The Invite Review
A beat for beat, laugh out loud, ernest breath of fresh air.
I love when creative people have an idea (or in this case, idea of an idea) and just run wild with it. The Invite is a remake of the 2020 spanish film, The People Upstairs by Cesc Gay. Directed to perfection by Olivia Wilde, with a relentlessly funny screenplay by Will McCormack and Rashida Jones and a stellar ensemble cast of Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogan, Edward Norton and Penelope Cruz. I knew from the first trailer that this was going to be a interesting movie simply because of how inventive and fresh it felt. From the tracking camera shots, to the clearly purposeful separation of characters on screen, to the big secret in the story, everything felt exciting and (excuse the pun) inviting. I wanted to know what this movie was about, and I wanted to be in the cinema to experience it. That is the makings of a great movie.
The Invite starts in a way that feels almost old school, with proper intro credits. A skippy scene of Joe (Seth Rogan) and Angela (Olivia Wilde) living their lives briefly before Joe comes home and the real stuff begins. The screen is filled with cuts of them both, and immediately we know who these people are before they’ve even said a word. Seth Rogan plays Joe, husband to Angela and a miserable, self-depricating ex musician. Now a music teacher, he wades through life feeling like a failure and cracking a joke at every inappropriate moment. Angela, played by Olivia Wilde, is a hung strung, stressed and perfectionist wife, who is doing everything she can to avoid confronting her obviously failing marriage. Bring in Hawk and Pina, played by Edward Norton and Penelope Cruz, the neighbours that Angela has invited to dinner (much to the dismay of Joe). What ensues is a raunchy, hilarious, shocking and surprisingly ernest look at relationships and marriage and what it really means to communicate with someone.
Where Wilde fell short in Don’t Worry Darling, The Invite makes up for ten fold. The script is the star of the show, and does brilliantly to provide levity and laughter amongst some very real topics. The cast is a group of movie stars at their best, clearly having a blast and letting loose. The camera work is creative and new, and almost becomes a character in itself. The single apartment this movie takes place in is shot from every angle possible, every lighting possibility is explored, every level tried. Nothing is left to the imagination and it is beat for beat, absolutely fantastic.
It is the perfect movie to see with your friends and have a proper giggle over, or with your partner for the hopefully interesting conversation it could spark! Whatever you do, don’t see this movie with your parents.