The following contains spoilers for You’re Cordially Invited, now streaming on Prime VideoYou’re Cordially Invitedis a generally sweet comedy that takes on a surprising romantic element late in the movie. The film, directed and written by Nicholas Stoller, focuses on two weddings that end up booked at the same location at the same time. Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon lead the cast ofYou’re Cordially Invited, playing the two people planning the wedding. Jim’s efforts to give his daughter Jenni a perfect weekend clashes with Margot’s attempts to do the same for her younger sister Neve, leading the pair into an escalating level of comedic conflict.
Underneath the alligator attacks and goofy sabotage is a surprisingly sweet movie that underscores how the differing dramas in both Margot and Jim’s lives can be settled through the same principle. This givesYou’re Cordially Invitedroom to develop a surprisingly consistent moral that improves both characters and the lives of those within their respective orbits. It also sets up the film to take a surprising romantic twist that initially seemed impossible, allowing both families to come together in an unexpected way in the Reese Witherspoon andWill Ferrell comedy movie.
Jim & Margot’s Romantic Twist Explained
You’re Cordially InvitedTakes A Surprising Romantic Turn
Jim and Margot are enemies for most ofYou’re Cordially Invited, butthe third act of the film actually pushes them in a surprisingly sweet romance. Both Jim and Margot are portrayed as fundamentally lonely people in their respective lives, albeit for different reasons. While Jim has never fully gotten over his long-deceased wife, Margot’s commitment to her work has isolated her from the rest of her friends and family. This is partly why both characters throw themselves so fully into helping their only clear loved ones, and why they become so obsessed with ensuring they have a perfect wedding.
However, that obsession leads to conflict between the pair, which Jenni and Neve both comment on. Eventually, Jenni spells it out for Margot that her father is attracted to her, which explains a certain level of obsession over her and her actions. Confronted with this and her own acknowledgment of Jim’s better qualities, Margot admits her own attraction to him.This leads to a kiss between the pair at the end of the filmand a subsequent relationship that the credits scenes suggest will eventually lead to marriage (even if Margot is happy to skip the wedding itself).
What Happens To You’re Cordially Invited’s Newlyweds
The Two Weddings At The Core OfYou’re Cordially InvitedBoth Get Happy Endings
At the heart ofYou’re Cordially Invitedis two weddings. One of them is between Neve and Dixon, while the other is between Jenni and Oliver. Both couples face some level of scrutiny from their respective families, however. Neve fears that her family looks down on Dixon, and won’t support her secret pregnancy. Meanwhile, Jim is concerned that recent college grads Jenni and Oliver are far too young to be getting married. While both weddings do happen and both couples are still together by the end of the film,Jenni and Oliver’s marriage takes a sudden somber turn.
Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon have never collaborated on a film beforeYou’re Cordially Together.
Led to believe that Oliver is cheating on Jenni by a mistaken Margot, Jim accidentally sets off a chain of events that forces the couple to reevaluate their marriage. Although they ultimately remain together romantically, the pair have the wedding annulled once they leave the island. Meanwhile,Neve and Dixon overcome their own hangupsand the problems caused by Jim to enjoy their chaotic wedding. They are later shown with a baby, happily embraced by their family as a whole. Overall,You’re Cordially Invitedgives everyone a happy ending.
Why Jim Is So Focused On His Daughter Jenni & How Margot Changes It
Jim And Jenni Became Extra Close After A Major Family Loss
Jim spends much ofYou’re Cordially Inviteddoing everything he can to provide for his daughter, and openly considers her to be the most important person in his life. His obsession with her happiness stems from his desire to spare her any more emotional painafter being forced to tell her about the death of her motherwhen she was a child. However, despite his altruistic motivations, Jim’s obsession with his daughter’s happiness has left him blind to the uncomfortable nature of their closeness as well as the impact it is having on her life.
In this sense, Margot becomes an important figure to Jenni before she bonds with Jim.
During a conversation between Margot and Jenni one night,Jenni admits that Jim can be overwhelming. So much of his happiness is based on her own happiness, meaning she can’t be honest about her internal pain or personal strife without risking his emotions in the process. Margot offers her advice about creating boundaries with Jim, which Jenni takes to heart. Although she initially lashes out with this perspective out of anger of Jim’s actions during the wedding, she and her father eventually talk it out. In this sense, Margot becomes an important figure to Jenni before she bonds with Jim.
How Margot’s Big Family Drama Directly Reflects Jim & Jenni
Family Conflicts Are At The Heart OfYou’re Cordially Invited
In direct contrast to Jim and Jenni’s close relationship, Margot is shown to have become increasingly estranged from her own family. Her mother bickers with her at every chance, and Margot quickly ends up arguing with two of her siblings. Her only concrete family connection is with Neve, which is challenged by Margot’s behavior during the wedding. However, it’s shown that Margot is saddened by this turn of events. Margot confronts her family about feeling left out of their lives and feeling alone when she’s with them, directly calling her mother out for failing to reach out to her.
Reese Witherspoon’s 10 Best Movies, Ranked
From her iconic role as Elle Woods to her Oscar win for Walk the Line, Reese Witherspoon has proved herself one of the best actresses working today.
In response, Margot’s mother points out that Margot has also allowed the relationship to reach that point. After Neve and Dixon’s wedding, Margot’s mother admits she carried on the tensions she had with her own mother and forced them onto Margot, with the pair finally working on repairing their relationship. Their honesty plays a key role in the climax of the film, as it helps inspire Jim to follow their example and open up to his daughter. While Margot’s larger family is more troubled on the surface, they grow in the same way that Jim and Jenni do.
The True Meaning Of You’re Cordially Invited
Honesty Is The Key To Healthy Relationships, Even In Goofy Romantic Comedies
You’re Cordially Invitedreinforces the importance of honesty and boundaries in relationships, whether they be romantic or familial. In both Margot and Jim’s lives, their relationships are complicated by false assurances. They believe in their own perspectives on their loved ones, whether they be unrelentingly positive or deeply critical. In both cases, Jim and Margot are forced to reckon with their mistakes. However, both also make peace with their respective families by being vulnerable and honest, allowing them to come together again. This is why both families are presented in a much better light by the end of the film.
This is also the key to Jim and Margot’s relationship. Neither character initially seems to be aware of their attraction to the other and instead focuses on their desire to one-up each other. However, both characters are also shown to be capable of overcoming their personal hang-ups and can be actually honest with one another. When they do so, they also reflect on their chemistry and end up romantically attached. This reinforces the positive impact that honesty can have in relationships, with all ofYou’re Cordially Invited’s connections improved by this decision.
