^{Seth Rogan and Olivia Wilde in The Invite
Photo: Courtesy of A24}

Review by Rebecca M. Alvin

There comes a time in many long-term relationships that only feels like the beginning of the end once it’s over. The small irritations and resentments over failed expectations mount over the years and turn into an unstoppable stream of insensitive comments, bickering, and lack of interest in each other. And of course, it’s usually also accompanied by the absence of sex. In Olivia Wilde’s new film The Invite, this is the moment in their relationship that we meet Angela (Wilde) and Joe (Seth Rogen). 

The film opens with Joe in an auditorium watching a group of high-school musicians practice, but he’s hearing in his head a different piece of music, one we sense is from an earlier time of connection with a significant other. When he finishes rehearsal, he heads home and we meet his wife, Angela and immediately understand where we are in this relationship that we suspect was once a beautiful, joyful marriage.

Enter Pina (Penélope Cruz) and Hawk (Edward Norton), neighbors Angela has invited over. Intrigued by them, Angela hopes they will all become friends, while Joe is more concerned about reprimanding them for their sexual adventures, which he can hear through the walls every night. What follows is an awkward evening in which the two couples get to know each other and Angela and Joe must come to terms with the gaping hole between them where love used to reside. As Pina, who is a psychotherapist and a sexologist, puts it in the film, “sometimes people forget that they deserve more.” The stark differences between the highly sexual relationship of their neighbors and Joe and Angela’s resentment-fueled lives together become apparent when they are invited to expand into unconventional sexual experiences that do not go as planned. 

Wilde has created another highly intelligent, complex film, just as she did in her 2019 feature debut, Booksmart. She explores sexuality, emotional trauma, and aspects of disappointing relationships many of us will relate to with  excellent comic timing, balance, and complexity, trusting her material as well as her audience. We come away from the film with that rare joy of having experienced something entertaining and fresh, but also emotionally resonant and open-ended.

The Invite (R, 107 min.) opens at Waters Edge Cinema on Friday, July 10 and screens every day except Tuesday and Wednesday. For specific showtimes and tickets, call 508.487.FILM or visit provincetownfilm.org.