Remember when Hollywood studios used to make comedies? And you could go to the movie theater and laugh at them with a roomful of strangers?That was neat.It would have been nice to watchYoure Cordially Invitedthat way. Its a funny movie. A couple of the laughs are really big; the kind where, in a theater, people wouldscream and yell so muchthat you wouldnt be able to hear the next couple lines.You dont hear that sound much anymore.Beggars cant be choosers, I suppose. I guess I should just be happy the movie exists at all; that people cansee it on Prime Video and laugh alone or with a couple of friends. Its certainly still worth watching at home. (If youve already got Amazon Prime, you cant beat the price.)Its got two bona fide comedy stars, Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon, whove never made a movie together before but turn out to be an extremely complementaryonscreen duo: Ferrell with his towering beta energy, and Witherspoon as the tiny alpha refusing to give an inch to his absurd demands and claims of superiority.With their odd couple physicality, theyre like an old fashioned comedy duo; an ideal visual mismatch.AmazonAmazonloading...READ MORE:Our Interview WIth Youre Cordially Invited Director Nicholas StollerIts fitting, then, that Ferrell and Witherspoon have been plucked down into a classic screwballcomedy premise. Ferrells Jim is the doting single dad of Jenni (Geraldine Viswanathan), a free-spirited young woman who decides to marry her boyfriendOliver (Stony Blyden). Jims picturebelongs onWikipediashelicopter parent page; hes on tilt from the moment he learns his babys moving out for good. Hethinks hes reserved the picturesque island getaway where he married Jennis mother many years earlier for her nuptials but a snafu leavestheir names out ofthe venues calendar. So when Witherspoons Margot agrees to plan her sister Neves (Meredith Hagner) wedding to exotic dancerDixon(Jimmy Tatro), she grabs the date Jim thinkshesJennis best friend takes over the rest ofher wedding planning, and shes not entirely on the ball, which is how both parties arrive for their weddings at the same time each believing they are entitled to the same cramped space. Margot works in reality television and shes just as intense as Jim. They each try to play nice for a bit, and agree to share the tiny inn andits limited optionsfor the two wedding ceremonies and receptions. But what would the movie be if everyone got along? Instead, tensions rise untilJim and Margot are flinging profanities and the occasional wild animal at one another.AmazonAmazonloading...On the one hand, the extremes Jim andMargot go to in order to screw witheach other are absolutely ridiculous. (I was not kidding about the wild animal thing.) On the other hand, I have seen real people lose their minds while stewing inthe pressure cookerofa lavish destination wedding. And even if some of what happens inYoure Cordially Invitedisfar fetched, its no more ludicrous than the more fancifultwists in other Ferrell comedies.And thats how Ferrell plays Youre Cordially Invited. Jim is a classic Will Ferrell character; a sweet soul with a limitless capacity for outrage and fury at anyperceived slight or injustice. Writer/director Nicholas Stoller (Forgetting Sarah Marshall,Neighbors) gives Ferrell plenty of room to improvise and goof around and a surprisingly game scene partner in Witherspoon, who emerges ashisfeistiest female co-star since Christina Applegate in theAnchorman films.Witherspoon also has a whole chunk of the movieto herself, where she explores Margots family history witha deep cast of supporting players, including the wonderful Celia Weston as Margots perpetually disappointed, politely disagreeable mother.AmazonAmazonloading...This is not a complicated movie, although based on how rarely Hollywood even attempts to make something likeit these days, youd think that it were. Stollercooked up a solid premise, assembled a funny cast, gave them some good scenes to play and lines to deliver, and let them do their thing. Ferrell looks rejuvenated here, giving possibly his funniest performance in years. (His line where he reveals Jims job is possibly the hardest Ive laughed at any movie sinceBarb and Star Go to Vista Del Marin 2021.) I saypossibly because without having seen this movie with a packed crowd on opening night, its tough to know for sure.RATING: 7/10Get our free mobile appThe Worst Comedies Ever MadeCinema has brought laughter to generations of moviegoers. In these cases, though, the laughs were on the paying customers.