Invited(viaTheWrap),
“There’s a lot of laughs [in the film]. I’m not just saying that. A lot of laughs.”
Reese Witherspoon said about the film (viaHarpersBazaar),
“I think of opportunities to make movies and television shows that are joyful, optimistic, funny—just funny. I think about what I want to see on a Friday night, and while I can appreciate a true-crime show or a podcast, I really need some levity. I think the world is looking for a little brightness.”
Both Ferrell and Witherspoon point out the comedy and the happiness of the film, and it’s that adherence to strict, charming comedy that will ensure it lasts long.
The Supporting Cast Of You’re Cordially Invited Is Filled With The Next Generation Of Comedy Stars
Keyla Monterroso Mejia Is A Standout Up-And-Coming Talent
You’re Cordially Invitedis not just a two-person show either.The cast ofYou’re Cordially Invitedincludes some exceptional up-and-coming comedy stars. Geraldine Viswanathan has recently starred in comedy movies likeDrive-Away DollsandThe Beanie Bubble.Stony Blyden is a regular in comedy TV, with appearances inHow I Met Your Mother,Big Shots, andAmerican Born Chinese.
Keyla Monterroso Mejia appears in the cast as Heather, andMejia is having a big moment in comedy, with hilarious appearances inAbbott ElementaryandCurb Your Enthusiasm. While this generation of millennial actors inYou’re Cordially Invitedwill have to wait and see if they have careers of the magnitude of Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon, they can always be happy they had a role in this exceptional comedy.
