Details from IMDB:
The Invite
Joe and Angela’s marriage is on thin ice. When they invite their enigmatic upstairs neighbours for a dinner party, the night spirals into unexpected places.
- Director
- Writers
- Stars
Initial Thoughts:
I had heard good things about this movie, namely from Rebecca from Geekshow and TV Show in Space. I also like Seth Rogen, and I think Olive Wilde is a good director (and actor). Plus, it’s about swingers and stars Penelope Cruz and Edward Norton (two other good actors!), so we watched it a few nights ago.
Main Points:
I had also heard this movie was based on a play, and it quickly shows. That’s not a bad thing; it just means there is a lot of dialogue, and it takes place mainly in one spot, in this case, a very unhappy married couple’s apartment as they finally have their upstairs neighbours over for dinner. We soon discover that these upstairs neighbours have loud sex often, late at night and that they are swingers/in the lifestyle. While there is some sexual language and a failed attempt at a swap, mostly the movie is about the terrible state of the main couple’s marriage and how unhappy they have both become. The dinner party spotlights them and, hopefully, this confrontation with their neighbours may help them rebuild their love before it is too late.
Despite all of the seriousness I just mentioned, there are plenty of laughs here. Seth Rogen has some really good lines, as does Oliva Wilde, and I enjoyed the ridiculousness and awkwardness of the situation. While Seth’s character does enjoy weed, I wonder if he only plays characters that do; he is miserable and, as such, often has dark humour/mean lines that were a nice change of pace for him. I believe this may be the only time he’s played a music professor too. There are some interesting shot choices, and this movie has an arthouse feel. I did find, however, that the music didn’t always build tension effectively; sometimes it got so loud you couldn’t hear what people were saying. The movie has some good twists and turns, and while much of it is depressing, it ends on a hopeful note.
Final Thoughts:
As I mentioned before, this is a film for people who love dialogue, as that is about 95% of it. I thought everyone did a good job, especially Olivia Wilde, both in acting and directing, and the R rating is only for language and two brief sexual situations (no nudity). It is a good length at a little under 2 hours, but I still think a few minutes could have been easily cut. Ages 18+ mostly due to language. I give this a solid 7.5 out of 10 and would recommend it to anyone who wants something different from the usual Hollywood type of movie. From what I know, they also do a great job explaining what life (and sex) is like for some people, and they certainly make you think about what it means to be happy and appreciate what you have in life.