There is something to be said about a closed script that is just so brilliantly executing and scathing in its writing that while absolutely gut wrenchingly uncomfortable and hilarious and cringe inducing, becomes one of the year’s best without fault. Will McCormack and Rashida Jones write a brilliant look at marriage, excitement, and awkward encounters with your neighbours that is masterfully directed by Olivia Wilde that begs the ‘what if’ scenario and how a relationship barely hanging on can survive a night that no one expects, wants or even sees coming, so let Olivia Wilde and her fantastic crew Invite you into the one of the most brilliantly chaotic movies of the year.
The Invite focuses on Joe and Angela (Seth Rogen and Olivia Wilde respectfully) as they live in this gorgeous converted 2 unit building in New York, with their daughter. There are things that are evident about their relationship that don’t need to be said – their relationship is tumultuous and things are rocky, but there still seems to be an understanding and underlying love, even if it never gets expressed. Everything takes a turn when Angela tells Joe when he comes home from a tiring day of biking, on his collapsible bike, home from work that their daughter is going to a sleepover and the upstairs neighbours Pina and Hawk (Penelope Cruz and Edward Norton respectfully) are coming over for dinner. Shocked by this news, Joe asks when they were invited and why he wasn’t informed, which Angela quickly snaps back she invited them yesterday and it’s no wonder he doesn’t remember as he never pays attention. Tensions are already brewing, and that is before Pina and Hawk even enter the fray, and Joe is not a fan of either of them due to their ‘animalistic’ evening activities which keep him up – a threat he makes to Angela about calling them out on their loud extra curriculars to make this evening even more awkward. Pina and Hawk arrive shortly after the height of the fight between Joe and Angela, and the tension could be cut with a knife, is this a welcomed invitation or one that we truly wish we RSVP’d no to.
When you have a movie that is four characters, and never more, never less and hinges on these four characters they have to be so tuned into themselves, each other, and the characters they are playing. The script penned by Jones and McCormack is so tight and brilliant that it truly falls into the actors hands to bring to life the characters and make the audience resonate and at least understand where they’re coming from. Thankfully, aside from directing Wilde herself is superb in the role of the ever exhausted wife whose just done with her husband’s nonsense and trying to make friends. Then we have Rogen whose so deeply invested in staying miserable but jumps at the opportunity for something fun when it presents itself, sparking a larger issue at hand. Juxtaposing these two relationships we have the newer couple in Norton and Cruz who seem to have it all worked out, there are cracks, but their understanding and exploration of the characters are hilarious and insightful showing that maybe sometimes it’s okay to let a little more loose and take ones self a little less seriously as long as everyone is in agreement. It doubles as a statement on new relationships and battle tested relationships and the performances are reflective of this as well.
The Invite works because of it’s ability to tell this deeply scathing, hilarious, uncomfortable story so well and the actors that come together to bring it all together. The screenplay by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack based on the motion picture Sentimental by Cesc Gay, and the direction by Olivia Wilde is what brings this explosive cast together. The Invite has every single ingredient it needs to be a wild, tumultuous night that is going to lead to some very deeply uncomfortable conversations potentially, or ones that you’ve already had for better or worse. The Invite has a double meaning, as it’s literally inviting the audience in to be a fly on the wall on this dinner party from hell, but also invites you to look into yourself and do some soul searching about where you are and what you’re doing in life, proving to be one of the years sharpest and moist poignant movies.
