“The Invite” follows Joe and Angela, a married couple whose relationship is on thin ice. When their upstairs neighbors come over for a dinner party, the night spirals into unexpected places.
During the opening credits, “The Invite” shows Seth Rogen (Joe) coming home from a day of work. You see his tiredness, both physically and mentally. At the same time, Olivia Wilde (Angela) is frantically tidying up their home. When separate, they’re both exhausted. When together, they’re resentful. In these initial minutes alone, the film conveys a simple message: relationships are hard.
“The Invite” is a roller coaster ride of different emotions. It starts off hectic, with immediate agitations and stressors evident. The film then shifts in a wildly comedic direction, only to return to an almost depressing (yet hopeful) conclusion. Taking place over a single night, it manages to capture the complexities of relationships as a whole. At first, they’re full of life. As responsibilities, kids, wrong decisions and missed opportunities pile up, that spark begins to fizzle away. With that, it may seem like all hope is lost and you should just give up. For many, that is the solution. For others, actually communicating these feelings is all that is missing. Rather than providing simple solutions, director Olivia Wilde presents Joe and Angela’s fate as it is — unknown.
Will McCormack and Rashida Jones’ screenplay (based on the motion picture “Sentimental” by Cesc Gay) makes these jarring tonal shifts work. Even as the movie’s vibe changes, the characters never do. Whether ordinary or flamboyant, they all feel like real people. This keeps the events grounded in reality no matter how exaggerated they may become.
Wilde and Rogen both turn in career-best performances. Wilde is constantly on edge, with almost hysterical energy that permeates from every movement. Rogen shows more depth than usual, playing a character who marinates in all of his negativity. Together, they form a toxic mixture of stagnation, bitterness and overall anger. Don’t forget about Penélope Cruz (Piña) and Edward Norton (Hawk), though. The pair is mysterious early on, eventually presenting seductive and open personalities that are completely different from the two leads. When all four are together, the chemistry is off the charts.
“The Invite” primarily takes place entirely in one location. This could have easily grown monotonous, but director of photography Adam Newport-Berra maintains lively camerawork. Close-ups are frequent, capturing every slight shift in facial expressions. For a movie that revolves almost entirely around dialogue, this heightens the claustrophobic, overly tense atmosphere that it aims for. The framing of these shots is also important, with Wilde and Newport-Berra emphasizing the distance between characters, subtle touches and their interactions with the apartment itself. Shot on 35mm film, it has a grainy, textured look that fits the story perfectly.
The visuals are seamlessly integrated with Anthony Boys and Yorgos Mavropsaridis’ editing alongside Devonté Hynes’ score. Outside of the performances themselves, it’s arguable that Hynes’ compositions are the most important element of the movie’s identity. No matter the circumstance, they match the tone to instantly convey emotion. As characters argue, the rhythms accentuate the anxiety in their words. When outrageous lines are delivered, needle drops are used to create laughs. As sadness creeps in, melancholy notes practically encourage tears.
Many will interpret “The Invite” as saying “marriage is bad.” Sort of? I mean, it opens with a quote from Oscar Wilde: “One should always be in love. That is the reason one should never marry.” It’s a poignant message, one that’s not as clear-cut as it may seem. At the start of the film, you’ll certainly feel like Joe and Angela aren’t right for each other. It’s when they admit this to each other that you may actually change your mind. The ambiguity of Wilde’s work allows viewers at different stages of their lives to come away with different meanings.
“The Invite” offers hope within a dying marriage. It’s overwhelming, hilarious and heartbreaking — a sex dramedy that surprisingly grows into the most genuine movie of 2026.
Rating: 5 out of 5
