Four great actors under the same roof in one funny and gripping dark comedy.
We know marriages have their problems. We know relationships have their problems. And we don’t completely know if they can thrive over whatever happens. That’s what I’m sure you’ll acknowledge when you see “The Invite.”
This is Olivia Wilde’s third directing feature after the under-appreciated but brilliant teen comedy “Booksmart” and the mediocre “Matrix” of sorts period thriller “Don’t Worry Darling.” And I think she is talented as an actress and a filmmaker, who likes to tackle on various genres. And the screenplay by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack (both of whom collaborated on “Celeste and Jesse” and “Toy Story 4”), who were inspired by the Spanish comedy “The People Upstairs” as well as other movies like “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf,” “When Harry Met Sally,” and “Force Majeure.” So, there’s a strong sense of intensity and awkwardness that blends well with marriage problems. And it all keeps us watching.
Seth Rogen plays Joe, a former musician whose band failed in the past and now works as a music professor at a subpar school. And he rides his bike all the way through his San Francisco area to his apartment to find out that his wife Angela (Wilde) is setting up a platter of meat and cheeses-which she doesn’t want her husband to snack on-and baking a soufflé. That’s because she has invited their neighbors from their upstairs apartment over to dinner, and Joe is not amused by it. These two start arguing about how he didn’t read her text about picking up wine and how she has to buy a new carpet in order to make a good first impression on them.
They argue and argue, until their guests show up. That’s when Edward Norton as a former fireman and now masseuse with the nickname Hawk and Penelope Cruz his sexologist girlfriend Pina come over. They’re happy to see their “gracious” hosts. But then, more awkward moments and complications emerge within their night. Sometimes, it’s about sex, sometimes, it’s about cheese and champagne, sometimes, it’s about their occupations, and other times, it’s about what their windows unfold for them. I think we can agree pathos emerge within Joe and Angela’s marriage, and Rogen and Wilde are no strangers to bickering.
“The Invite” gets a little annoying with the obligatory awkward faces made here, but the honesty and attitude overshadows that and allows us to see how one night brings out the best and worst qualities of the characters. The guests have a good excuse for the noise they make upstairs, and the musician may have some talents left in him. I can’t jump to conclusions for the sake of spoiler alerts, but I can tell you that Wilde, Jones, and McCormack all know the stakes of a movie like this. It almost plays like a stage production where you’re in the same apartment with the kind of character development that you can sit through. They do say: “A lot can happen in one night.”
Rogen, Wilde, Cruz, and Norton all elevate the comedy and drama that speaks to the audience. Their dialogue often has the punch lines and the attitude to punch you in the face. They’re able to resonate with people with struggling marriages or eccentric people having their own methods of pleasure. So, take my advice, see “The Invite,” and you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.
There’s plenty of wine and cheese on the menu tonight. And if Jones and McCormack both say “Force Majeure” is one of their influences (which I heard at a NYC Q&A), then “The Invite” is miles and miles better than “Downhill.” You know that awful Julia Louis-Dreyfuss/Will Ferrell remake.
In Select Theaters This Friday
Expands on July 10