Ty Watches "The Invite"
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Last week I was looking for a movie to watch while I had some free time at home and I happened to come across "The Invite" streaming on HBO Max. I remembered I had wanted to see it when it was in the theaters, but couldn't find the time. Then when it popped up on HBO Max, and I had a few hours to kill, it seemed like a no brainer. I am also a big Seth Rogen fan, and the chance to watch him do something a little different, a little out of his comfort zone. I'm there. I had read some good reviews of the movies prior to watching, so that was another feather in the cap for me to watch this movie.
I have been hit and miss on Olivia Wilde's projects prior to this. I love "Booksmart". That movie is funny and charming and it moves along at a wonderful pace. On the other hand, I despised "Don't Worry Darling". That movie was bad from the start. I usually enjoy watching Florence Pugh act, but even her performance felt stilted and uneven throughout. I also don't think Harry Styles is the best actor in the world. That's fine because the dude can sing his ass off. But "The Invite" might be my new favorite Olivia Wilde directed movie. I really enjoyed my viewing. This movie is minimal, on purpose, and Wilde directs and acts the hell out of it.
For people who have not seen it, "The Invite" is a movie about a dinner party gone awry. But there is so much more to it than just that. The movie stars Wilde and Rogen who are a married couple in a rut. Rogen seems very unhappy and, to be frank, miserable at his lot in life. He is a former musician who now teaches music to kids that don't seem to like playing music much at all. Wilde appears to be a bored-ish housewife that wants to spice things up a bit. She shops to stave off boredom. She plans things without telling anyone. She throws blame on others. She won't let people speak their minds. She and Rogen's characters just feel like they're going through the motions, but they also verbally argue, and they do it a ton. Wilde invites their neighbors over, played by Penelope Cruz and Edward Norton, to said dinner party. While they are a little older than Rogen and Wilde, Cruz and Norton appear to be younger, happier and more in touch with one another. Their relationship is newer, so the love is a bit fresher and they are more open to pretty much anything. From the start of the dinner party you could tell things were going to be wild. Rogen and Wilde are fighting so much that when Cruz and Norton arrive they make mention of how long it took them to answer the door, and that they could hear them arguing outside the apartment. Rogen seems to have an issue he wants to talk about with Cruz and Norton, but Wilde keeps cutting him off because she doesn't want to be embarrassed by him. They have an issue with wine and champagne. Things seem a little weird when Rogen goes to his office to get high and Cruz joins him. Norton and Wilde stay back and talk about rugs, and then Wilde gives him a grand tour. This is where some things start to come out about the unhappiness and unfulfilling nature of Wilde and Rogen's relationship.
When the couples finally meet back up after hanging out separately, this is when it goes off the rails. Cruz and Norton have a relationship in which they engage in group sex and they decide to see if Wilde and Rogen want to get involved. From here on out I was cackling at times and started to feel for all four people in this movie for separate reasons. I felt bad for Wilde because she wanted the happiness back that her and Rogen had when they were first together. She wants them to be more explorative and more willing to try new things. Rogen is clearly in over his head and I feel like he is kind of content to be miserable and live the rest of his days grumpy. I was so impressed with Rogen and Wilde's performances. They played this new age, unhappy couple to a T. It was almost too perfect. We all know couples like this, and these two nailed it. Cruz and Norton were fantastic as well. Norton played your typical new age, older guy who is trying so hard to stay young. He gave himself a nickname, and the scene where we learned how he got to that point is hilarious, and then heartbreaking. Cruz was dynamic in this movie. She was aggressive, in a good way, but also was a willing listener and gave the best advice of anyone in the movie. She was the most sure one of the bunch and made no qualms about who she was. She was the voice of reason in this movie, and we needed that as a viewer. I was kind of blown away by her work here. I also thought that Wilde directed the hell out of this movie. It is based on a Spanish movie that came out in 2020, but it felt like a play, and I mean that as a compliment.
I really liked this movie. I kind of wish more people had seen it when it was in the theaters, myself included, but now that it is streaming maybe more and more people will check it out. I liked it a lot and I highly recommend seeing it if you haven't yet and you want to watch it. "The Invite" is very much worth your time.
Ty
Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.
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