The Invite
Director: Olivia Wilde
Writer: Will McCormack, Rashida Jones
Based on: the movie Sentimental
Cast: Seth Rogen, Olivia Wilde, Penélope Cruz, Edward Norton
Seen on: 31.7.2026
Plot:
Joe (Seth Rogen) and Angela (Olivia Wilde) have been together forever and their relationship is far from passionate anymore. When Angela invites their upstairs neighbors Piña (Penélope Cruz) and Hawk (Edward Norton) for dinner, things heat up quickly though. Not only because Joe isn’t in the mood for company and Angela is very attracted to both Hawk and Piña, but also because Hawk and Piña invite Angela and Joe to join them in bed.
The Invite is for the most part a very entertaining film, especially after you moved past the rocky beginning. I had a lot of fun with it.
Disclaimer: I have not seen the original movie this is based on, I didn’t even know it was based on another film, so I can only talk about this film on its own terms and not as an adaptation. In any case, it can stand on its own and you don’t get the feeling that it relies on any other text to work which is very nice.
The movie is an ensemble film. It all takes place basically in one admittedly spacious apartment and uses that small set to great advantage for the cast. All four shine in their own way, and deliver excellent performances one and all. They all get their separate moments to showcase their skill, and together it is and they are a masterclass.
But only after the beginning. Before Piña and Hawk come to the apartment, things are a little too shrill. This might have been a deliberate choice to show how out of tune Joe and Angela are with each other, how little harmony there is between them, but honestly, it was just a little too nerve-grating, and I was beginning to fear that it would never change. Fortunately, though, it did, and once Hawk and Piña join them, the shrillness subsides a little and gives way to genuine emotion.
The film does give us a trope that I hate with all of the passion I can muster, and it’s that the psychotherapist slept with their client in this one, too. This is NOT a fun little circumstance, it is defintely NOT a meet-cute, it is abuse of power and especially as a therapist myself, I need films to stop with that shit.
Other than that, though, I liked the film. I liked that it didn’t turn salacious, that it handled the topic of polyamory and open relationships respectfully and maturely (in fact, it tries to do some educating there), and still managed to be funny. And above all, I liked the cast and their work together.
Summarizing: very good.
