July 21, 2026
FILM: THE INVITE
DIRECTED BY: OLIVIA WILDE
STARRING: SETH ROGEN, OLIVIA WILDE, PENELOPE CRUZ
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
There was a time in the 1960s and 70s when Hollywood latched onto the sexual revolution and made daring films like Bob & Ted & Carol & Alice, Shampoo, and Woody Allen’s Manhattan. These films explored the intimate side of people and their relationships offering frank discussions in a comedic light that resonated with those who hadn’t experienced anything similar in cinema’s prior decades. Of course, some people refused to see them because of how blatantly they addressed sex. Since then the studios’ film machine has turned its attention towards children’s movies and action adventures which make the most money and are the least socially offensive. It is only in the independent film world where such adult-themed content can now be found. When I say adult, I don’t mean pornographic. I mean stories featuring people having real discussions about their partners and sex lives. With The Invite, director and star Olivia Wilde take us there again with plenty of laughs and insightful looks at a bunch of adult characters where sex becomes a primary topic of conversation.
During one of the earliest scenes, Joe, played by Seth Rogen comes home after a rough day at work to find his wife Angela, portrayed by Olivia Wilde, preparing a dinner party for their upstairs neighbors. This is the kind of night Joe has absolutely no interest in being part of. It becomes clear that Joe and Angela are a squabbling married couple who have been together for a long time. It may be hard for fans of 1960’s cinema to not compare this to the difficult exchanges between Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in 1966’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, although there is much more obvious comedy in the new film. Still, to accentuate the clawing between the characters, director Wilde includes an intense violin to underscore the persistent tension that surrounds them. Unfortunately, they only have a few minutes until those neighbors arrive. Hawk and Pina, played by Edward Norton and Penelope Cruz respectively, are cool and not nearly as tight as Joe and Angela. Hawk is laid back while Pina is intense, direct, and forthcoming.
Joe and Angela, whose own sex life has seen better days, had been hearing the neighbors’ loud sex through the ceiling. Joe is ready to confront them about it but separate sexual attractions develop between Joe and Pina and Angela and Hawk respectively. Then the idea of group sex is brought to the table bringing up a slew of issues that threatens at least one of the couples.
With the exception of an opening scene, the entire film takes place in this one apartment. The screenplay by Will McCormack and Rashida Jones has been adapted from a 2015 Spanish stage play and film by Cesc Gay. Part of what is brilliant about this screenplay is how biting, fast-paced, and witty the dialogue is. Characters speak on top of each other as if trying to emphasize their individual dominance within an argument. Wilde’s direction is also stellar as she moves around the single set and lets it breathe with a variety of camera angles, movements, and close-ups. It never feels like a claustrophobic space because there is so much dynamic energy within the setting of possibilities.
Wilde does an amazing job of not only directing the other actors but also herself. Both she and Rogen come across as awkward, nervous, and yet intrigued by these neighbors. Their comic reactions to what has been presented to them are as priceless as anything in classic film comedies. They would not have been out of place, for instance, in a Woody Allen film with Diane Keaton (to whom Wilde dedicates this film for the guidance she gave her throughout her career.) Again, there is that sense that Wilde is paying homage to her cinematic influences. At times the comedy might seem to reach television sitcom levels from the same earlier era but the script goes deeper as it explores the characters’ varying sexual appetites, experiences, and issues.
I’m not entirely sure that our culture today is ready to welcome a sex farce like this though. As successful a piece of writing, acting, and filmmaking that it is, I would not be surprised to find audiences not willing to get behind the idea of group sex among consenting adults. Ultimately, that is their issue though. For those more open to exploring contrasting adult sexual mores, this film is timely and enlightening.
The Invite is playing in theaters everywhere.
FILM: THE INVITE
DIRECTED BY: OLIVIA WILDE
STARRING: SETH ROGEN, OLIVIA WILDE, PENELOPE CRUZ
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
There was a time in the 1960s and 70s when Hollywood latched onto the sexual revolution and made daring films like Bob & Ted & Carol & Alice, Shampoo, and Woody Allen’s Manhattan. These films explored the intimate side of people and their relationships offering frank discussions in a comedic light that resonated with those who hadn’t experienced anything similar in cinema’s prior decades. Of course, some people refused to see them because of how blatantly they addressed sex. Since then the studios’ film machine has turned its attention towards children’s movies and action adventures which make the most money and are the least socially offensive. It is only in the independent film world where such adult-themed content can now be found. When I say adult, I don’t mean pornographic. I mean stories featuring people having real discussions about their partners and sex lives. With The Invite, director and star Olivia Wilde take us there again with plenty of laughs and insightful looks at a bunch of adult characters where sex becomes a primary topic of conversation.
During one of the earliest scenes, Joe, played by Seth Rogen comes home after a rough day at work to find his wife Angela, portrayed by Olivia Wilde, preparing a dinner party for their upstairs neighbors. This is the kind of night Joe has absolutely no interest in being part of. It becomes clear that Joe and Angela are a squabbling married couple who have been together for a long time. It may be hard for fans of 1960’s cinema to not compare this to the difficult exchanges between Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in 1966’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, although there is much more obvious comedy in the new film. Still, to accentuate the clawing between the characters, director Wilde includes an intense violin to underscore the persistent tension that surrounds them. Unfortunately, they only have a few minutes until those neighbors arrive. Hawk and Pina, played by Edward Norton and Penelope Cruz respectively, are cool and not nearly as tight as Joe and Angela. Hawk is laid back while Pina is intense, direct, and forthcoming.
Joe and Angela, whose own sex life has seen better days, had been hearing the neighbors’ loud sex through the ceiling. Joe is ready to confront them about it but separate sexual attractions develop between Joe and Pina and Angela and Hawk respectively. Then the idea of group sex is brought to the table bringing up a slew of issues that threatens at least one of the couples.
With the exception of an opening scene, the entire film takes place in this one apartment. The screenplay by Will McCormack and Rashida Jones has been adapted from a 2015 Spanish stage play and film by Cesc Gay. Part of what is brilliant about this screenplay is how biting, fast-paced, and witty the dialogue is. Characters speak on top of each other as if trying to emphasize their individual dominance within an argument. Wilde’s direction is also stellar as she moves around the single set and lets it breathe with a variety of camera angles, movements, and close-ups. It never feels like a claustrophobic space because there is so much dynamic energy within the setting of possibilities.
Wilde does an amazing job of not only directing the other actors but also herself. Both she and Rogen come across as awkward, nervous, and yet intrigued by these neighbors. Their comic reactions to what has been presented to them are as priceless as anything in classic film comedies. They would not have been out of place, for instance, in a Woody Allen film with Diane Keaton (to whom Wilde dedicates this film for the guidance she gave her throughout her career.) Again, there is that sense that Wilde is paying homage to her cinematic influences. At times the comedy might seem to reach television sitcom levels from the same earlier era but the script goes deeper as it explores the characters’ varying sexual appetites, experiences, and issues.
I’m not entirely sure that our culture today is ready to welcome a sex farce like this though. As successful a piece of writing, acting, and filmmaking that it is, I would not be surprised to find audiences not willing to get behind the idea of group sex among consenting adults. Ultimately, that is their issue though. For those more open to exploring contrasting adult sexual mores, this film is timely and enlightening.
The Invite is playing in theaters everywhere.