Olivia Wilde's 'The Invite' earns rave reviews as a razor-sharp sex comedy
Olivia Wilde returns to directing with The Invite, a bawdy dinner-party farce starring Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz, and Edward Norton that critics are calling one of the films of the year.
A dinner party gone awry
Angela (Wilde) and Joe (Rogen) are a long-married San Francisco couple stuck in a passionless rut. When Angela invites their upstairs neighbours, the blissfully libidinous Piña (Cruz) and Hawk (Norton), over for drinks, the evening spirals into a cringe-comedy of social mishaps and marital revelations. The film is adapted from the Spanish movie The People Upstairs (Sentimental) by Cesc Gay, with a screenplay by Will McCormack and Rashida Jones.
From stage to screen
The Invite began as a stage play, later adapted into the 2020 Spanish film Sentimental. The English-language version transplants the action to San Francisco and sharpens the comedy of marital discomfort. The Financial Times notes that the rhythm "settles into dinner party farce", a structure that betrays its theatrical roots.
Wilde's directorial comeback
The Invite marks Wilde's third feature as director, following her acclaimed debut Booksmart (2019) and the widely panned Don't Worry Darling (2022). Critics have hailed it as a return to form. The Irish Times calls it "a canny comedy of toxic luxury and unease", while the Irish Examiner praises its "razor-sharp comedy punctuated by deliciously cringe-worthy moments".
- Booksmart (acclaimed debut)
- Don't Worry Darling (widely panned)
- The Invite (return to form)
Performances and chemistry
All four leads deliver what RTE describes as "career highlights". Rogen's portrayal of Joe's self-loathing is compared to Paul Giamatti in Sideways, with the Irish Examiner noting it as "one of the most accurate depictions of the male psyche". Cruz's charisma "scorches the screen", and Norton revels in "gnomic pomposity". Wilde herself plays Angela with a "wired-up unease" that anchors the farce.
Most people feel alone inside the dysfunction of their relationship - worried it's only the two of you having these problems. Universality is a relief. It lets you forgive yourself a lot.
The Perel influence
The character of Piña, a psychotherapist, voices theories from the film's consultant, renowned therapist Esther Perel. The Guardian notes that Perel's idea of "bed death" as an inevitable byproduct of the American dream hovers over the story. Wilde told the paper that the film explores "that American sense of duty: I have begun this marriage, I will complete it, I will muscle through."
My favourite audience laugh is that which seems to say: 'I thought I was the only one!' It's like ha-ha-ha-aaah; a little bit of a moan.
Critical consensus
Reviews have been overwhelmingly positive. The Evening Standard says Wilde "reminds us she's a skilled director", while the Financial Times calls it "a barbed new comedy" that does for forty-somethings what The Drama did for thirty-somethings. RTE declares it "one of the films of the year, no question". The only minor criticisms point to a jerky gear change near the end and an abrupt exit for Piña and Hawk.
