After the well-received high-school comedy that is Booksmart, and the Harry Styles-starring mystery thriller, Don't Worry Darling, followed by a four-year hiatus, Olivia Wilde has finally returned to the director's chair with The Invite, promising thrills and twists at every corner. While this isn't getting nearly enough attention, partly due to the unfortunate timing of the release of many giants on either side, you're unlikely to see much pacing and writing at this level for the rest of the year.
The Invite balances its drama and comedy in such a perfect way, careful not to overdo the comedy at any point. While this can definitely be described as laugh-out-loud funny - and often seemed that way with my cinema's audience - a large amount of it doesn't come from straightforward joke-telling, like Seth Rogan is much more used to. Instead, this movie will often derive its comedy from a few one-off lines here and there, throwing the audience off in a way. Many of the funniest parts of this didn't even seem to come from anything that felt intentional on eliciting a laugh, which is a testament to its incredible writing.
I absolutely loved the opening scene, in which Angela (Olivia Wilde) is stressing herself out, trying to create a perfect environment for their guests. We travel around the entire apartment with Joe (Seth Rogan) and Angela, giving us some idea of this area's geography, setting the stage for where we'll reside for the entire runtime. As we follow Joe and Angela through their apartment, we're given every detail we'll need going forward, with a sequence of long monologues and arguments between the couple, dragging us into this stressful and toxic environment with full force.
In this scene, we learn who the neighbours are, Joe and Angela's separate feelings towards them, a few of their marital problems and dynamic that will rear its head later in the movie, and their clear miscommunication in every facet of their relationship. This sets a precedent that even we, as the audience, aren't fully aware of yet: that Joe and Angela are destined to separate.
This incredibly long and stressful opening scene also gives us some idea of who Pina (Penélope Cruz) and Hawk (Edward Norton) are, or at least who Angela sees them as. Once we have all these preconceived conceptions of them, the couple finally arrive and everything is flipped. Any food that Angela set out is rejected, the champagne has run out, and Angela abandons any house rule that she previously insisted Joe follow. Any preconceived misconception is completely shattered within moments, giving us a completely clean slate to learn about Pina and Hawk through our own lens, rather than Angela's.
A movie like this can only ever work if you go all in on the characters. If the audience can't get interested in these characters, they won't be interested in the story. The Invite very much delivered on that front. Joe and Angela are incredibly interesting, flawed characters, and their very imperfect relationship sets perfect groundwork for this story. These are two people who have stagnated in life, yet refuse to take accountability for themselves or their current position. Joe and Angela have lost any interest in each other, and it's hard to argue they ever had any to begin with.
The fact that Joe didn't even know Angela ran 11 blocks to meet him for the first time, instead simply assuming she's an abnormally sweaty person, shows how little interest he takes in their relationship and the circumstances of their meeting. Angela saying Joe 'suddenly' became miserable shows her utter ignorance of his life, career, and aspirations. Both of these people are terrible; their relationship is even worse, and that is why they're so interesting to watch.
The scene of Joe and Angela finding out where the noise from Pina and Hawk's apartment was really coming from, a topic on Joe's mind for the entire movie up until then and something he'd been desperate to berate them for, marks a turning point in the movie. After this scene, and their small debrief in Joe's office, these two are framed in a shot together for the first time in the entirety of Pina and Hawk's presence, without anybody else occupying that space or coming between them.
These two are finally relating to each other's feelings and thoughts for the first time in a while. However, they both still approach this subject in much different ways. Joe is constantly making fun of Pina, Hawk, and their activities, while Angela is genuinely interested - which we later find out is partly due to her being somewhat involved and her voyeuristic desires.
The costume design tells its own, incredibly subtle, story throughout this movie. At first, Pina and Hawk enter wearing the same black clothing, with Joe and Angela wearing slightly different shades of blue. This reflects each couple's compatibility with each other, as well as Joe and Angela's unhappiness with their relationship, while it seems Pina and Hawk are perfectly suited and neutral. Joe and Angela wearing different blues is no accident, rather showing that there are clear imperfections in their relationship, creating an obviously tense environment for Pina and Hawk from the moment they walk in.
The scene of the four of them being sexually free with each other is very intentional with its costumes too. Where Angela is very quick to let go of her relationship and, in turn, her clothes, Joe is much more closed off. This scene also paves the way for a change in dynamics. Pina removes her jacket, which stays off for the duration of the movie left, with Hawk redressing almost immediately. Now, these two are no longer completely matching, showing small cracks starting to form in their relationship. This couple is no longer perfectly aligned, even if Hawk still tries to hide behind so many things, including their 'perfect for each other' facade and his new name, keeping with his long-sleeved shirt and being as fully clothed as when he first walked into the apartment.
The sudden disappearance of Pina and Hawk feels quite reminiscent of An Inspector Calls, showing that all Joe and Angela needed to confront their feelings and the reality of their relationship was a small push. I feel quite conflicted on this idea, however, and it is the only thing stopping me from giving this a perfect score. That is because I'm not sure this technique was right for this movie, due to the development of Pina and Hawk.
In An Inspector Calls, Inspector Goole is developed very little, with one of the only things we learn about him being that he dislikes golf. This allows the entire focus to be on the family and their issues, and for the inspector to somewhat fade into the background when not needed. However, Pina and Hawk play an integral part in this movie's story, more than as a simple push for Joe and Angela to confront their relationship's problems. This couple is developed as people, not just plot devices.
The final moments, in which Joe and Angela are playing the piano together, are not only sonically beautiful and shows Joe opening himself up to Angela for possibly the first time. We're also finally able to see this couple really connect for the first time, in such a beautiful way. This allows us to leave with some sense of hope and happiness, even if Joe and Angela will inevitably separate, rather than the dread and hopelessness that you will have felt before that moment.
No AI was used in writing this article.