The Invite review – Come as you are

Believe it or not, this time of year at the movies isn’t just about superheroes, sequels, explosive action and live-action Disney princesses. There’s still grounded fare out there for grown-ups, with first prize being those pieces of cinema that don’t sacrifice entertainment value in the course of delivering their more serious explorations.

Case in point: new comedy drama The Invite. Not to be confused with the 2022 horror film The Invitation, The Invite is an American remake of 2020 Spanish film The People Upstairs. With the likes of Annapurna Pictures and FilmNation producing, while A24 handles distribution duties (in North America at least), The Invite also sees a handful of performers demonstrate their behind-the-camera prowess. First up is Olivia Wilde, who not only stars in the film – alongside Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton – but also directs, making The Invite her third helmed project, following acclaimed teen comedy Booksmart and feminist thriller Don’t Worry Darling. On screenplay duties, meanwhile, are comedic actors Will McCormack and Rashida Jones.

In The Invite, discontented music professor Joe (Rogen) arrives home to find that his highly strung wife Angela (Wilde) is staging a dinner party for their charismatic upstairs neighbours Piña (Cruz) and Hawk (Norton). Absolutely not in the mood, and after yet another argument with Angela, Joe is resolved to confront the couple about their noisy sexual escapades. That, however, opens the door to an unexpected proposition, and a dominoing set of revelations both comical and dramatic.

Before the opening credits even roll on The Invite, trailers for National Theatre Live productions, and various home-grown domestic dramas provide a sense of what the audience can expect. With the film predominantly confined to one San Francisco apartment, and the speaking cast capped at four, The Invite feels strongly like it began life as a stage show (which The People Upstairs did). And yet, with cinematic flair from Wilde, and commanding performances to steer the narrative in various unanticipated directions, The Invite has definite onscreen energy. It never feels like someone has just plopped a camera down in the front row of a play to capture the scripted action.

Barring an obtrusive soundtrack that dials up every time Joe and Angela start fighting, there’s an authenticity, a naturalism, to The Invite. The film is especially successful in capturing the awkwardness and discomfort of hosting people that you don’t know; the casual lies and casting aside of rigid domestic rules – like not wearing shoes inside – to appear as gracious hosts.

At the same time, as the film progresses, realism starts seeping through elsewhere. With their calm, cool exterior, Piña and Hawk could simply have been plot devices that drive Joe and Angela to realisations about their fracturing marriage, and how their inner torment has found an outlet in resentment towards one another. They serve that function, of course, yet the bohemian couple have their own relatable issues, which The Invite doesn’t neglect.

After already stealing every scene she appeared in in The Bride! earlier this year, Cruz is lightning again here: electric, unpredictable and enlightened. While everyone does strong work, with each character enjoying sobering, insightful moments that punch out the blue, another standout in the cast is Rogen. Joe’s frank, often antagonistic quips are double-edged in reality, resulting in a darker and meatier turn for a performer who built his name on slacker comedies.   

It’s just one more surprise in a dialogue- and performance-driven film loaded with unpredictability. While it might not have enough big screen bombast to tempt some into cinemas, The Invite is a sharp, adult-orientated experience worth watching when it crosses your path.

The Invite is in cinemas now, having released in South Africa on 24 July.