Nothing brings out a couple’s dysfunction like a dinner party. Olivia Wilde’s The Invite is a comedy of manners, until it’s not.
Seth Rogen and Olivia Wilde play a couple stuck in silos of resentment, mourning the lives they could be living, whose interactions play out like water about to boil. Their guests, Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton, radiate a Bohemian self-assurance, smugly at peace with themselves in exactly the way their hosts are not.
Preparation for the party kicks off the pressure cooker of a night. Wilde’s Angela wants everything perfect and impressive, while Rogen’s Joe would rather be real, threatening to burst her bubble by airing their grievances with the neighbors. It makes for some genuinely funny fights.
When neighbors Hawk and Pina arrive, the gap between the two couples becomes crystal clear. Weed, Xanax, and alcohol loosen Joe and Angela up. But in the tight quarters of the apartment, there’s no escaping the tension. It ratchets higher with every truth that spills out. The dialogue overlaps and crashes into itself in a way that feels startlingly real. These scenes alone should be in the Best Editing conversation.
The cast is impeccable, with Rogen, Norton, and Cruz playing characters they seem born to play. But top marks go to Wilde, who carries much of the weight. Her ability to hold a fake smile while radiating contempt for her husband, then let us glimpse the desperate monologue running underneath, makes for a stellar performance.
The Invite finds a new way to stress-test a relationship and show us the cracks underneath. Add a score of haunting violins and cellos, and you’ve got a darkly comedic gem.
8.5 stars
Jim Chandler is a charter member of the Music City Film Critics Association and host on the Untitled Film Project Podcast. He’s spent his career creating and commenting on culture through media, including radio, web, and social. Follow Jim on socials @jimchandlernow
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