An Invitation to the Opera (in Film)
The use of L’taliana in Algeri for comedic effect in the film "You're Cordially Invited"
On January 30, 2025 Prime Video released the film “You’re Cordially Invited”. If you’ve already paid for your annual subscription, might as well use it for what’s already available…
Produced by Amazon MGM Studios, here’s their synopsis: When two weddings are accidentally booked on the same day at the same venue, each bridal party is challenged with preserving their family's special moment. In a hilarious battle of determination, the father of one bride (Will Ferrell) and the sister of the other bride (Reese Witherspoon) chaotically go head-to-head as they stop at nothing to uphold an unforgettable celebration for their loved ones.
Optioned in July 2022, the film was in production Summer 2023, and completed March 2024. The timeline of when a film actually gets distributed to the public is always a curious and complex structure to me. But with streaming, does it ever matter? When does the publicity cycle hit most? Perhaps research suggests audiences look for good weather comedies in the winter to buoy their spirits. Maybe six months of market research landed this into the holiday and awards season window, which would have buried the release.
My quick review of the film: I ate it up! Yes, it’s more entertaining than it is art, but this opiate for the masses has heart and comedy with smarts! As a decades-long fan of both Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell, I’m game for any physical comedy with them, or even their incredible delivery of lines. The supporting characters are written so well and the abusrdity continues with great pacing and direction by Nicholas Stoller. However, what set me over the edge was the music supervision!
The tone is set in a nice, gentle buoyancy as the film opens with Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely”. During the publicity cycle, Billboard picked up an article about this.
It’s a dual weddings movie, so there are plenty of songs to enjoy during receptions. If you’d like, The Wrap created its own playlist inspired by the soundtrack.
You can definitely sway me by smartly weaving pop songs and original music from composers underscoring dialogue in a film. “You’re Cordially Invited” is a comedy. It’s absurd, larger-than-life. It is ripe for opera! The chef’s kiss of the film is the music supervising team of Manish Raval and Tom Wolfe incorporating opera in the scoring.
Upon first screening, I left with glee when the father of the bride and sister of the other bride walk to check into the hotel. Why? Because the Act I Finale from Rossini’s L’italiana in Algeri begins.
For those who know, this opera, which premiered in 1813 is the epitome of Italian bel canto and absurdist humor. There are moments of incredible refined singing, but after the exposition of the story, the Act I Finale really shows the unraveling of the entire situation into chaos. Even so much that the music gives way to onomatopoeia (ding-ding, tac-tac, crac-crac, boom-boom) rather than actual Italian words!
In 2000, I was in the chorus of a wonderful production in Philadelphia, which starred the amazing mezzo Stephanie Blythe in the title role, tenor Juan Diego Flórez, in his USA professional operative debut, bass Arthur Woodley. It was such hilarious fun that it is still to this day my favorite comedic opera - compositionally-speaking. There are a lot of problems in the inherent exoticism of the time that makes it a bit problematic in many productions.
Raval and Wolfe sprinkle short pieces from this opera during moments to indicate when the madcap chaos is about to begin in the film. It also acts a bit as a commentary with the operatic absurdity.
Here’s a full playlist from the film that includes the customary pop songs and music written for the film as well as other opera excerpts. This includes other operatic chestnuts from Rigoletto, Il barbiere di Siviglia, La traviata, Die Zauberflöte, L’elisir d’amore, and A Little Night Music. (Yeah, I wrote it. Sondheim is an opera composer. Fight me.)
QUESTION: What other films use operatic music as incidental music like this?
Here’s the full finale of L’italiana in Algeri from a Metropolitan Opera performance featuring the great Marilyn Horne and Spiro Malas.