As we enter the all-you-can-eat blockbuster buffet this Summer, Olivia Wilde’s The Invite is the perfect amuse-bouche or palate cleanser for your movie menu.
Taking place over the course of one extremely eventful evening, the cracks in Joe and Angela’s marriage threaten to turn into inescapable chasms when Angela issues the titular invite to the enigmatic couple from upstairs to join them for a dinner party. Cue uncomfortable truths, shocking revelations, and an indecent proposal or two… After all, if your marriage is on the rocks, is the solution to get your rocks off?
Based on a Spanish film called Sentimental, aka The People Upstairs, Will McCormack and Rashida Jones’ adaptation is one of the sharpest and smartest screenplays in recent memory. They are the team behind the underseen and underrated 2012 gem Celeste & Jesse Forever, and the duo, once again, proves adept at delivering a fresh, grown-up look at the messiness of modern relationships and how people navigate the choppy, uncharted waters ahead.
The script consistently spits out zinger after zinger, at a hit rate arguably not seen since Airplane! It is genuinely, no hyperbole required, “laugh out loud” It also elicits tears of sadness amongst the constant tears of laughter, as it manages to walk that perfect tightrope between comedy and tragedy.
All of it provides the perfect fuel to ignite dynamite performances from this small but insanely talented ensemble. Every single actor, and there are only four of them, is operating at their highest level. Seth Rogen provides a comedic masterclass as the husband forced into a social interaction against his will, effortlessly raising the bar for hilarity as his frustrations rise throughout the evening. And his iconic laugh can cut through the tension like a knife through hundreds of dollars of cheese and “jamon”.
Penelope Cruz is the demure, deadpan assassin, whilst Norton surprises as “Hawk” flips between the farcical and sentimental. Delivering an unexpected monologue in the final act that pulls the (beautiful) rug from under everyone’s feet.
As good as everyone is, Olivia Wilde has to be the MVP. Not only does she deliver a career-best performance, but she is also pulling double duty as director. Impeccably staged and shot, it never feels theatrical, which can be a limitation when a film plays out entirely within one location. She uses inventive camerawork, framing, blocking and editing to generate propulsive cinematic momentum that keeps pace with the rapid-fire dialogue, and is enhanced by Devonte Hynes’s dynamic score.
In a Summer when audiences are normally bombarded by blockbusters full of questionable CGI and obtrusive needle drops, and endlessly workshopped by studio heads, it is so refreshing to experience a film that feels like the antithesis of all of that. Wilde’s decision to shoot on 35mm (which she apparently had to pay for herself) gives the film the look and feel of something produced at the high point of the counter-culture era.
This is one invite you must RSVP to immediately, and book a date with the funniest film of the year.
The Invite is in cinemas now
Rating: 
Director: Olivia Wilde
Stars: Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penelope Cruz, Edward Norton
Runtime: 107 minutes
Country: USA
