Movie Review: ‘The Invite’

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Review by James Lindorf

Olivia Wilde’s “The Invite” is one of the best films of the year. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 24th to positive reviews. It sparked a bidding war, with A24 ultimately outbidding multiple studios for distribution rights. The film is now playing in a few markets but will expand into a wide release on July 10th.

Joe (Seth Rogen) and Angela (Wilde) are a married couple living in San Francisco whose relationship has quietly curdled into something neither of them fully recognizes or enjoys. Joe is a failed musician who gave up his dreams to teach at a small local college, and he wants to grieve that loss in peace. At the same time, Angela is desperate for connection, even picking fights to get a reaction. When she invites their enigmatic upstairs neighbors, Pína (Penélope Cruz) and Hawk (Edward Norton), to dinner, the evening quickly becomes the most honest conversation the couple has had in years, whether they wanted it or not. Written by Will McCormack and Rashida Jones and adapted from the 2020 Spanish film “Sentimental,” the film is set almost entirely within a single apartment, shot in 23 days in chronological order, and dedicated to Diane Keaton.

That dedication is a personal statement from Wilde rather than a meaningful signal to the audience, but her comments at the LA premiere clarify its intent. She has described Keaton as “the first actress I recognized as representing a totally unique and complex woman who didn’t fit any archetype, singular in her vulnerability and creativity.” Both women in this film carry those same qualities, and it is clear Wilde believed Keaton would have appreciated what they created with her as a major inspiration.

Wilde also handles the dual roles of director and actress with remarkable confidence. As Angela, she brings a desperate, bursting energy that is quietly heartbreaking in equal measure. You can see the smiles that threaten to split her face when Pína and Hawk arrive, and feel the anxiety and anguish underneath every exchange with Joe. They are littered with frustrations, little lies, and projections she deploys to avoid conflict or gain the perceived upper hand. Behind the camera, she keeps a technically confined film visually alive by constantly shifting rooms and repositioning the camera within each space, using movement to create the sense of momentum that the location cannot provide on its own. The tight apartment setting works entirely in the film’s favor. It feels inescapable, as though the only option available to any of them is to keep talking, which is exactly what the story requires.

Rogen is very good as Joe, and while he may not be the best actor in the cast, role-for-role, he may be the hardest to replace. His humor feels natural and effortless, and it does essential work for the film. Without it, the discomfort of watching two people dismantle their marriage in front of strangers would become suffocating. If you are not laughing, you may be dying of second-hand embarrassment, and Rogen navigates that line brilliantly. Cruz and Norton arrive as the cool, free-spirited couple whose relationship looks effortless by comparison, and it is immediately understandable why the stressed, bickering hosts would be both envious and unsettled by them. Their dynamic has its own cracks, glimpsed in small moments like Hawk correcting Pína’s English, suggesting that what looks effortless from the outside may be its own kind of performance.

What the film handles with genuine bravery is its central argument about relationships. It calls out honestly what may be best for Joe and Angela individually, what may be best for their daughter, and what staying together or separating might actually look like for each of them. Relationships exist in one of three states: the partners grow together, grow apart, or stagnate until two people wake up twenty years later wondering who the other person is, or worse, who they are. The film says that sometimes your best relationship is not romantic or is not what it once was, but that does not mean it is a failure. You can come back, maybe not to what you were, but to something that can be just as good. In an industry that prioritizes the happy ending, this is an uncommercial and courageous thing to put at the center of a comedy, and McCormack and Jones’s screenplay earns every difficult moment.

The film does lose some of its energy in the second half. Early on, the night is constantly evolving, with jokes and snarky comments thrown around nonstop. The change is necessary for the story to land where it needs to, but you can’t help but miss the fun. Because you can see the explosion coming, it fits naturally into the story’s flow. This means that the shift in tone, while drastic, is not whiplash-inducing and gives Norton, in particular, and the rest of the cast a chance to shine in different ways. I imagine on a second viewing, this transition will work even better because you know what to expect. If not, it is still a tiny complaint for an excellent film.

Anyone who is or has been in a relationship should find something true and recognizable here, provided they are not put off by coarse language and sexual situations. It does not need to be seen in a theater to get the most out of it technically, but it deserves your full attention, and a theater may be the best place to guarantee that. I fully anticipate a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination during award season. I would not be surprised to see it in the Best Picture conversation as well, which is why “The Invite” earns a 4.75 out of 5 from me.

Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Limited Theatrical): June 26th, 2026
Release Date (Wide Theatrical): July 10th, 2026
Director: Olivia Wilde
Producer: David Permut, Ben Browning, Megan Ellison
Screenwriter: Will McCormack, Rashida Jones
Distributor: A24
Production Co: Annapurna Pictures, FilmNation Entertainment, Permut Presentations