This was a mystery screening at my local cinema but one that I was aware of because of the trailers and right of the bat I have to say that this was another great choice. The Invite is the latest film from Olivia Wilde who co-stars as Angela alongside Penelope Cruz (Pina), Seth Rogan (Joe) and Edward Norton (Hawk). The two couples are very different with Joe and Angela’s marriage coming across as broken and not happy whereas Hawk and Pina’s relationship is very……different and they offer Joe and Angela the opportunity to partake in one of their sex parties. The nature of the invite was obvious if you have seen the trailer but that doesnt mean that isnt a good part of the plot and the reactions of Joe and Angela are priceless.
All four performances are really good. I typically have a mixed opinion of Seth Rogan but after Good Fortune and this I think my opinion might have shifted to a more positive way of looking at his acting. I thought that he seemed just as baffled by the situation as the rest of us. Normally as he is the ‘funny’ one of the group he would be the only one who was funny but I actually found Olivia Wilde funny. Some of her facial expressions aimed at Seth Rogan were really funny and did have me chuckling many times. I did find myself feeling a bit sorry for Angela as she must have had a very dull day and the chance to entertain visitors must be too good to turn down. I thought that this was the best performance I have seen from Edward Norton for quite a long time. As Hawk it would be so easy to come across as a spiritual idiot but Norton manages to make him seem likeable and the story of how he got the name Hawk was tragic and funny because of how he delivered it and how Seth Rogan responded. Penelope Cruz does a great job with Pina. She is the polar opposite of Olivia Wilde’s Angela and works perfectly with Edward Norton. All four work in their respective couples but work well together and that is one of the things I liked about this film.
Another thing was the singular setting. Apart from 90 seconds at the beginning with Joe pretending to listen to music from his students, the entire film takes place in Joe and Angela’s apartment. Keeping things interesting and the pace going is quite difficult in one location. Ok there are different rooms but it would be easy to get claustrophobic and Wilde makes it feel like there is some energy in their performances despite the fact that it is just four people talking.
I enjoyed this film a lot more than I was expecting. I thought the trailers made the film seem interesting but after watching it I thought that the comedy was much better than the trailer suggested and whilst most might think that this is a bit like a stageplay, I think that this is actually a big plus point and with Olivia Wilde’s directing and Will McCormack and Rashida Jones’ screenplay work well together along with the performances to give us a small but very well done film with a nice amount of comedy and awkwardness. This film might struggle to get the attention compared to Minions or Supergirl but it definitely should be seen.