THE INVITE

The Invite is a laugh out loud extravaganza from director Olivia Wilde featuring powerhouse performances from herself, Seth Rogen, Edward Norton and Penélope Cruz that not only ensures one of the wildest films of the year, but when combined with an engaging screenplay that explores adult relationships with such a raw honesty, makes for pure cinema and cements itself as one of the year’s best films!

It is not uncommon for foreign films to be remade in the English language for North American audiences, starring some of the biggest actors in the business hoping to strike gold with a story that has already played well overseas. But it is not often that the English language remake is the fifth remake of that film, but that is the case with Olivia Wilde’s third film The Invite. Based on Cesc Gay's stage play and originally adapted for the screen as The People Upstairs in 2020, the original Spanish film has since been remade in Italy, Switzerland, France and South Korea, and it is immediately evident why. The simple narrative premise and chamber drama story that the screenplay is built around lends to itself to not only a wildly entertaining watch for audiences, but a rich delight for actors with the situation the characters find themselves in and the ideas explored in the story giving lots of material for them to explore in their performances. Armed with a cast led by Seth Rogen, Wilde herself, Edward Norton and Penélope Cruz, and a brilliant screenplay from Rashida Jones and Will McCormack, not only is Wilde’s third film an utterly hilarious and insightful exploration of relationships, intimacy and communication, it is impeccably acted and crafted throughout making it unequivocally one of the best films of the year.

Within minutes of the film beginning, Jones and McCormack infuse their screenplay with an uneasy tension between Wilde’s Angela and Rogen’s Joe as they fight about the dinner party that Joe believes Angela just sprung on him. The fracturing of their marriage is evident without it having to be addressed head on, and it only escalates from there as Pína and Hawk arrive for dinner. There is a clashing of personalities, unexpected connections between the couples, and secrets being divulged that drive the story to where audiences are expecting it to go based on what little they know of Pína and Hawk from Angela and Joe’s conversations about them. Jones and McCormack lean heavily into the comedic moments of the situation, ensuring there is no shortage of laughter as the outrageous and wild conversations are had between the two couples that will leave movie theatres erupting in constant laughter. It’s nonstop entertainment with the explosive script they have concocted, not only giving the quartet of actors outstanding material to build the comedic aspects of their performances around, but lots of memorable moments that will have audiences dying of laughter.

But, what makes Jones and McCormack’s screenplay a true winner is the lengths it pushes these characters to. As each character begins to divulge secrets, there is a raw vulnerability hiding underneath the hilarity of their interactions that takes over the film as each of the four characters begins to reflect on who they are as individuals and where they are in life. Exploring self regrets, communication or the lack of in relationships, and what love means through both couples and contrasting the differences between Angela and Joe’s relationship and Pína and Hawk’s, Jones and McCormack are able to create a tender relationship drama that speaks to adult viewers and gives emotional depth to the characters. By doing so, the comedic moments not pack a harder punch as it's more than just a one liner being hurled out into the dinner party conversation, but a cry for attention that speaks to each character’s internal struggle. It’s not an easy task to pull off, balancing the intricate character study with the outrageous comedic moments of the script, but Jones and McCormack do so with such ease and brilliance that it solidifies their screenplay as one of the year’s best!

While the screenplay builds the solid foundation for the film, it is the quartet ensemble of The Invite that infuses the entire film with a propulsive energy that creates an unforgettable dinner party. Not only does the entire cast deliver exceptional performances that rank among the year’s best performances to date, but every single one of them delivers awards worthy work that hopefully won’t be forgotten by the end of the year. Rogen utilizes his impeccable comedic timing to capture the destructive spiral that Joe is on as he quarrels with Angela by throwing sarcastic and uncomfortable remarks into the dinner party conversation like they are hand grenades, and in doing so he delivers some of the film’s most hilarious moments. But at the same time, the bottled up pain Rogen lets simmer beneath the surface of Joe allows for a powerful final act where Rogen gets to flex his dramatic talents as an actor and reminds audiences that there is a great dramatic actor beneath his comedy routine. Wilde’s energetic portrayal of Angela is wildly entertaining, building the control freak of the character that is in overdrive as she tries to impress her neighbours and apologize for the noise of her and Joe’s apartment renovations, going to extreme lengths which reflects Angela’s desire for human connection that her marriage is not giving her. It’s an exhilarating performance from Wilde that creates one of her best to date, all the more impressive with her pulling double duty on this film as director.

Cruz is a spitfire as Pína, blending a playful yet seductive aurora to create an enigma in Pína to build the layers to her character. It has hallmarks of the passion and fire that has made Cruz a celebrated actress over the decades, but Cruz is simply on an entirely other level here which makes her performance here one of her best in recent years. Norton, ever the eccentric, captures a peculiarity in Hawk of a man of refined taste and an eye for design and decorating that creates the most even keeled character of the quartet, but one with a mystery as you never know what surprise skill or personal trait Hawk will reveal next. Though, the excellence does not only lie in their individual performances, but also in the way Wilde, Rogen, Norton and Cruz build the dynamic between themselves which only adds fuel to the chaos unfolding on screen, ensuring that audiences will be hanging on every line of dialogue and reaction from them the entire film.

Being locked in a single location can be challenging to create a dynamic film, but Wilde not only does that with an apparent ease, but her direction makes The Invite one of the most engaging theatrical experiences of the year. With fluid camera work that weaves throughout Angela and Joe’s apartment following the two couples over the course of the dinner party, the apartment itself begins to feel like a fifth character in the story. The shots through the windows looking into other rooms in the apartment or up to Pína and Hawk’s apartment tease the secrets hidden by the characters, while the production design of the different rooms captures both Angela and Joe’s personalities and the divergence between them as individuals. It helps that the apartment is one large set, allowing an interaction to unfold between the cast and their environment that creates an authenticity in their movements and prevents the chemistry between the actors from being cut short, that can’t be captured by editing together shots from different sets. Pulling it all together is Devonté Hynes’ musical score, weaponizing orchestral strings against the audience to intensify the palpable tension between the characters that complements the ever mounting chaos of Jones and McCormack’s screenplay. It’s all carefully pieced together by Wilde’s direction, delivering what is not only easily her best film to date, but the best showcase of her abilities as a director and confirming her as one of the most exciting actors turned director working today.

Roaring with laughter from start to finish, and surprisingly deep in its exploration of its characters while grappling with themes of intimacy, communication and love thanks to the excellent adapted screenplay by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack, Olive Wilde not only masterfully directs The Invite to turn this single location chamber drama into one of the most invigorating cinematic rides you’ll find this year, but with the powerhouse performances from Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen, Edward Norton and Penélope Cruz leading the film, The Invite is nothing short of a marvelous cinematic experience that ranks among the year’s best films!