Director: Olivia Wilde
Starring: Edward Norton, Olivia Wilde and Penelope Cruz
‘A Captivating Comedy’
It takes courage to cope with a broken marriage. It’s challenging to forget sad memories about tragic endings of marriage stories. From a personal point-of-view, divorce affected my aunt’s ability to make her dreams come true. Several years ago, divorce threw my aunt’s dream of building a family out a rear window. Before midnight, she had a tense fight with her husband that proved a shocking fight. An endless argument, it made the cracks in her marriage clearly evident. She couldn’t help but grieve when her spouse made drastic decisions to leave. Since I hadn’t reached age of maturity, I couldn’t understand why her marriage had to experience tragedy. Before her marriage ended, my aunt was in a happy relationship that didn’t appear complicated. On the surface, her husband appeared to be a nice person that wouldn’t file for a separation. However, a dinner party brought my aunt’s marriage towards a closure. When she invited a neighbour couple for dinner in her apartment, the problems in her marriage became apparent. What started out as a warm dinner conversation became a nightmare fuelled by marital tensions. Discovering her husband had been cheating on her for years in front of strangers left my aunt in tears. Feeling humiliated, she couldn’t believe that her husband had revealed he had cheated in front of guests she had invited. Left knocked up, my aunt struggled to cope with a devastating divorce with the maturity of a grownup. As she came towards the realization that this is the end, my aunt was left with a broken heart that was impossible to mend. Today, I’m relieved to say my aunt found a way to recover from devastating divorce that left her cast away. Settled down in Canada, she has finally recovered from divorce that caused trauma. Years later, I treasure memories of an aunt that taught me marriages seldom last forever.
As someone treasuring memories of an aunt that faced marriage plight, I loved “The Invite”. Released in 2026, Olivia Wilde’s latest movie offers a captivating comedic portrait of broken marriages. Packed with breathtaking visuals, engaging storytelling and phenomenal acting, it’s a remarkable romantic drama. At the centre of it all is an extraordinary performance from Seth Rogen, who embodies a man in a broken marriage facing tension. Although “The Invite” is a riveting romantic drama, it isn’t a flawless film. It builds to an abrupt ending. Nevertheless, it offers engaging entertainment that will satisfy fans of romantic dramas.
“The Invite” tells the story of a couple that invite guests over an eventful night. Seth Rogen embodies Joe, a struggling musician in a broken marriage facing tension. Joe shares a conflicted bond with wife Angela (Olivia Wilde) in marriages facing adversity. However, their lives forever change when they invite over a neighbour couple for dinner. Facing despair, Joe wonders whether its possible to fix a marriage that’s broken beyond repair.
Olivia Wilde is fascinated with themes of female identity. Her directorial debut “Booksmart” captured two booksmart teenagers that form friendships which can’t be torn apart. With “The Invite”, however, Wilde has made her first ever marriage movie. It’s the filmmaker’s first attempt to capture broken marriages of couples facing adversity but she succeeds immensely. Evoking Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story”, Wilde effectively uses long takes to capture a broken marriage facing adversity. For instance, long takes elevate the argument scene. During this unforgettable scene, Joe and Angela have a tense argument after he discovers that she has been roaming around the house naked. It brought back sad memories of an aunt that had tense fights with her husband facing adversities. Long takes are tricky techniques. As Asghar Farhadi’s “A Separation” suggested, long takes elevate Iranian movies. Nevertheless, it works immensely in this movie. Using stunning visuals, Wilde captures tensions between couples whose marriages are crumbling.
Another strong aspect of “The Invite” that merits appreciation is production. Evoking Alfred Hitchcock’s “Rear Window”, Wilde effectively uses the confined location of an apartment to capture couples whose marriages face sorrow. Wilde’s decision to shoot the movie in a confined apartment is risky but pays off immensely. For instance, the apartment location elevates the window secret scene. During this hilarious scene, Joe is shocked to discover Angela has secretly been walking in the apartment naked seeking neighbours’ attention. It reminded me of my aunt’s grief when she found her husband had cheated on her leaving her devastated. Moreover, the musical score is magnificent. It gives the movie an intense atmosphere capturing a heavy burden that unhappily married couples bear. Through stunning production, Wilde captures a memorable dinner occasion.
Storytelling is one of the main reasons why “The Invite” is an inviting movie about marriage that’s entertaining. In Hollywood, most movies about marriages rarely address consequences of divorce that are misunderstood. For instance, Sam Mendes’ “Revolutionary Road” depicted a tragic suburban couple facing adversity on a doomed road. Thankfully, however, “The Invite” avoids these pitfalls. Evoking Richard Linklater’s “Before Midnight”, Wilde effectively uses dramatic monologues to capture couples that fight before midnight. For instance, monologues elevate the marriage therapy scene. During this heartbreaking scene, Joe and Angela have an intimate conversation recalling fond memories of their happy relationship before marital tension. It reminded me of my aunt’s experience reminiscing memories of her joyous relationship before her marriage deteriorated. Dramatic monologues are tricky techniques. As Judd Apatow’s “Knocked Up” suggested, monologues elevate comedies about pregnancy. Nevertheless, it works immensely in this movie. Through a spectacular screenplay, Wilde captures couples that face a price to pay.
One admires astonishing performances.
Seth Rogen delivers one of his best performances as Joe. Rogen achieved appreciation for playing comical characters in raunchy comedies. With “The Invite”, however, Rogen takes on his most complex role. It isn’t easy to portray a depressed husband in a marriage facing adversity but he succeeds. Evoking Steve Carell in Glenn Ficarra’s “Crazy Stupid Love”, Rogen embodies a tormented husband trapped in a marriage without love. With riveting expressions, he captures the angst, frustrations and resentment of a husband that faces marital tensions. It’s a phenomenal performance from one of the finest comedians working today.
While the movie is mainly a stunning showcase for Seth Rogen, the supporting cast is also worthy of recognition. Olivia Wilde is outstanding, bringing child-like wonder to a woman beguiled by neighbours that are wild. Penelope Cruz is phenomenal, capturing the worldviews of a woman that takes a keen interest in her neighbours’ issues. Lastly, Edward Norton merits appreciation. As a sex-obsessed boyfriend, he is hilarious.
Despite its extraordinary performances, however, “The Invite” can’t quite capture obstacles faced by couples in broken marriages that fight. If there’s a shortcoming to the movie, it lacks an engaging ending. It’s an abrupt conclusion that fails to bring the movie towards a satisfying resolution. Whereas this ending elevated Robert Zemeckis’ “Cast Away”, it clashes with the realistic tone of this movie. As Evan Goldberg’s “This is the End” suggested, ambiguous endings elevate doomsday disaster comedies. At worst, it perpetrates false myths about marriage that aren’t true to reality. Therefore, “The Invite” is one of those comedies that not everyone will adore.
Nevertheless, fans of Seth Rogen will definitely enjoy “The Invite” and so will audiences seeking meaningful entertainment. A captivating romantic comedy, it proves that stories of broken marriages are worth telling in movies.
A powerful portrait of the painful factors that cause marriages to deteriorate, it’s a phenomenal reminder that the stories of broken relationships that deteriorate are worth telling in memorable movies audiences appreciate.
As precious as the guests Angela seeks to invite, it has inspired me to move on several years after witnessing my aunt fight in doomed marriages proving a shocking sight by treasuring memories of a relative that gave me greater insight into struggles faced by divorced couples whose love lives aren’t always bright.
4.5/5 stars
The Film Buff 