Review: The Invite

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Official synopsis: Joe (Seth Rogan) and Angela's (Olivia Wilde) marriage is on thin ice. When they invite their enigmatic upstairs neighbors (Penelope Cruz and Edward Norton) for a dinner party, the night spirals into unexpected places.

I was a bit skeptical of this film when I first started hearing about it. Olivia Wilde doing Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Is this going to be a Book Smart scenario where so many beats are just another version of Superbad? I had low expectations, which slowly grew and grew as I read more positive reviews after its premiere at Sundance.

While you tell Virginia Woolf very much inspired the film visually, the rest of it easily stands on its own. I feel pretty confident in saying this is the best Olivia Wilde has been both in front of and behind the camera. The way this apartment is shot is so visually appealing. It feels so grand, even though we spend the majority of the film in this one setting. 

Wilde has always had strong comedic timing but where she's most impressive as Angela is just how well she conveys her anxieties. This woman is STRESSED out. She rambles, rapidly blinks her eyes and fidgets, I found it so easy to relate too. She wants this dinner party to go perfectly even though the universe does not have that instore. Joe is a different kind of stressed out. Rogan plays him a bit meaner than he has with past characters, but he still has that air of sarcasm and defeat. Cruz and Norton are their perfect foils. Just 100% comfortable in their skin and they know exactly who they are and where their relationship stands.

The script by Rashida Jones, Will McCormack and Cesc Gay is very strong. It is a perfect blend of cringe comedy at the beginning, then it smacks you right in the feels towards the end. I had read multiple reviews where people mentioned they cried, and I cynically thought I would be exempt from that. I wasn't. There's a line in the 3rd act about what it's like to be a child living with parents that hate each other that really broke me. I should've known better.

If you can see this with your partner, I highly recommend doing so. If you can't, see it anyways! It's well worth the theater trip.

Grade: A

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