If you are looking for the sharpest, most uncomfortable, and flat-out hilarious dinner party since Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? look no further that director Olivia Wilde’s The Invite. It is a high-wire act of social satire that proves some invitations are better left unanswered, but for the audience, it is the hottest invite of the year at the cinema. It’s an often hilarious and biting satire on married life, and the power of sex ahd secrets that lie in apartment living.
The Invite is a loose re-telling of Cesc Gay’s Sentimental, an extremely argumentative and unhappy couple invite the mysteriously saucy couple from upstairs in for meat, cheese and wine. As the four get to know each other the wine is flowing, the weed is being smoked and the big reveal of the plot starts to really kick things off that reveal just how incredibly deeply unhappy the married couple is and how opening themselves up to other people might actually be the key to saving their family.
The casting here is nothing short of miraculous. Seth Rogen is perfectly cast as the cynical, world-weary husband. Dressed in an oversized cardi, glasses and riding a foldable e-bike, the “grungy professor” vibe suits him perfectly here. We have seen Rogen do “stoner-plus” for years, but this may genuinely be his best role to date. He brings a grounded, suburban exhaustion that makes his eventual snapping point feel both earned and hysterical. He doesn’t forget his comedic bones and his bitins, snarling and general distain for other people plays well against Olivie Wilde who is a people pleasing life of the party partner desperate for any kind of human connection outside of their apartment walls. Here Wilde is both leading lady and director, and the blend of the both are balanced perfectly.
Across the table, we have the neighbours from hell (or perhaps heaven, depending on your outlook). Penélope Cruz is breathtakingly good as Pina. She is incredibly sexy, carrying herself with a magnetic confidence that proves she knows exactly how to play to the camera. Every smoldering look and sharp-tongued retort hits like a freight train. Her unblinking confidence in who she is, what she wants and wanting to get it shines through each scene. There are moments in her scenes with Rogen where the facade fades and her softer side comes out.
Then there is Edward Norton, who is absolutely unhinged. It is clear he is having the time of his life playing a character who has zero boundaries and even less shame. Watching him bounce off Rogen’s deadpan misery is a comedic highlight of this film and potentially Norton’s career.
Wilde is firing on all cylinders here, she is doing her best to make you forget all about Don’t Worry Darling, the feeling of extreme caustrophobia in this apartment, while the space is quite large, the consistent fighting and “nowhere to hide” as the fights get bigger and the tension grows is completely perfect. The sense of humour to just throw out outrageous honesty in what would normally be quite a reserved and polite minding your social p and q’s is what creates a lot of the comedy here. Through all of the intense fighting and some tender moments, the script never forgets that it is a comedy and balances both masterfully.
The Invite is unapologetically hilarious, it holds nothing back as it explores the sex lives of this married couple who have clearly reached their breaking point. Wilde completely redeems herself as director (and actor!) here, getting career defining performances from the other three actors involved, delivering the wildest and biggest rollecoaster ride at the cinema this year.
