The Invite: Olivia Wilde's sex comedy could be surprise hit of the year
James Cox
The Invite bills itself as a raunchy comedy, but the emotional depth of the characters is striking and Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen, Edward Norton and Penelope Cruz all put in powerful performances.
If you haven't seen The Invite, there are spoilers in this piece.
Based on a Spanish film called The People Upstairs, which was adapted from a play, The Invite follows an unhappy married couple Joe (Rogen) and Angela (Wilde).
They live in an impressive San Francisco apartment, inherited from Joe's parents.
Joe, a failed musician, has an unfulfilling teaching job at a small music academy while Angela suffers with anxiety and is struggling to keep their marriage together.
Indeed, all they have in common is their 12-year-old daughter, who doesn't appear in the film.
Their life is also complicated by a lack of sleep due to the loud lovemaking from their upstairs neighbours, Hawk (Norton) and Pina (Cruz).
The film starts with a comically overblown marital argument, that is acted to its fullest by Rogen and Wilde, sparked by Angela inviting their upstairs neighbours to a dinner party.
What ensues is a wonderful blend of awkwardness, rage, human connection and sexual tension.
The film is shot almost entirely (bar a brief opening sequence) in Joe and Angela's apartment.
A production like this requires perfect chemistry between the four people involved, and The Invite achieves this.
Hawk, a firefighter, and Pina, a pyschologist and sexologist, are seemingly everything Joe and Angela are not; carefree, uninhibited and hopelessly in love.
However, as the tense conversations progress, we soon learn that they are far from the perfect couple.
What is clear from the outset is that they are swingers, and the eventual foursome proposal comes, it has hilarious consequences. In a surprisingly deep performance, Rogen plays out Joe's anxieties and fears brilliantly.
One highlight is when he is blindsided by Hawk and Pina's proposal. "Just to be clear.... you, you, her, and me?" he asks.
The film builds up to a powerful conclusion and has plenty of drama to it, although it's primarily a sex comedy.
Wilde's last film, Don't Worry Darling, received mixed reviews, but The Invite could be one of the surprise hits of the year.