There’s something about a contentious environment that just makes for riveting entertainment. A group of people all placed in an uncomfortable scenario tends to breed the best kinds of resentment, comedy, monologues, and performances from any group of actors. This technique is a tried and true one, shown in works like “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf,” “Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice,” and “A Woman Under the Influence,” and now director Olivia Wilde’s (“Booksmart,” “Don’t Worry Darling”) latest film is joining that canon.
“The Invite” stars Seth Rogen (“The Studio,” “Pineapple Express”) and Wilde as married couple Joe and Angela, respectfully. One night, as Joe gets home from work, Angela tells him that their upstairs neighbors Hawk and Pína, played by Edward Norton (“Fight Club,” “Birdman”) and Penélope Cruz (“Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” “Parallel Mothers”) respectfully, will be coming by for dinner. This begins a tumultuous evening where tempers flare and pleasantries are exchanged, forcing Joe and Angela to reexamine their relationship through the guise of an invitation from their hipper, freer neighbors.
There’s an inherent simplicity to material like this, at least at first glance, and therefore the right eye is needed to prevent things from getting visually stale. Thankfully, Wilde has that right eye with cinematographer Adam Newport-Berra (“The Studio,” “The Last Black Man in San Francisco”). He plays heavily with various voyeuristic angles and perspectives, setting plenty of shots at deliberately obscured angles and viewpoints. Sometimes it's a mirror, sometimes a window, sometimes a window looking into another window. It’s nevertheless an engrossingly simple way to frame this story, and the small scope lets us feel as though we know the apartment as if it's our very own in a very short time.
Wilde’s direction pairs wonderfully with Newport-Berra's camerawork, and it meshes into a delicious cocktail of visual fun. But the fun doesn’t stop there. The script by Will McCormack (“Celeste and Jesse Forever,” “Toy Story 4”) and Rashida Jones (“Celeste and Jesse Forever,” “Parks and Recreation”) is packed tight with all manner of juicy barbs and double entendres that provide the film with ample amounts of verbal sparring. It’s a tricky balance, but the dramatic revelations come just as smoothly as the comedic bouts. Even if you don’t buy into the dramatic revelations, it still manages to be a hysterically funny film full of insights into modern relationships.
Wilde is wonderful, playing Angela as a perfect portrait of the overworked, anxious stay-at-home wife without allowing her to delve into shrewd stereotypes. The same goes for Norton, playing a role likely not too far from his own persona. He deftly navigates the nuances and self-importance needed for this kind of borderline hippie character to thrive. Rogen and Cruz are the two complete standouts however. Cruz is excellent in virtually everything, and she has a fantastic wit that she brings to Pína. There’s a lot of fantastic facial acting for her role specifically, hiding clear emotional tells within her expressions. Rogen seems to almost be weaponizing his slacker guy persona to fantastic effect here. On paper the character isn’t so outside of others he’s played, but the layers within him are what allows him to truly shine as an actor. It’s as if he woke up and remembered that he can deliver some truly great dramatic roles when he puts his mind to it, and this is easily the best he’s been in any film since “50/50.”
Wilde’s direction is one of subtly flash, keeping in line with the cinematography. It isn’t without playful moments, but it mostly sticks to a static perspective to accentuate the script and performances. It never gets in the way of the best moments, letting them breathe, while giving the cast a stage to perform on. This is a film that is inherently simple enough to be thought of as a filmed version of a play, but she handles it with grace. Devonté Hynes (“Palo Alto,” “Queen & Slim”) also keeps this lively, with a musical score that mixes classic cello strings with a tension that mirrors the characters’ own internal struggles.
The mixes of classical elements with modern ones is a theme that runs deep through the production and script of “The Invite.” Wilde directs a film that delivers those ideas whole heartedly. Each member of its small cast is excellent, with some really fantastic work from Rogen and Cruz, a fantastic set, great camerawork, and a genuine desire at the core to have a good time. Whether or not the central dramatic core will work for you will vary wildly from person to person, but you’d be hard pressed to not accept this invite regardless. 4.5/5
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