The latest directorial effort from Olivia Wilde (“Booksmart,” “Don’t Worry, Darling”) pulls off, with great success, something that few recent films with similar pedigrees — smaller, successful distributor; A-list cast; hybrid genre — have managed to muster: actual humor amidst emotional stakes.
It helps that Wilde helmed one of the best, if underrated, teen comedies of the last 10 years — 2019’s “Booksmart” deftly maneuvered through teen angst and friendship dynamics, leaving room for both absurdist sequences and genuine pathos. Wilde does the same with “The Invite,” albeit with adults (who are just grown teens anyway) navigating their own ways forward.
Helping, too, is the sublime cast of Seth Rogen, Edward Norton, Penélope Cruz and Wilde herself. They’re given the gift of a script written by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack, and not one word is wasted.
The film unfolds with Joe (Rogen) laboriously biking home from what we can tell is an unsatisfying job as a music instructor. Upon arrival, his wife, Angela (Wilde), eventually informs him (although the context clues are pretty evident) that company is coming. Via split screen, we’ve already seen her day as she shopped for groceries, unrolled a new carpet for the living room, assembled a massive charcuterie board and baked a soufflé. (That he has trouble moving while she can’t seem to stop is not accidental.)
The imminent guests are their upstairs neighbors, Pina (Cruz) and the hilariously-named-until-it’s-not Hawk (Norton). There’s been recent tension between the two couples (Joe and Angela with aggressive remodeling, Pina and Hawk with aspirationally zealous sex), and they’re looking to clear the air, maybe, and become friendly. What develops is a thoughtful and smart exploration of boundaries, polyamory and honesty; how to balance being a partner or spouse while retaining an ounce of self, or, how to know when it’s time to call it quits.
What makes “The Invite” work so well, in addition to being genuinely funny and relatable, is that there’s no MVP to throw off the balance — perhaps Wilde’s greatest feat here. Each character is so specifically outlined while never falling into caricature, and each actor blossoms under the weight of expectation. Pina is vegan and gluten-free, thus rendering the evening’s spread inedible, and Cruza anchors one scene while expertly and pointedly navigating a bowl of castelvetrano olives (relatable) as Wilde’s Angela looks on with blatant adoration; Hawk and Joe have a tense interaction over a vinyl choice related to Joe’s failed band, Rogen’s simmering resentment and shame a measured foil for Norton’s bemused button-pushing.
Alliances and allegiances shift and morph throughout the film’s very reasonable 107-minute runtime, but there are no villains and there are no heroes. There are only four extremely fallible humans who want to eat some prosciutto and maybe consensually sleep with their neighbors. While not quite a “bottle episode” of a film, most of the action takes place within Joe and Angela’s apartment, which helps to heighten the emotion as the small cast moves through the space like lab rats in a maze. Both drama and humor are elevated through clever musical instrumentation.
“The Invite” also looks great, which is not something that would seem necessary to point out, but is given the current state of AI slop and streaming nonsense and so many movies in dire need of an actual lighting designer. There’s no green screen here (unless you count the subtle shades of test paint on one wall, a running joke throughout the film matched only by the reveal that Angela ultimately chooses to wear a top in the same shade), and we’re all the better for it.
About a third of the way through the film, Hawk offers the clearest assessment of why stories about couples on the precipice of change are such a draw: “We love a contentious environment.” As long as it’s not our party, we’re happy to attend.
Johanna Lester is a pop culture critic who mainlines movies, TV and the best cookies Rochester has to offer. She’ll also hold that grudge on your behalf. Follow her @theauntjojo.
