In The Invite, Olivia Wilde and Seth Rogen are married and hate each other, but that doesn’t stop them from inviting the strange (and sexually noisy) upstairs neighbors (Ed Norton and Penelope Cruz) over for dinner, because who wouldn’t want to meet the couple that goes at it hard every night. But that’s not what the film’s title is about.
Hilarious, awkward, cringey, and surprisingly poignant, The Invite—which is also directed by Wilde—is pitch perfect.
Without a single moment or beat wasted, Wilde takes audiences for a wild and uncomfortable ride, thrusting strong personalities at each other amongst a highly combustible and charged atmosphere. Wilde nails every second with a seductive mix of sharp writing, superb acting, and a tendency to dig deeper when shit hits the fan.
The Invite features Wilde’s best performance of her career, who elevates the material with a spot-on comedic performance and the best facial acting I’ve seen in some time. Rogen, too, is at the top of his game as he delivers some of the funniest comedic moments of the film. “Me, too?”
Norton and Cruz are also great, with Norton especially flexing his muscles in nuanced and amusing ways. Norton has always been one of my favorite actors; he absolutely delivers here, even if the performance is one that doesn’t jump out at you in ordinary ways.
The Invite is funny as hell, but its affecting moments land too. While it could have worked as a straight comedy, the movie miraculously shifts on a dime, going from laugh-out-loud hilarity to raw drama in a matter of seconds. Comedies don’t often blend drama well, but Olivia and screenwriters Will McCormack and Rashida Jones (adapting from a Spanish film named Sentimental/The People Upstairs) make it all work seamlessly.
I (a divorced man, with child) watched the movie with my girlfriend (divorced, with child) and another friend (divorced, with children); The Invite hit hard for me in all the right ways. Wilde stacks the deck and then lets her house of cards collapse in one epic and emotionally riveting scene that tears apart everything, every moment of anxious build-up, every futile effort to embrace something new and exciting and distracting from the reality of your life, wiped away in a release that is oddly and utterly relieving.
The Invite is a stellar comedy. It’s also a searing examination of stalled relationships, awkward interactions, and accepting the ending and beginning of relationships. It’s a must see.
Review by Erik Samdahl. Erik is a marketing and technology executive by day, avid movie lover by night. He is a member of the Seattle Film Critics Society.