Olivia Wilde creates a hilarious and heartfelt cinematic experience that celebrates the magic of going to the movies.
OUR TOP FIVE THINGS ABOUT “THE INVITE”
5. The Script
Written by the dynamic duo of Will McCormack and my beloved Rashida Jones, the screenplay for The Invite is a taut, tense, and utterly compelling construction even in isolation, removed from the rest of the film as a whole. Forgive me for the copious amounts of Mike Nichols references that are bound to proliferate throughout this piece, but it really does read like Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? for the modern age, which is just about the highest compliment I can pay.
The way in which it immediately cuts to the heart of this intimate tale, removing any and all fat or gristle, is fantastic. The ways in which these relationships and interpersonal lives are consistently challenged as things dig deeper and deeper into discomfort are simultaneously enlightening and hysterical. It’s such an adept blend of tones, genres, and influences, and it pulls them all together into a stunning, cohesive whole.
4. The Score
The musical score accompanying the film from composer and filmmaker Devonté Hynes is a lush and wonderful artistic work of its own, and it is utilized so articulately and surgically by Wilde and editors Yorgos Mavropsaridis and Anthony Boys. More often than not, the relationship modern comedy projects have with their musical scores is a dissonant and strange one, where music is used more like an interlude, simply attempting to get the audience to the next joke-filled scene. Rarely does it actually interact with the jokes or characters in a way that enhances the overall experience.
Fortunately, The Invite is the exact opposite of this. Sonically, Hynes’ score engages in a dance with the visuals and diegetic sound of the film from the very beginning. The orchestrations stop and start, working in tandem with the rhythm of the vocal deliveries to propel scenes forward, before dropping out at key moments to emphasize the emotional weight and impact of a line. It is the kind of artistically bold choice I desperately want more modern comedies to embrace, and it is utterly sublime to see it executed with such precision here.
3. The Gags
The Invite is unmistakably, incredibly funny. I’ve spent a lot of time discussing the craft, performances, and construction of Wilde’s movie because it is a phenomenally well-made motion picture. Beyond all that, the jokes are genuinely hilarious, and that’s something I don’t want to undersell. Even amid the film’s concentrated and carefully structured framework, there is a jazz-like, free-flowing energy within the performances that allows the various gags to truly soar.
To better illustrate this point, I’ll say this: I’m a fan of Seth Rogen. I think This Is the End and Neighbors are both among the funniest films of the 2010s. The Invite can go toe-to-toe with those movies purely based on its comedic moments and come out on top. It is that fucking funny.
2. The Performances
The quartet of performances this film revolves around is absolutely staggering. In many ways, much like some of Mike Nichols’ greatest works, The Invite plays like a great stage play. It is set in a single location, and the true force behind its narrative and themes comes from the interactions between the characters and performers themselves. The film’s biggest set pieces do not involve CGI or explosions; the effects are the performances, and they are awe-inspiring to witness on the big screen.
Wilde has never been better. Cruz is the funniest she has ever been. Norton continues to embrace this unique new era of his career with incredible confidence. And outside of perhaps Spielberg’s The Fabelmans, this is Rogen’s greatest performance to date. They all share immaculate chemistry, feeding off one another in ways that make every scene feel alive. It’s a genuine pleasure to see Wilde’s direction work so seamlessly, allowing these performers to fully shine.
1. The Direction
Speaking of, if Olivia Wilde’s direction here doesn’t earn her a Best Director nomination at the Oscars, you can call the whole thing off. As someone who loved Wilde’s visual craft in both of her previous features, the way she is able to hone in on and further refine that visual language through concentrated and deeply motivated choices in The Invite is a massive accomplishment.
First of all, the film looks fantastic. The decision to shoot on 35mm film, one that Wilde fought so hard for that she reportedly even helped cover the initial cost herself, was absolutely the right choice. In an era dominated by streaming and social media platforms, the filmic quality of The Invite elevates both the story and performances in a way that feels genuinely special. On top of that, Wilde and cinematographer Adam Newport-Berra deliver beautifully lit, fully tactile frames alongside fluid and purposeful camera movement. The way Wilde utilizes recurring visual motifs throughout the film, bringing them back to uncover deeper layers within these characters and relationships, is nothing short of masterful.
RGM GRADE
(A)
In an age full of stellar directorial debut feature films, Olivia Wilde’s Booksmart still managed to stand out from the pack when it was released in 2019. It was an incredibly funny and moving film that showcased the established actress’ gifts behind the camera in a palpable fashion and seemed to immediately set her up for further fascinating projects to come. Her immediate follow-up to that film was 2022’s Don’t Worry Darling, which was greeted with unfavorable reviews and entire waves of press cycle-fueling controversy about off-screen conflicts, romances, and everything in between. For what it’s worth, I enjoyed Don’t Worry Darling more than most and still find it to be a fascinating phase of growth for Wilde as a director, all of which pays off in spades in her new film, The Invite.
The Invite is an A24-distributed comedy-drama directed by Olivia Wilde and starring Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz, and Edward Norton. It is a cinematic throwback in every sense of the word: a theatrically released comedy that was filmed on 35mm film and has far more in common with a Mike Nichols film than it does with whatever “comedy” is currently performing well on Netflix. The result is a sensational film that is hysterical, emotionally affecting, and deeply rewarding.
The Invite is a jaw-dropping cinematic accomplishment. Obscenely funny, phenomenally moving, and ridiculously well-constructed, the film completely thumbs its nose at the traditional straight-to-streaming pipeline that has become common for modern comedies, instead proving that it deserves to be experienced on the biggest cinematic platform possible. It is a bona fide feast of cinematic intent. This is exactly what we go to the motherfucking movies for.
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