For her Sundance directorial debut, Olivia Wilde has delivered a witty, emotional punch to Park City with the world premiere of The Invite.
Also starring in the English language remake of Spanish filmmaker Cesc Gay’s The People Upstairs (2020), Wilde and Seth Rogen play a San Francisco couple who have a witty banter playing on the best of both actors’ comedic chops, while immediately establishing their bickering old married couple dynamic as stay-at-home mom Angela and music teacher Joe.
Following a rough day at work, Joe comes home to find Angie preparing for a fancy dinner with the couple upstairs, which she swears she told him about. While Angie is enamored with the effortlessly chic sex therapist Pina (Penélope Cruz) and jealous of her ability to achieve orgasms so frequently, Joe is annoyed by retired firefighter Hawk’s (Edward Norton) overly friendly nature and the couple’s “floor-shaking, animal fucking.”
As the evening progresses, the four learn more about each other, changing their entire perspective on sex and relationships.
Wilde and Rogen nail the comedic timing and lived-in tension of their miserable married couple who still holds somewhat of a flame that just needs a little fuel and a lot of communication. Their chemistry for banter sometimes feels like a tennis match of passive aggression, which director Wilde uses to escalate the tension at the most pleasantly unexpected times.
Meanwhile, Norton and Cruz offer the perfect antidote to the anxious energy with their disarming sexual humor. “We love a contentious environment,” Hawk assures them early on, as the uninhibited pair pushes their new friends out of their comfort zone.
Overall, the film explores dynamics of sex and relationships with raw and endearing honesty, as a once-head-over-heels couple blows up their marriage in the course of one dinner, and maybe attempts to repair it again.
Adam Newport-Berra’s beautiful cinematography makes use of the most everyday of spaces with an intimate eye that feels as if looking at an old cherished photo of these characters, wondering what they’re thinking.
Coming off the polarizing reception to her last directorial outing, Don’t Worry Darling, Wilde’s newest work more than makes up for any gripes with the sci-fi period piece, exploring the same themes of relationships and needing to feel valued, but with a presumably more manageable budget.
Dedicated to Diane Keaton, The Invite would likely make the late star proud, echoing the neurotic nature of love and relationships, which the beloved writer, director and actress captured so timelessly in films like Annie Hall and Something’s Gotta Give.
Producers are David Permut, Ben Browning and Megan Ellison, with executive producers Saul Germaine, Patrick Chu, Shayne Fiske Goldner, Glen Basner, Andy Kim, Alex G. Scott and Alex Astrachan.
Title: The Invite
Festival: Sundance (Premieres)
Director: Olivia Wilde
Screenwriters: Will McCormack and Rashida Jones
Cast: Seth Rogen, Olivia Wilde, Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton
Sales agent: UTA Independent Film Group & FilmNation
Running time: 1 hr 47 min
