The Invite

Have we just gotten the best comedy of the year? Olivia Wilde, what are you doing?!

The Invite tells the story of Joe and Angela, a married couple who have been going through a rough… few years. Joe is a music professor at a conservatory, Angela is a housewife, and the spark between them has long since disappeared. All that remains is Joe, a neurotic man who constantly complains about everything, and Angela, who is desperately trying to be perfect and keep everything under control. One evening, Angela invites their neighbours, Pína and Hawk, over for dinner. This is something Joe absolutely doesn’t want, considering he has an endless list of complaints about them, most of which are connected to their extremely loud sex life. Joe and Angela are already somewhere in the middle of a massive argument when their neighbours arrive and immediately bring a completely different energy into the room. Their openness and brutal honesty become a direct challenge to everything Joe and Angela have built their marriage around. What Joe and Angela don’t know is that Pine and Hawk haven’t come over simply for dinner — they have their own agenda.

At its core, The Invite is an incredibly simple film. There are only four actors. Apart from the opening moments, nobody else ever appears on screen. Almost the entire film takes place inside a single apartment. Yet Olivia Wilde uses those limitations to their absolute maximum because The Invite is a delight.

I’m not the most outwardly emotional person when it comes to movies. I rarely cry and I rarely laugh, even though I experience plenty of emotions internally. During this film, I was laughing out loud. It was one of those rare press screenings where I could hear the entire room losing it at what was happening on screen.

Wilde manages to take the story of a dysfunctional couple worn down by life, disappointment, and failed expectations and turn it into something so engaging, so lively, and so consistently funny that watching the film feels like one long stretch of pure enjoyment. At the same time, the film constantly pushes its audience into uncomfortable territory. Sometimes it feels like you are seeing too much, hearing too much, or witnessing conversations that are too intimate and too detailed. Yet those small moments gradually build into something much larger, culminating in a powerful emotional payoff for both couples.

The Invite almost feels like a strange variation of a reality show such as Big Brother, where people are trapped in a confined space and forced to confront their romantic relationships, desires, and frustrations. At the same time, it works as a sharp commentary on modern marriage and the way people sometimes outgrow one another, become afraid of difficult conversations, or get so attached to familiar routines that they stop being honest with their partners and themselves. It is also a film about those who keep pretending everything is fine long after the cracks have already appeared.

A huge part of why the film works so well is the cast. Seth Rogen, Olivia Wilde, Penélope Cruz, and Edward Norton are phenomenal here. They practically bounce off the walls with how good they are, and the chemistry between all four performers is what keeps every scene alive.

The Invite is a smart, genuinely funny comedy for adults. It is the kind of film you are happy to recommend and the kind that leaves behind an incredibly pleasant feeling once it is over. It is also one of those rare movies that makes you want to revisit it simply to spend more time in its atmosphere. Right now, I consider this Olivia Wilde's best directorial effort and an absolute must-watch of the year.

9/10

Thanks to Monolith Films for the press screening. The film is going into theaters globally in July.