Joe and Angela’s marriage is on thin ice. When they invite their enigmatic upstairs neighbors for a dinner party, the night spirals into unexpected places.
Based on the 2020 film “The People Upstairs” written and directed by Cesc Gay, comes “The Invite,” starring a high-powered cast that includes director Olivia Wilde, Penélope Cruz, Seth Rogan, and Edward Norton. What looks like a romantic comedy from the trailers – and starts as such – veers off unexpectedly into something entirely else.
The narrative opens with a sullen Joe (Rogan) sitting alone in a school auditorium. The camera closes in so that there is no mistake about his disposition. What appears to be the film’s soundtrack is actually a student band practicing. Once the musicians conclude the piece, an awkward silence ensues for several seconds as they wait for some kind of response from Joe, the instructor. Finally, he snaps out of his reverie, collects his things, and exits the hall, telling the class over his shoulder that they sounded really good, but that they could run through the piece a couple more times for extra preparation if they wanted to.
As it later becomes clear, Joe is not only checked out of this job but also of his marriage. He arrives at the townhome his parents once owned, the only reason he could afford such a spacious place, and it represents a source of embarrassment for him. His wife Angela (Olivia Wilde) lives there along with the couple’s adolescent daughter, who is spending the night away at a friend’s house.
Joe’s back is acting up, so he’s grumpy, a mood not made better by Angela admonishing him to remove his shoes. The two bicker and quibble about the furnishings, the food, and whatever else comes to mind. To make matters worse, Joe learns somewhat offhandedly that Angela has invited the upstairs neighbors over for dinner.
When Piña (Penélope Cruz) and Hawk (Edward Norton) arrive, the dialog-laden film continues to work as a romantic comedy. Hawk asks if tonight is still good for dinner, because it took a while for Angela to answer the door, and he could hear them arguing from inside. Joe stands at the far side of the room, looking detached and aloof, almost lying in wait.
As the couples go through the obligatory small talk, it doesn’t last long. Still put off by the unexpected dinner party, Joe becomes uncomfortably honest in his remarks, to which Angela responds with searing back glances at him. This is where Wilde’s directorial approach becomes increasingly apparent. The close-up shots of all the characters are used to emphasize the unusual events to follow.
Piña and Hawk have been together a relatively short period of time, about a year, which highlights a concern that Joe seems determined to address – namely, the late-night and extremely loud lovemaking noises coming from the neighbors upstairs. As Joe is about to air the awkward complaint, Piña and Hawk actually broach the topic first. From there things get even crazier – sometimes funny, sometimes weird, sometimes sad and gloomy, but with perhaps a modicum of hope for something better.
Written by Will McCormack and Rashida Jones, “The Invite” represents the most recent entry into Olivia Wilde’s growing repertoire of motion pictures that she has directed. This outing may leave audiences somewhat perplexed as to the content, but it will certainly hold their attention regardless. “The Invite” could probably best be categorized as a sort of cross between a raunchy comedy and serious drama, with more than a few surprising twists and turns along the way.
In Theaters Friday, July 10th
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